Ceremony recognizes long-term commitment to the organization and its mission
On 4 July 2024, 20 staff members in the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)’s Cameroon division were awarded Medals of Honour for Work in a ceremony at the organization’s country office at Usine Bastos.
The medals were given for ten, 15 and 25-year periods of service, and awardees included scientists, administrators, drivers, finance officers and more.
“These medals are a testimony to the excellence and exceptional commitment of the women and men who make our organization strong,” said CIFOR-ICRAF’s country coordinator Ann Degrande during the presentation. «I would like to thank each and every one of them for the determination and passion they show towards the organization, and especially the rural communities we serve.”
She outlined CIFOR-ICRAF’s thirty-year track record of service in Cameroon, which has focused on leveraging the powerful potential of trees, forests and agroforestry landscapes to combat the planet’s most pressing challenges — biodiversity loss, climate change, food security, inequity, and living standards — by conducting innovative research, building partner capacity, and actively engaging all stakeholders to provide new knowledge for better decision-making.
“It is thanks to our dedicated staff, who we honour today, that we have been so successful in accomplishing our mission to date,” Degrande said. “Their skills, creativity and scientific rigour have enabled major advances in areas of research and development. Their discoveries have nourished our knowledge, fueled our thinking and inspired innovative solutions for a more sustainable and prosperous world.»
High-level attendees of the event included the Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Governor of the Central Region, the Prefect of Mfoundi, the Sub-Prefect of Yaounde, the Regional Delegate for Labour and Social Security, representatives of various other ministries and departments in the Cameroonian government and partners of CIFOR-ICRAF.
Following opening remarks by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Grégoire Owona, staff representative Ttibi Olu praised staff members’ achievements.
“We all know how difficult it has always been to find a job, and especially to keep it for a long time,” he said. “So when a person manages to find one — and keep it for long enough to receive recognition from the State — they simply deserve to be congratulated.”
