Press Statement by Mrs Florence Mugasha, Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, at the end of her visit to Cameroon, 18–22 February 2007
27 February 2007
At the end of my third visit to Cameroon as Deputy Commonwealth Secretary-General, I wish to thank the Government and people of Cameroon for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to members of my delegation and I throughout our stay in Cameroon.
I came to Cameroon at the invitation of the Government to discuss progress in the preparations of the 2007 Parliamentary and Municipal elections and to continue our dialogue on ways in which the Commonwealth and other international partners could continue to support the Government's reform programme.
I had meetings with H E Chief Ephraim Inoni, Prime Minister and Head of Government, as well as other relevant members of Government. I also met with political parties, civil society organisations, Commonwealth High Commissioners and international partners.
On behalf of the Commonwealth Secretary-General I wish to welcome the promulgation of the legislation providing for the creation of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and commend H E President Paul Biya and his government on this historic reform. I am pleased that constructive engagement between the Government of Cameroon and the Commonwealth, facilitated by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Rt Hon Joe Clark, has brought about a positive outcome on what has been a longstanding Commonwealth and international recommendation.
The new institution can only engender greater public confidence in the fairness and transparency of the electoral process in Cameroon if significant steps are taken to put it in place in time to play a meaningful role in the organisation of the 2007 elections. It is with that in mind that the Commonwealth has made a number of proposals to the Government of Cameroon designed to further underpin the independence and effectiveness of ELECAM in line with African, Commonwealth and international best practice for independent election management institutions. I am pleased to have received assurances from the Government that our proposals would be taken into account and that ELECAM would be accorded the necessary financial and operational autonomy.
The Commonwealth stands ready to assist ELECAM build up its capacity once it is established. We also call on Cameroon's friends and partners in the international community to do likewise.
Note to Editors:
The Commonwealth has been supporting the Government of Cameroon in the implementation of reforms designed to fulfil more effectively its obligations under the Harare Commonwealth Declaration. These governance reforms, initiated by the Government of Cameroon, cover the areas of election management, human rights, the rule of law and the judiciary and decentralisation.
The engagement with Cameroon is being facilitated by the Special Envoy of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon. Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada, within the framework of a Cameroon/Commonwealth Commission established by President Biya in 2002. Mr Clark was preceded in that role by The Hon Christine Stewart, a former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Canada.
delicious
digg
reddit
facebook
stumbleupon
News feedsLatest Speech
- Commonwealth Tourism Ministers MeetingCommonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma
Useful Resources
Subscribe to our weekly email news bulletin and quarterly ezine - click here