Memoire Online - The Case for a Data Bank at the Ministry of External Relations - Cameroon

The creation of a databank at the Career Management Unit of MINREX responds to a double preoccupation; the placement of Cameroonians in international organizations, and the efficient management of the career of diplomatic personnel. Though prescribed by a Presidential decree, the actual tailoring of this bank requires political will, professional creativity and technical know-how. Once in place, the bank will serve as a decision-making tool, providing ready, complete and vital information for the policy-maker.

General introduction

The stakes of globalization for Cameroonian diplomacy are at the same time political, socio-economic and cultural. Former US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright's «assertive multilateralism» has underscored the changes that have taken place in the 20th century in the nature of international relations and the challenges states will be facing in the new millennium. She states that

On most issues, our diplomats must understand and work well not only with foreign counterparts, but also legislators, nongovernmental organizations, outside experts, and representatives from the private sector, both business and labor. The old geopolitical chessboard is no longer two-dimensional. Today's players are not only nations, but a host of non-state actors. The issues are often not separable, but inter-connected. The rules shift with every scientific breakthrough^1(*).

These challenges weigh on all states and oblige governments to adopt policies appropriate for the New World Order. It is mindful of this that President Paul Biya, in a speech inaugurating his presidential mandate in 1984, formulated Cameroon's foreign policy in the following way,

The actions of Cameroonian diplomacy will be felt with the effects of the National New Deal; by a policy of presence, active and realistic participation, while pressing on always consolidating Cameroon's independence and radiance. We will always make our voice heard in the solutions of the big problems that plague mankind today...^2(*).

This vision, summarized by Oyono Oyono as «the triad of presence, participation and brilliance», which he says has «become the specific purpose of our new diplomacy»^3(*), has to be pursued by the placement of Cameroonians in multilateral organizations. If not how do you ensure your presence, participate and shine without a national in an organization, especially a representative at a top position?

It is for this reason that a number of works (especially internship reports) in IRIC have been consecrated to this issue of Cameroon's policy of positioning nationals in international organizations. Several works have been carried out on the challenges of Cameroonian diplomacy in general and the placing of Cameroonians in international organizations in particular.

Studying Cameroon's policy of placement of nationals in IOs from the perspective of the African Union, Ondoa Mbazoa presents the different category of international workers within the AU. For him, «nationals working in an IO reflect to a certain degree the dynamism of their country of origin. Also, they are a symbol of national pride»^4(*). According to him, nationals working in an IO procure not only the above, but also enormous financial benefits. Not only that, how do we explain the sacrifices made by state such as Cameroon to an IO such as the AU, if not partly for the sake of also placing nationals within the body of the organization? To balance the sacrifices and the placing of Cameroonians within the AU, Ondoa Mbazoa calls for an evaluation; especially that Cameroon's contributions are quite high^5(*). This work is important because it will help us, especially with the categorization of employees^6(*) at the AU, to suggest a better structure for the different databases that make the databank we are arguing for.

Ndzesop, on his part, did another work on the placing of Cameroonians in IOs and relating to the AU. Studying from the perspective of mechanisms, both internal and external, for the placing of nationals in IOs, he considers two pan African organizations; the AU and the African Development Bank (AfDB)^7(*). Looking at the mechanisms, context and efforts of the Cameroonian government to place Mme Elisabeth Tankeu as the AU Commissioner for Trade (which succeeded), and Theodore Nkodo as AfDB president (which failed), Ndzesop comes to the conclusion that the principal short-coming of «Cameroonian diplomacy in the last few decades has been that of sluggishness»^8(*). He gave seven proposals to make Cameroonian diplomacy more forceful, more muscular and more vigorous. Among these proposals, two are worth citing here,

3. It is also necessary to formulate a policy for putting Cameroonians in IOs. This could lead to the creation of a special structure in MINREX in charge of that function.

7. There is the need to create a databank in MINREX where detailed CVs of prospective candidates are stored. This will facilitate the battle for posts in IOs, especially the urgent cases^9(*).

Proposal (3) above constitutes the mission of the unit of our internship and will be alluded to throughout this paper. Proposal (7) is the object of this paper and follows the service note of April 2006 by the Career Management Unit of the general secretariat asking the hierarchy to create such a bank.

