The 2022 Wangari Maathai “Champions of the Cause of Forests” award was presented to Cameroonian activist, Cécile Ndjebet, this Thursday, May 5, by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), during the XV World Forestry Congress held in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
“This prize rewards Cécile Ndjebet for her energy and her commitment for thirty years in favor of the promotion of women’s land and forest rights. As an activist, she has shown that women’s participation in forest governance and conservation is fundamental to achieving sustainable forest management,” said FAO Deputy Director-General and CPF Chair Maria Helena Semedo.
While nearly 70% of women in Cameroon live in rural areas and depend in part on harvesting wild forest products for their livelihoods, in some communities they still lack the right to own forest land. Ndjebet has campaigned tirelessly for acceptance of the idea that women should participate in forest management and enjoy equal rights to land.
This agricultural engineer co-founded the African Women’s Network for Community Forest Management in 2009, through which she made a name for herself. The structure currently has 20 member countries on the African continent.
Ndjebet is the sixth winner of the Wangari Maathai Prize. This distinction was established by the PCF in 2012 in memory of the Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai.
By OMA Newsletter N° 692 of 06/05/2022
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