Reconstruction Plan for NW, SW & Far North: UN reassures gov’t of support in implementation.

The UN official gave the reassurances during the third Structured Political Dialogue between Cameroon and the UN System. The meeting opened in Yaounde yesterday.

It was jointly chaired by the Minister of External Relations, MINREX, Mbella Mbella and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Matthias Naab.

The aim of the Third Structured Political Dialogue between both parties was to set a blueprint to bolster the country’s reconstruction and development programs.   

Deliberations are focusing on the contribution of the UN systems to the implementation of the PPRD/NW-SW & PSRD/EN.  

Speaking to the press, Matthias Naab, said the UN intends to support government in several ways to achieve its objectives.

He said the Third Political and Consultation meeting will give both parties the opportunity to dialogue on how best the UN can help in the PPRD/NW-SW & PSRD/EN, which is part of its National Development Strategy, SND 2030.

He said the UN, through its various agencies like the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, is committed to support the implementation of this program across the regions in crisis.  

“The holding of this meeting is a testament to the quality and level of our relationship with the government. The presidential reconstruction program in the North West and South West Regions and the special program for the Far North Region are very constructive programs by the government,” Naab said.

He added that: “Our cooperative framework seeks and is aligned with the National Development Strategy. These programs are all enshrined in the SND30. Our support to government is not only through implementation but also ability to mobilise partners and immediate resources to support the implementation of all these interventions prosed in the plan”.

Enter MINREX boss

The Minister of External Relations, Mbella Mbella, for his part, said PPRD/NW-SW and PSRD/EN were priority projects initiated by the Head of State, President Paul Biya, to fast-track the return of peace and normalcy in crisis hit Regions of the country.

The structured political dialogue, he added, has become a reference. The MINREX boss added that it was holding at a time when the country has taken the commitment with the UN.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, he mentioned, was the instrument through which Yaounde and the UN systems will cooperate during the 2022-2026 period.

This, Mbella Mbella said, will help them to implement the national priorities and contribute to the achievement of the SDG’s. 

The Minister was also confident that the cooperation framework will enable them benefit from the UN expertise to boost developmental projects in the North West, South West and Far North Regions.

It should be recalled that the Structured Political Dialogue was launched seven years ago. Two previous sessions have been held, the first in October 2016 and the later in August 2018.

It is a mechanism for consultation, evaluation and monitoring cooperation between both parties. It is intended to give an impetus to all sectors of cooperation.