Having received the green light from their boss, Ambassador Daniel Evina Abe’e, they treated their half-million guests to a rich package of activities. Apart from the opening speech presented by the Programme Coordinator and Head of the Communication Centre, other features included table talks and experts’ views inspired by this year’s theme, namely, the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action: Assessment and Perspectives. Focus was on Roadside food vendors, Bayam Sellam, the Single mother, Wife of a polygamist, Wife of an irresponsible husband, Women displaced by armed conflicts or natural disasters, Prostitutes, Diaspora women facing tough challenges, widows, and the education of the girl-child. Some twenty prizes were given out to two categories of winners in the competition for Best Mothers, and the Best recipe for a family of six with a tight budget. The open fashion parade brought raised excitement in the hall. “Though a lot remains to be accomplished for women, they should not lose sight of the natural complementarity between them and men, as a necessity for peace and development,” says Ambassador Evina Abe’e in his closing remarks.
The occasion was graced by the presence of high level guests including the Equato-Guinean Ambassador, Perseveranda Mangue de Nvono Nca. The wives of the Ambassadors of Swaziland, Benin, and South Africa sat by their Cameroonian counterpart Christianne Eloundou, and Madame Claire Pierret, wife of the Belgian Society of Cardiology.
