By Quinta-Belle K.*

The British High Commissioner to Cameroon, H.E. Bharat Joshi, has hailed Cameroon for sustained efforts in addressing climate change issues and the curbing of other environmental ills.

These words of encouragement came in reaction to Cameroon's recent signing of the Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and the good rating Cameroon has received for reducing deforestation, caused by illegal logging. Joshi was speaking in Yaounde recently in support of Cameroon's efforts in addressing environmental issues, which according to him is today's global concern.

Going by the High Commissioner, Cameroon's recent request to be associated to the Copenhagen Agreement is a good step towards repairing the damage caused to the environment. He recalled that the signing of the agreement with the European Union to reduce unsustainable deforestation and save hundreds of millions of cfa francs lost through corruption in the sector is one of the ways out of the global climatic disorder.

To him, the establishment of the President's National Observatory and the recent national tree-planting and climate change response projects as well as evidence that Cameroon has reduced illegal logging by 50 percent in the last 10 years is proof of the positive steps towards environmental sustainability in Cameroon.

It is worthy to note that forest-exporting countries were reportedly losing between 8 and 12 pounds every year to illegal logging. It is held that the Voluntary Partnership Agreements between timber exporting countries and the EU as contained in the action plan, commits both parties to deal with illegal logging.

 "We will continue to work with the government, as we did most recently with our well-received climate change Road-show initiative which took the message of climate change across Cameroon," Joshi assured.

*(ASMAC Student On Internship)