UNICEF’s top diplomat for Greece, Dr. Ghassan Khalil, has held high-level talks with Deputy Speaker Hon. Hilarion Etong focused on strengthening legislative collaboration and advancing child welfare initiatives across the nation.
The National Assembly served as the stage for reinforced commitments to child welfare on 21 November 2025 as Honourable Hilarion Etong, Senior Deputy Speaker, received His Excellency Dr. Ghassan Khalil, the Country Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Greece. The audience, held at the Paul Biya Glass House.
Dr. Khalil, on a working visit to Cameroon, was received on behalf of the Right Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril. The meeting centered on a lengthy and productive exchange concerning the promotion and defence of children’s rights in Cameroon, as well as the strategic relationship between the Republic of Cameroon and UNICEF.
Following the discussions, a key diplomatic gesture saw the visiting envoy inscribe his signature in the Golden Book of the National Assembly, cementing the spirit of the collaboration.
In a press briefing after the audience, Dr. Khalil expressed his honour at being received by the parliamentary institution. He revealed that his discussions with the Senior Deputy Speaker included conveying the warm greetings of Madam Nadine Perrault, UNICEF’s Country Representative in Cameroon, to the Assembly’s authorities.
The diplomat highlighted a landmark event that preceded the visit, the International Conference on the Role of Academia in Promoting and Protecting Child Rights, held in Yaoundé on November 19-20. The conference, organized by UNICEF Cameroon in partnership with the Catholic University of Central Africa, was held under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute.
Dr. Khalil further commended Cameroon’s pioneering role in a crucial new initiative. “I also used the interview to congratulate the efforts put in place to create an African Academia of Universities for Child Rights, of which Cameroon is a pioneer member,” he stated, signalling a forward-looking approach to embedding child rights within higher education systems.
Claudette Chin
