Climate change network for green environment

The Cameroon branch of the Pan African Parliamentarians Network on Climate Change, PAPNCC with Hon. Awudu Mbaya Cyprian as Coordinator both at the national and continental levels, has been active on the field educating Cameroonians on what climate change is, its causes, manifestations, impact on the population and ways of fighting against the scourge.

The desire to teach by example has taken members of the network for tree-planting exercises in Waza, Tokombere and Maroua in the Far North Region, Nkambe, Kumbo and Batibo in the North West Region led by House Speaker, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and the Mvan neighbourhood in the capital city, Yaounde.

The field work is just a tip of the iceberg on what PAPNCC is doing to fulfill its lofty mission.

Parliaments of the 38- member countries of the network have set out to influence decisions, laws, political and public opinion on issues of fighting against climate change, strengthen the capacities of social actors and victims of climate change through creating awareness and training sessions.

PAPNCC is also out to denounce all destructive activities to the environment and to encourage that the opinions of the socially disfavoured people be taken into account during national and international fora.

To succeed in the ambitious mission, the Cameroon branch of PAPNCC has gone into diverse partnerships.

One of such is with the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family through an agreement that makes women an integral part of the tree-planting exercises nationwide.

In the first three regions where PAPNCC have carried out tree-planting exercises women’s networks have taken an active part in respect of the slogan, “One Woman, One Tree, One Family, One Tree for a Green Cameroon.”

Hon. Awudu Mbaya also told Cameroon Tribune that the network has also signed agreements with mayors and the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Cameroon.

The partners have to intensify tree-planting exercise and do follow up to ensure that the trees grow up well and that the population does not indulge in the environmental-degrading activities.

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014 PAPNCC signed an agreement with the Community-Driven Participatory Development programme in which the network will be supported to continue the fight. This is one of the sources of financing of the network.

Hon Awudu Mbaya said, “We have done a lot of sacrifices out of our pockets and in some cases out of the good will of the Speaker of the National Assembly. Some NGOs and Embassies also supported us.”