Accord in partnership with the African Union (AU) Office of the Youth Envoy OYE) Global Peace convened a virtual Inter-Generational Dialogue (IGD) in Cameroon under the theme “Silencing the Guns” (STG). The IGD was held on the 4th of September, 2020.
The key speakers during this dialogue included Ms. Omam Esther, Mr. Bochum Samuel Bache, Dr. Emile Sunjo, Ms. Ruth Tembe, Mr. Akaba James, Ms. Caryn Dasah, Mr. Epah Fortaw Nyukechen. The IDG was convened by Mr. Solomon Ateh and moderated by Mr. Blaise Eyong. A number of recommendations were made during the IGD by the panellists in the areas of STG, employment and COVID-19.
The panel made calls for studies to be conducted in order to understand reasons behind the root causes of conflict and the why youth turn to armed conflict as a way to make a living. Efforts also need to be made to stop the flow of small arms across the border into Cameroon. In addition, mechanisms that are human-rights based, must be put in place to ensure that armed government agencies come under the oversight of civil bodies in Cameroon in order to address the violations and excessive force committed by the police.
Programmes also need to be established to ensure that young people are given skills for sustainable livelihoods and job opportunities through vocational skills-building, trade education and entrepreneurship particularly in areas that are prone to violence. In addition, capacity building in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) area for the youth must be undertaken. Public health infrastructure must be improved and strengthened in order to produce a resilient healthcare system especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another recommendation is to systematically implement innovative youth training programmes in governance and peacebuilding so the youth are therefore more capable of addressing governance and peace issues in Cameroon.
Regularly convening IGDs that include young, present and past leaders in Cameroon to deal with issues of peace, development and sustainability will help bridge the gaps of mistrust between the generations. It will also help to incorporate the youth into the peacebuilding process and see more young people involved in peacebuilding programmes.
This Cameroon IGD is in line with ACCORD’s strategic objective to strengthen the capacities of youth to participate in peace and security initiatives.