These same conclusions were drawn by Alougou Many in 2005 when he stated that «No strategy really exist in placing Cameroonians in IOs. Consequently, a planning and follow-up program is absent»^10(*). This work, which is done in the framework of internship in the Ministry of External Relations (French acronym MINREX), has an ambitious goal, «...an analysis of the stakes, procedures and the place occupied by the issue of placement in Cameroonian diplomacy, as well as obstacles to its implementation»^11(*). The question Alougou asks at the end of his report is this, «In the face of this necessity [to place Cameroonians in elective posts in IOs], can Cameroon afford to remain indifferent to IOs? The answer is no»^12(*). Not because Cameroon has been indifferent, but because the efforts deployed have either been inadequate or none policy relevant. In other words, as long as Cameroon continues to pay little attention to the issue of placement, her diplomacy will be handicapped and her policies flawed.

From another perspective, Ahidjo makes the same observation as (3) above, deploring the lack of a policy of placing in Cameroonian diplomacy. Though he studies the case of the placing of the Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), he came out with the conclusion that what happened with the OIC case is a general problem in Cameroonian diplomacy, namely, that placing seems to result more from chance than a defined policy^13(*).

Studying an issue as the creation of a databank requires certain questions that constitute our main problem. Three questions preoccupy us in this paper; why is Cameroon under-represented in IOs in spite of engagements and potentials in many of these institutions. How would it be like if Cameroon established a databank in its services? What are the stakes of such a bank and how can we establish and use such a bank? Though not exclusive, these questions will guide us throughout this paper.

Our hypothesis is that a databank is not only necessary but also indispensable as a decision-making tool (both in administrative terms and in foreign policy formulation) for the effectiveness and efficiency of Cameroonian diplomacy, and that its creation and usage depends on political will and professional efficiency. And that its creation is one of the fundamental solutions to palliate the IO under-representation problem Cameroon faces.

Our objectives refer to what we hope to achieve through this work. In that sense, we hope to clearly state three key points in this work. As part of the academic requirements of the IRIC, this paper aims at studying the possibilities of creating a data bank at the Career Management Section of the General Secretariat of the MINREX of Cameroon.

a. Give reasons for the Cameroonian authorities to establish a data bank for its diplomacy

The interest of this paper is first of all the desire as a cadet diplomat to contribute to the efficiency of Cameroon's diplomacy. It also follows our paper in 2005 on Cameroon's quest for posts in international organizations, wherein we suggested the creation of a data bank as a decision-making tool. It is justified in the sense that until now, no data bank exists in MINREX, and that the creation of such a bank is one of the challenging tasks of the Career Management Unit (CMU) of the General Secretariat of the same ministry, formulated in a service note in April 2006. This task follows the designation of the task of this unit by decree No. 2005/286 of July 30, 2005, organizing MINREX. The desire to contribute in rendering this presidential decree operational haunts us throughout this paper.

It is also necessary to justify the location of such a bank. Since when Cameroon became independent, she became an actor of international relations and therefore instituted MINREX. The task of MINREX is to partake in the elaboration and execution of the foreign policy of the state, that is, a purely administrative role. Foreign policy, we know is always defined as the «domain reservé» of the head of state.

From tradition and the law, Biloa Tang states that the President is «the referential in matters of foreign policy»^14(*). As such, the MINREX «has for mission to ensure working out of the policy of foreign relations as defined by the Head of State, that is, relations with foreign states, IOs and other subjects of the international community»^15(*). It is therefore understandable that MINREX should host this databank which, as we will see later; will involve other ministries in a coordinated manner.

This paper is limited to the creation of a data bank at the Career Management Unit (CMU) of MINREX. In this framework, it acknowledges that other databanks could be created in the same ministry for different purposes. Circumscribing this decision-making tool to the CMU provides an appropriate environment for a study of this nature. It does not study related topics such as the general question of the functioning of Cameroonian diplomacy, though it makes allusion to some aspects of its challenges. It does not study related topics such as the general question of the functioning of Cameroonian diplomacy. We study this creation of a bank only for the two purposes of placement of Cameroonians in international organizations and diplomatic career management, but also serving the purpose of appointment of MINREX civil servants in embassies and consulates. This paper does not examine the technical aspect of a databank creation, since that has to be done by a computer specialist. It however defines the political framework within which a technician can work. In terms of space and time, we have to note that this paper studies this question as applicable in MINREX and considers the state of events in 2006, especially of the Presidential decree of 2005 organizing MINREX.

