Ahead of Summit of the Future 2024: Plan Int’l urges Cameroon’s delegates to prioritise women, girls.

The call was made during a national consultation organised in Yaounde prior to the Summit. It was organised by the Ministry of External Relations, MINREX, on September 12 and 13. 

The event rallied State institutions and services, political stakeholders, legislators, United Nations, UN agencies, international organisations, civil society groups and youth leaders striving in youth empowerment and fostering the rights of women.

Focus was to discuss on strategic issues that the country will present at the summit in a bid to ensure that national priorities are reflected in the Summit’s resolutions.

On the second day of the national consultation on September 13, Plan International Cameroon participated in a panel discussion themed: “Youth and Future Generations: Summit for the Future as a Summit of Hope”.

Speaking to the press after the event, the Influencing and Communication Specialist at Plan Cameroon, Dr Eddy Patrick Donkeng, stressed that Plan Cameroon is a youth-centered organisation and when it concerns the future, including young people is a must.

“The young girl is capital for the future because the young girl of today is the woman of tomorrow. It is important for girls to be taken into consideration as the main focus for the agenda of the future,” he stated, adding that: “We are happy with deliberations that have been made here because for the first time, civil societies, young people and the administration mobilized and made recommendations that the Cameroonian delegation will take to New York”. 

Youth voices amplified 

Plan International Sponsorship alumnus and Youth Delegate from the North West Region, Charlotte Ayeah, spoke on behalf of young people. 

She urged decision-makers to act on the eight Transformative Actions for Adolescent Girls and Young People outlined in the Girls Pact for the Future document, drawn up by Plan International in partnership with UNICEF.

“The specific needs, challenges and priorities of women and adolescent girls are always swept under the rug in discussions like this. My presence here was necessary to spotlight this so that the voices of women can be heard and their needs prioritised and factored into decisions that will be made at the summit,” she underscored.

Priority to women, girl’s rights

Speaking to the press after her presentation, Charlotte Ayeah mentioned that recommendations were made around the intensification of comprehensive sexual education and access to sexual reproductive health rights and services.

“We realised this is a problem when it comes to teenage pregnancies and deaths resulting from abortion because when it comes to girls and their body autonomy, they have very little or no information about their sexual and reproductive health rights. Sometimes, they tend to make decisions that are not informed,” she stated.

According to Ayeah, the protection of AGYW in conflict situations by upholding their human rights and dignity is primordial.

“For the past eight years, I have seen and lived in violence in the North West Region and I have seen how it is disproportionately affecting adolescent girls and young women from achieving their full potential. It is important that this is taken into consideration especially in the Cameroonian context,” she said. 

Ayeah on behalf of young people further recommended that more girls and young women be included in decision making spaces, especially decisions that have to do with them specifically.

She added that often, girls and young women are disproportionately affected by climate change compared to their male counterparts.

Ayeah also underscored the importance of empowering girls and young women with the skills, resources and tools to permit them effectively engage in conversations around climate change because they bear the brunt.

“We expect that when the Cameroonian delegation goes to New York, these things are put on the table for discussions,” she hoped.

Background to the consultation

The National Consultation was initiated by Plan International Cameroon after discussions with MINREX due to the organisations multilateral diplomatic engagements towards the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA79, and the Summit of the Future.

The national consultation saw the adoption of the Yaounde Declaration, among other related activities. These actions include investing in people to end poverty, accelerating gender equality, enhancing meaningful youth participation, and protecting the human rights of all young people.

According to Plan International, the key to achieving the goals of the Summit of the Future is to listen to and act on the calls of girls and young women with urgency.

During the opening ceremony on September 12, the Country Director of Plan International Cameroon, Mohamed Bah, delivered a powerful keynote address. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue N0:3231 of Monday September 16, 2024