SEEPD extends Partnership to 24 Councils in Northwest Region
The United Cities and Councils of Cameroon (UCCC) in collaboration with the Socio Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disability (SEEPD) program of the CBC Health Services have organized a 2-day workshop on Inclusive Local Development for Mayors, Secretary General, and Disability Focal persons from 24 Municipal Councils in the Northwest Region and regional permanent secretary, and divisional desk officers from UCCC Northwest Regional Office.
The workshop that held recently at the conference hall of the NW Regional Delegation of Public Works had as objective to elaborate the concept and principles underpinning disability inclusive development, strengthen the capacity of UCCC and the councils to mainstream gender and disability in policy and practice, and define a monitoring and reporting system.
Sitting in place of the President of UCCC and on behalf of the Mayors and municipalities of the Northwest Region, the Mayor of Tubah Council, Mr. Tanjong Stanislaus applauded the commitment and support of the CBC Health Services to the Councils to promote inclusion. He underlined the enormous contributions of the CBC in the areas of health, education, humanitarian services, and most importantly evangelization. Mayor Tanjong hailed the decision of the SEEPD program to take the fight for inclusion a step further by involving other stakeholders and development partners thereby complying with the law on decentralization which encourages grassroots development.
The lead facilitator of the workshop, CBM Regional Quality Manager, Mr. Mue Peter in his presentation, noted that participants should look at disability work as human diversity given their role in promoting disability inclusive development in their municipalities. He drilled the participants on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which he said is an international instrument that warrants countries to promote the rights of persons with disability which Cameroon has signed and ratify it. He also exposed participants to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which is a development framework that should act as a guide to development actors to ensure that no one is left behind in the development process. He described the SDGs as a reference bible for development actors.
Mr. Mue also treated the Mayors to the April 2010 law on the rights of persons with disabilities with the text of application signed by the Prime Minister on July 2018. He told the development actors that the 2010 law should be a working document for them in the region to ensure the inclusion of persons with disability.
The participants who were drawn from the Councils in the region and the UCCC regional and divisional offices also acquired practical lessons on Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) and disability concepts. It was an opportunity for them to share experiences on the challenges they face in promoting inclusion in their municipalities. The facilitator in a work session with the participants guided them on how to put in place strategies that promote inclusion.
It was an exciting and appreciative participant who has been introduced to the concept of disability for the first time. Under the banner of UCCC, they will benefit from the partnership between UCCC and CBC Health Services which will see them achieve inclusion in their municipalities. The 24 Councils are coming to add to the 10 Councils in the Northwest region and one Council in the West region that the program signed an MoU with them in the first phase of CBID project to promote inclusion.
It should be noted that within the current decentralization process in Cameroon, and with the UCCC more than ever making significant contributions in supervising and promoting Council activities, the program saw the need to enter into a partnership agreement to further strengthen the process. On October 12, 2022, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the CBCHS and the UCCC, with specific responsibilities to collaborate in enhancing the role of the UCCC in cultivating solidarity between Councils in the NWR and instituting continuous concerted action to promote inclusive local development and improve the environment and living conditions of the people.
The workshop was organized, thanks to support from CBM International.