Women and Youths assimilated the concept of green governance and were equipped with practical modalities for the greening of the environment. The purpose is to cool down global warming and guarantee a safe environmental.
The Organization known as Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE) in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Yaounde 1 Council has engaged a broad spectrum of youths in green governance in order to accelerate the participation of locals in environmental protection. It was during a two day workshop from the 22nd to the 23rd of October 2024, at the conference hall of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Yaounde where more than150 persons were brought together to acquire practical lessons on the notion of green governance under the policy known as « Université de la Gouvernance Verte (UniGoVe) ».
Present was the Rector of UnigoVe, Professor William Mala who told workshop participants that the « Université de la Governance Verte- Unigove » is an initiative that aims to instill the dynamics of green governance in the decentralization process underway in Cameroon by promoting principles such as participatory democracy, transparency, accountability, equity and sustainability. It makes use of youths, women, policy makers and industries including persons at the grassroot to contribute in mitigating climate change effects for a safe ecosystem.
Various experts during the workshop equipped participants on imperative issues on green governance. The modules centered around; the necessity of green governance on local development in Cameroon, the role of young people and women in green governance, the regulations in force and shortcomings in Cameroon surrounding green governance, the place of young people in ministerial initiatives of green governance, the role of non-state entities in the promotion and participation of young people in local governance in Cameroon, Improving youth civic participation and community engagement, Regulatory frameworks for green governance at national and local level, the greening of municipal development plans and a review of Municipal climate plans.
According to climate expert, Jean Jules Bille « we must consider improving our future and making the decisions we need to make » He continued that the much needed advocacy on climate change goes beyond just decision-makers because there is need for drivers after the decision making process. These drivers include all parties, all civil society actors, whether young people, men, or the media who can all play an important role. This goes a long way to eliminate climate refugees. This means making concrete actions with collaborative frameworks and bringing incentives so that lasting decisions are made,
An interactive session on decentralization and local development policies regarding green governance featured a Member of of Parliament from the Cenre Region, Cabral Libi’i, who stating his views on the subject matter, cited the floods in Mayo Danay in Cameroon which happened recently not different from what is happening in East Africa or in Asia « Our planet is perishing because of humans bad choices so it is crucial that we should be aware of it. That is why I’m telling u that I took pleasure in working with these youths because it is this category of people who need to be taken care of concerning these issues. Wether we like it or not, they are our future and I wish that some of them, when they will reach the stage of decision making should be conscious in all their actions that it is crucial to protect our environment » According to the member of parliament, he is active on a Parliamentary network where concrete decisions are being taken on ecological protection including the choices of building materials used, the farming methods and waste disposal.
Stakeholders during the workshop highlighted the challenges, opportunities and good practices that can serve as a support framework for better involvement of young people and women in green governance in Cameroon.
The session improved the knowledge and understanding of green governance among young people. Participants, especially young people and women, are now more aware of the importance of their involvement in green governance processes to fully achieve local development objectives, as well as the need to be able to engage in participatory processes that can influence political decisions.
« I learned a lot about the green environment which affects everybody. It is a present and future issue, critical in our country and overall worldwide. I learned that we need to participate and get closer to the political environment so that our voices can be heard » attests Claude Whitney, after partaking in the workshop.
The NGO known as Young Volunteers for the Environment is oriented in the defense of community rights, environmental protection and sustainable management. The NGO is focused on community adaptation and the participation of youths and women in the decision-making process for sustainability. The project on green governance was funded by the European Union.
The project coordinator, Hervé Makebel, hopes that by training young people who are interconnected the knowledge would be relayed and assimilated for a change in action.
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