Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Global Town Hall Meeting on Civil Society U.S. Embassy, Yaoundé, Cameroon

OGCEYOD being one of the 30 influential Civil Society organizations in Cameroon was invited by the U.S. Embassy, Yaounde to view Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Global Town Hall Meeting on Civil Society as part of the U.S. government’s Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society 2012 Summit in Washington. This meeting which took place on the 16^th of May 2012 from 3 – 5 pm at the U.S. Embassy, Cameroon conference hall was chaired by Ambassador Robert Jackson in Yaoundé who in his welcome note underlined the important role civil society plays in strengthening democracies worldwide and provided background information on the Strategic Dialogue. Hooking up with Washington, the stage was set for the Hillary Clinton to begin talks on this strategic dialogue with the civil society organizations around the world. She said that though the economy has been in the hands of the entrepreneurs and creative innovators, the civil society is where we are formed and where we live. She went on to express their willingness to work with the civil society adding that they may not always agree on issues. She said, “each time a reporter is silenced, or an activist is threatened, it doesn’t strengthen a government, it weakens a nation. A stool cannot balance on one leg or even two. The system will not be sustainable.  We’ve provided political and financial support for embattled civil society groups around the world. we should demonstrate that civil society should be viewed not a threat, but an asset.” In her final state before the question and answer session she said that we want to use this dialogue, to be a vehicle for the exchange of ideas, for the promotion of new approaches, and for an accounting, because we want to do what works and quit doing what doesn’t work.

Following the Town Hall meeting, Ambassador Jackson moderated a discussion among the Cameroonian participants on how to make their work more effective and the potential role of the Embassy in this effort.  He noted that we have established ties with the Civil Society Forum for democracy, youth, women’s, and entrepreneurship groups in particular.

Cameroonian participants observed that five existing Washington Working Groups: 

Governance and Accountability, chaired by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Robert Hormats;

Democracy and Human Rights, chaired by Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Human Rights, Democracy, and Labor Michael Posner;

Empowering Women and Girls, chaired by Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer;

Labor, chaired by Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Barbara Shailor; and

Religion and Foreign Policy, co-chaired by Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Maria Otero, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook, and Director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua Dubois,

These topics did not necessarily mirror what the civil society actors perceived as the most pressing issues in Cameroon.  The leaders also suggested that while corruption and gender fit within the framework, Development, Economic Growth, Entrepreneurship and Job Creation; Health; Youth; Environment; Conflict Management; and Violent Extremism Working Groups might be appropriate for Cameroon and for other countries. 

Cameroonian CSO leaders cited funding as another major challenge to the development of civil society.  They noted that many – if not most – Cameroonian CSOs depend on foreign donors for funding, and donors come with their own agendas and priorities.  They urged the Embassy to encourage corporations to support CSOs as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts. 

Some participants felt it would be useful to highlight “stars” as models for other CSOs, especially among youth.

CSOs need to decide what changes they seek and at what level, otherwise, a Cameroon working group would lack a clear agenda.  A big group would be unwieldy; thus identifying two or three CSOs in each sector and building capacity for steady output rather than the current sporadic activities might make sense.

The Embassy would welcome volunteers and suggestions on next steps for a mission-based working group that might meet quarterly.  Governance and Accountability might be the logical choice for the mission working group’s first meeting.