In as much as a data bank of this nature is not just an administrative instrument, but much more decision-making tool, and that both its creation and use depends much more on political will than managerial skill, we study the creation of a data bank in MINREX as part of Public Policy. By public policy here, we refer to a sum-total of factors that contribute to state decision, and how this is influenced. It is any process by which the state apparatus comes to a certain number of actions or non-actions with a specific political program^16(*). The sector here is foreign policy and the action is that of optimizing its chances of placement in IOs.

Though the creation of a databank should be ascribed to `low politics', because it involves bureaucratic behavior designed to implement political decision^17(*), it could lead to `high politics'. The routine replacement and rotation of diplomatic personnel belongs to low politics. However, the creation of the CMU, the presentation of candidates for an elective post in an IO belongs to high politics. The databank remains in low politics when it is just a decision tool, but when it serves as a foreign policy determinant, adopting a muscular placing option for Cameroonians in IOs.

Our principal source of data will be the CMU of MINREX. In this unit, we will obtain a data bank model as was originally intended. We will also contact the office for Liaison and Contribution to International Organizations of the Department for General Affairs of MINREX for data on organizations to which the Cameroonian government pays contributions and the repartition of these organizations to different technical ministries. It will be necessary to compare the data bank to what happens in other countries.

As for the form, the paper is going to be divided into three chapters. After presenting the activities surrounding our internship at the general secretariat of MINREX, and the nature of the CMU in chapter 1, we will present arguments for a databank in chapter 2. These arguments will explore the stakes of this tool of decision in the last chapter. That will permit us to give practical clues on how such a databank could really be created before drawing conclusions.

A databank refers to a sum of files classified in such a way as to easily access them when necessary. Data refers to facts, figures and symbols (such as names and addresses) stored in a device and ready to be used. A databank has been defined by the Millennium edition of the Hutchinson Encyclopedia as `a collection of databases'. A database is described, by the same encyclopedia, to be «a structured collection of data, which may be manipulated to select and sort desired items of information». In the same vein, The Cambridge Encyclopedia, 2^nd Ed defines a database as a «file of computer data structured in such a way that it can be of general use and is independent of any specific application». From the above, it is understood that a databank could contain much information grouped in databases. It is also understood that the databank is only useful inasmuch as the owners make use of it. It however appears that where institutions or persons need some kind of information that could be required sometimes urgently, and which needs to be constantly modified, they create databanks. Since their first, experimental appearance in the 1950s, databases have become so important in industrial societies that they can be found in almost every field of information. Government, military, and industrial databases are often highly restricted. Small databases were first developed or funded by the U.S. government for agency or professional use. In the 1960s, some databases became commercially available, but their use was funneled through a few so-called research centers that collected information inquiries and handled them in batches.

Databases could be more technical providing statistical information, graphics and formulae in technical research. Such issues could include space aviation, medical research, demography, chemical reactions, industrial data processing, etc. The databank we are advocating in this paper is the simplified band in Microsoft Word, Excel or Access. It is in the nature of The International Data Base (IDB), a computerized data bank containing statistical tables of population data for 228 countries and areas of the world.

The expression «the case for» is an academic jargon used to argue a case. It is used in this case to argue for the creation of a databank, and gives the general orientation of the paper. The paper studies the process of creation of such a tool, but especially provides arguments for that creation, hoping that the powers that be will interested by the arguments for such a creation.

The Ministry of External Relations is here understood to refer to the ministerial department of the Republic of Cameroon that is in charge of relations with the country's state and non-state actors on the international scene. The ministry manages relations with states, IOs, NGOs, MNCs, and individuals of foreign nationalities. Since the placing of Cameroonians in IOs lies within the state's foreign policy, it goes without saying that it is that ministry that should host a databank for such purposes, though the national to be placed may come from different ministries.

