Members of the Cameroon-European Union Joint Working Group on migration issues yesterday, September 22, 2011 in Yaounde examined the terms of reference to guide them in tackling all matters related to the issue. The terms of reference were proposed by the European Union Delegation side while the Cameroonian side proposed amendments that were examined during the first session of the Working Group created in Yaounde in February 2011.
The meeting at the Ministry of External Relations, Thursday, September 22, was co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Ministry of External Relations, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh and the Head of the European Union Delegation to Cameroon, Raul Mateus Paula. The Working Group aims at strengthening dialogue and cooperation between Cameroon and the European Union Delegation in managing migration issues with the objective of promoting economic and social development.
The terms of reference contains aspects such as improving knowledge on migrants, statistics and other related information. The Working Group also examined ways of handling the situation of legal migrants, how to combat illegal migration, human trafficking and the trafficking of migrants, including their prevention, control at the borders and repatriation and fighting fraud in travel documents. Other issues contained in the terms of reference include exile and the situation of refugees, migration and development and facilitation of the creation of enterprises and other employment opportunities in Cameroon as a deterrent to young people leaving the country.
Speaking while opening the session that later on continued behind closed doors, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, welcomed the participants on behalf of the External Relations Minister, Henri Eyebe Ayissi. He said the resolutions of the meeting will have to be properly followed up in the interest of both parties. Raul Mateus Paula said discussions during the session were crucial in tackling migration issues. He expressed happiness at the commitment of both parties to the Working Group.
