United Nations: Former PM Philemon Yang set to be elected president of the General Assembly.
By Hans Ngala
Everything being equal, Cameroon’s former prime minister, Philemon Yang will be voted as president of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) taking place in New York on Thursday, June 6, 2024. The election by the UN General Assembly is scheduled for 3 PM local time in New York and because Mr. Yang is the lone candidate presented by the African continent, expectations are high that he will win the uncontested vote.
As president of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Yang is empowered to enforce rules of UNGA procedure, such as opening debate, setting the agenda, limiting speaking times for representatives, and suspending or adjourning debate by representatives of all UN member states in attendance. This is the first time a Cameroonian is holding the position with the first ever African to hold it being Ghana’s Alex Quaison-Sackey in 1964.
Seventy-six-year-old Philemon Yang previously served as Cameroon’s prime minister from 2009 until 2019, the longest any prime minister has ever served. He took over from Ephraim Inoni and before becoming prime minister, had served Cameroon in many capacities including as Cameroon’s ambassador to Ottawa, Canada in 1984. He remained in that position for 20 years and his title was changed to High Commissioner when Cameroon joined the Commonwealth in 1995.
At the start of the Anglophone Crisis in 2016, Yang made several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the crisis but met a deadlock.
While he will be presiding on the world stage in New York, the Oku-born citizen is unlikely to address the Anglophone Crisis tearing apart his country.
Yang is a faithful Christian of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) and worships at Etoug-Ebe Baptist Church in Yaounde.
The post of president of the UNGA is a one-year, non-permanent position and Yang will officially preside over the UN when it meets formally in September.
