The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) signed a cooperation protocol on Thursday aimed at improving the living conditions of children and young people in Cameroon.
The agreement was formalized at a ceremony held in the capital Yaounde, attended by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Yaounde Volkan Öskiper, TIKA Yaounde Coordinator Melih Çağatay Artunay, UNICEF Cameroon Representative Nadine Perrault, as well as representatives of diplomatic missions and partner institutions.
Speaking at the event, Öskiper said the protocol marks the beginning of a new and constructive phase of collaboration focused on children and vulnerable communities across Cameroon. He underlined that the agreement will enable institutions to operate in a more sustainable, effective and coordinated framework.
Artunay noted that TIKA prioritizes projects targeting vulnerable groups, particularly children and youth, emphasizing that the partnership with UNICEF is expected to generate concrete outcomes on the ground, especially in regions affected by climate change and ongoing humanitarian challenges.
Perrault highlighted that cooperation with TIKA will bring greater flexibility and operational efficiency to UNICEF programs, adding that the combined expertise of both organizations will create strong synergy in advancing children’s rights and promoting active youth participation in society.
Under the protocol, support will be extended to UNICEF’s “U-Report” and “U-Responders” initiatives, while efforts will focus on strengthening emergency response capacity in Cameroon’s Far North, Northwest and Southwest regions, where children are disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises.
The partnership also foresees the provision of environmental protection and disaster response equipment for young volunteers, the implementation of community-based education activities, the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and the rollout of joint communication campaigns to raise awareness on children’s rights.
