Cameroon-Commonwealth : Commemorating Productive Ties

Cameroon today March 13, 2023 joins 55 other Commonwealth countries to celebrate the 2023 edition of the Commonwealth Day, under the theme, “Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future.” The commemoration serves as an opportunity to highlight contributions made by Cameroon to attaining shared principles and values of the Organisation. Week-long activities organised have centred on exploring economic opportunities that could be beneficial to regional and local authorities, youth empowerment, mental health and psychosocial support in a professional environment, women entrepreneurship in Cameroon, peace fitness walk and promoting educational and knowledge enhancement though a national essay competition. In all, Cameroon has been working towards the realisation of the aspirations on the theme of this year’s edition and strengthening her presence within the Commonwealth. Read below the interview of the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Cooperation with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu on Cameroon’s cooperation with the Organisation. 

Cameroon today joins other 55 member countries of the Commonwealth to commemorate this year’s edition on the theme, “Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future”.  What is the significance of this theme for Cameroon as a member of the Commonwealth? 
Every year, Cameroon joins the other member countries of the Commonwealth to celebrate Commonwealth Day under a given theme which underlines the aspirations of the Organisation. For all the 56 member states that constitute the Commonwealth, spread across Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific, the theme generally highlights the Organisation’s shared commitment to the values and principles for which it stands.  This year’s theme focuses on virtual events, encouraging countries of the Commonwealth to work together, achieve common goals, protect our natural resources, and boost trade. It also offers unique avenues for member countries to demonstrate they are working towards providing sustainable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges like instability, economic downtrends, and climate change, while achieving shared objectives like good governance and boosting intra-Commonwealth trade.  This theme resonates in many ways with the vision that the Head of State, H.E. Paul Biya, has for our nation. As you would recall, President Paul Biya has consistently harped on the importance of connecting generations using ICT tools, being creative and innovative in the area of entrepreneurship and business start-ups, and building a generation of transformational leadership, as key milestones in the social and political development of our nation. This is verifiable in the government’s 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND30), and extolled in our ambition to emerge by 2035.

What is peculiar about the 2023 edition of Commonwealth Day that sets it apart from previous editions? 
This year’s celebration takes place within a unique context, given that this will be the first Commonwealth Day celebration after a major change at the helm of the Organisation in seventy years, following the passing away of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022. She previously served as Head of the Commonwealth for seven decades, and was succeeded by His Majesty King Charles III, who became the new Head of the Commonwealth on September 8, 2022.   Another unique feature of this year’s Commonwealth Day celebration is that in 2022, during the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that held in Kigali, Rwanda, Gabon and Togo were admitted as new members, taking the Organisation’s membership to 56 States. From a diplomatic perspective, the 2023 Commonwealth Day will be the first major occasion to welcome Gabon into the family of Commonwealth Diplomatic Missions in Cameroon, as this will be Gabon’s maiden participation in a Commonwealth Day celebration. It should be noted that Gabon and Cameroon are the only two CEMAC States that are members of the Commonwealth.  Furthermore, during the same CHOGM, the year 2023 was declared the year of the youth in the Commonwealth. This year’s celebration is thus an ideal opportunity for member States to focus on the special place of the youth, who make up over 60 per cent of the population of the Commonwealth. Also, in December 2022, the Commonwealth Secretariat launched the Commonwealth of Nations Flag of Peace, which seeks to highlight the tenth anniversary of the Commonwealth Charter, agreed upon by Heads of Government on 14 December 2012, and signed by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on 11 March 2013.  

What are some of the activities that have been organised to highlight the 2023 Commonwealth Day and its theme? 
Several activities were organised across the national territory for a one-week period (from 06 to 13 March), with the climax being the commemorative ceremony, today 13 March. Activities to celebrate this year’s Commonwealth Day in Cameroon, kicked off with an official launch on Monday, 06 February 2023, characterised essentially by a flag hoisting ceremony, as a demonstration of the connection, friendship, and cooperation ties that bind the 2.4 billion Commonwealth citizens. This exercise was followed by a workshop on mental health and psychosocial support in a profession...