By MERIO JIMMY
Raising awareness of the need to institutionalize peace in Cameroon
On December 2nd, an international peace organization, HWPL, hosted a webinar titled 'Human Rights Webinar for National Development' in Cameroon. HWPL global branch 04 organized the event to raise awareness about the necessity of peace institutionalization for social stability and national development in Cameroon and to encourage people to participate in HWPL's activities.
The event, conducted via online Zoom meeting, saw the participation of approximately 15 Cameroon officials, including the Mayor of Buea, lawyers, professors in law and political science, students, and project managers from NGOs. They engaged in discussions on methods to promote peace activities in Cameroon
Following Germany's defeat in World War I, Cameroon was colonized by France and Britain. After independence, English and French became the official languages of the country, but with only about 20% of the population speaking English and the rest French, there was a conflict between the two language groups. In 2018, when the authority for the French-speaking majority expanded, discrimination against the English-speaking minority sparked conflicts. Nonviolent protests by the English-speaking community were met with violent government responses, worsening the situation.
HWPL introduced the first human rights webinar in Cameroon, titled "Institutionalizing for Peaceful Coexistence," in April, and shared the outcomes of the HWPL 9th Anniversary Peace Summit to introduce peace institutionalization.
The conference featured presentations by the chairman of the 2023 HWPL Peace Leadership Conference, sharing ways to achieve peace institutionalization. It also introduced the 'Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War' (DPCW) as an international legal framework for peace and highlighted real-world examples of MinDanao achieving peace based on the DPCW. Additionally, HWPL presented the LP Project, advocating for the DPCW to become international law and promoting peace education.
Through this webinar, participants gained an understanding of the necessity for peace institutionalization for Cameroon's national development. The webinar emphasized Officials from Cameroon the importance of sustainable peace and encouraged active participation in HWPL's peace activities, including the LP Project, to achieve peace institutionalization.
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