During the event commemorating the 40th Anniversary of ECCAS which took place from the 17th to 19th of November 2023 in Malabo, we were represented by Yafe Merolyn Yong, the Head of the Department for Human Rights and Governance. This was a joint meeting of the Committee of Wise Men and the Network of Women Mediators (REFEMAC) of ECCAS, during which the Committee of Wise Men was made operational; they aim to support the Peace and Safety Council of Central Africa (COPAX) in the preservation of peace in the ECCAS area through a peaceful resolution of disputes, mediation or the prevention of all types of conflicts.
During one of the conferences held by the Heads of State and Government of ECCAS , the ECCAS Commission was instructed to take necessary measures to implement the Women's Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. In effect, It approved the establishment of the Network of ECCAS Women Mediators emphasizing the importance of increasing the participation and inclusion of women in mediation and other peace processes. This Network will be established to promote the WPS Agenda but also accelerate the development of 1325 national plans in Central Africa and support the Implementation of existing action plans.
Before the closing of the work by the Equatorial Guinean Minister of Integration, current President of the Council of Ministers of ECCAS, Prime Minister Philémon Yang, who his peers also appointed to head the Vice-Presidency of the Committee of Elders, sacrificed like the six other members, to the ritual of taking the oath, by pronouncing the following words:
I, Philémon Yang, swear in my capacity as member of the Committee of Elders of ECCAS,
-to exercise loyally, conscientiously, and with discretion the functions and responsibilities entrusted to me,
-to regulate my conduct having in mind the interest of ECCAS,
-not to request or receive instructions from a Member State of the Community or outside it.
