Hon. Wirba Joseph
Hon Wirba Joseph Mbiydzenyuy MP, is a Cameroonian Member of Parliament, human rights activist, senior education specialist, multi-sector problem-solving enthusiast and a passionate advocate for free education for all children
He was a top aide to Kenneth Kaunda (ex-President of Zambia), Ide Oumarou (former Secretary General of the Organization for African Unity) and Barrister Bernard A. Muna (former Deputy Prosecutor for the United Nations Special Criminal Court for Rwanda and current United Nations Human Rights Representative in the Central African Republic) during the international Pan-African initiative (United Africa Association), where he served as Executive Assistant overseeing the Department of Political Affairs and Democratic Progress in Africa.
Along with Ni John Fru Ndi, the chairman of his party, Joe played a pivotal role in the early 90s “Democratization Process” in Cameroon, which finally led to the introduction of multi-party politics.
He worked on the All Anglophone Conferences I & II seeking peaceful and sustainable solutions to the Anglophone minority problem in Cameroon.
Before going into politics, Joe spent more than twenty years in teaching, organizational management, business programme implementation, policy-oriented research and governance practices in the public and private sphere. He worked briefly with the American Peace Corps as a language trainer and coordinator for Cross-Cultural Affairs.
Joe has held several advocacy positions in the international development sector, representing the Universal Peace Federation and the Cameroon Association of Human Rights Democracy and Peace abroad. He has travelled widely, attending conferences, seminars and training programmes on democracy, election management, human rights and conflict resolution.
Throughout his career which spans work in the public service, private and nonprofit sectors, his world of experience helped many organizations through a substantial period of growth. He is Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Production in the Cameroon National Assembly. He also serves as an executive member on the Committee for the Protection of the Congo Basin Forest, and is passionate about finding lasting solutions to child brides, women giving birth to children on bamboo beds and dusty floors, and the non-sustainable use of natural resources, particularly in light of the current threats to our climate which is already negatively impacting freshwater supplies in Cameroon, Africa and beyond.
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