Op-Ed: Why 2015 is an action year

The year 2015 is a special year for all. A year of ACTION! A year declared for women’s empowerment and gender equality. It is also when world leaders discuss and finalise adoption of the next global development agenda (SDG = Sustainable Development Goals) set to expire by 2030.

This 2015, the world will also review progress made on the 20 years of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).

Nationally, 2015 would commence the President’s 3 year Emergency Development Action, designed towards the achievement of the country’s Vision 2035 in becoming an emerging economy.

Like the Post 2015 development agenda, SDGs, Cameroon’s Vision 2035 also seeks to address human issues particularly in advancing gender equality, poverty alleviation, social justice, freedom of choice, youth leadership, women’s economic empowerment and sustainable development.

The SDGs precede after the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), a set of eight goals adopted in 2000 by 179 governments with the aim of achieving universal development by 2015. The eight goals include: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. It also seeks to promote and ensure environmental sustainability and global partnership for development.

In September 2015, the SDGs will be adopted by world leaders.

Currently, there are 17 goals which will set the pace of the next development agenda and determine how governments make investments and priorities development issues.

The fact that Cameroon hopes to become an emerging economy by 2035, 2015 provides us with an opportunity to speed up this realization. This is why we should all take advantage of the post 2015 development process and demand ACTION to advance development, address inequalities, poverty and climate change.

As young people, we can no longer afford to be silent. There is no doubt that those who stand to make these goals and vision come to realization are youths, women and girls, who constitute 2/3 of Cameroon’s population.

Therefore, as we inaugurate 2015, lets all resolve to work towards the future we want for Cameroon and for the world at large: a world (Cameroon) that promotes, respects, and believes in the potential of its youth, women and girls as agents of change and drivers for development agenda.

Happy New year!