We also want to define what we call international organizations. Though some authors^18(*) prefer the term transnational organization because of the presence of non-state actors, an international organization is an institution with three characteristics. (1). They are organized with identified leaders and bureaucratic structure, (2). They are specialized, performing a given number of actions, (3). They operate across national boundaries. In that sense, they are either International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) such as the UN, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as the Red Cross Society, or multi-national corporations (MNCs) such as Coca-Cola. These IOs are regional, global, political, economic, technical, scientific, commercial, etc. Our usage in this paper refers principally to IGOs, where states are omnipresent. This is because NGOs and MNCs are not subject to lobbying for posts by states. We however include them in the policy of placing because states have the capacity of facilitating posts acquisition for its nationals even in such non-state organizations.

CHAPTER 1. Internship at the Career Management Section of the General Secretariat.

Our internship in MINREX was part of the academic requirements of IRIC. To complete the training of diplomats, it is required that they do an internship in MINREX (either internal or central services) during which interns learn the intricacies of diplomatic life. These intricacies are expected to be practical, but should culminate in an internship paper. Such a paper summarizes what the intern learned and what puzzled them. A particular issue of interest could be studied for better understanding and solutions proposed to the authorities that be.

Contrary to the first year when cadets of MINREX are expected to spend just a month for internship, the second and last year's internship is supposed to last for two months. Therefore, our stay at MINREX covered August and September 2006. The task of the intern is to assist the diplomats in their different daily duties. This could include participating in meetings, writing reports, writing correspondence letters, data gathering, data analysis, notes taking during meetings, etc.

One of the most interesting and strategic meeting in which we participated was the bilateral meeting between the Cameroon Government and the High Commission for Refugees (HCR). The purpose of this meeting was to bring together representatives from MINREX, which is the de jure interface between the state and other bodies on the international scene, and other government departments to review the work done by the HCR on identifying and establishing computerized cards for refugees in Cameroon. The other government agencies invited to the meeting were the Directorate General for External Intelligence Services (DGRE), the Delegate General for National Security (DGSN), Presidency of the Republic, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Justice and Keeper of the Seal, and Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization. It is worth noting that the meeting was a follow-up meeting after several other meetings on the same topic. It was clear during the meeting that while awaiting the formation of a national commission for the deliverance of refugee cards, it was necessary to have the HCR establish temporary cards. In that way, the forth-coming commission will build on the work begun by the HCR.

This meeting was an opportunity for us the interns to grasp the notion of refugees, understand their situation in Cameroon, and appreciate some of the problems they face. We were particularly delighted by the readiness of the HCR to have the Cameroonian Government follow-up and monitor the entire process. We had on this occasion the realist stigma of the centrality of states in international relations. The state might be weak or even failing, but it remains the arena within which international politics is played. Also we learned that information collected by the HCR on refugees must be shared with the Cameroonian Government and vice versa. However, all information collected must remain classified between the two parties.

a. The missions, structure and functioning of the General Secretariat

The General Secretariat (GS) is the section in MINREX is in charge of preparing documents and management of daily affairs. According to the presidential decree of July 16, 2005 the Secretary General is the principal collaborator of the minister. This means that the GS is the real administrator of MINREX, validating files prepared by all sectors of the ministry, and assigning work to different directorates as necessary. In the decree mentioned above, inter alia, the GS defines and codifies internal procedures, approves of action programs of other services and departments, follows-up the management of careers of diplomatic personnel, making sure that the principle of personnel rotation is applied, etc.

Article 10 of decree No. 2005/286 outlines the eight services attached to the GS.

- The Communication Unit

The sum-total of these services constitute the principal task of the GS, some of them being innovations of the Head of State's major diplomatic move of the 30^th of July 2005. It also runs the day-to-day operations of the ministry while following-up the execution of the decisions of the ministry.

b. The creation of the Career Management Unit

The CMU was created by presidential decree No. 2005/286 of 30^th July 2005 organizing MINREX. Before then, the training department of the Directorate of General Affairs managed the career of diplomats. But the missions of that directorate being concentrated elsewhere, the management of such a sensitive and core domain as the career of diplomats was lacking. This led to the creation of this new body (CMU) at the GS. It should be said that the Directorate of General Affairs did not really manage the career of diplomats as such. It simply oversaw and received complains. Diplomacy being the domain reserve of the Head of State, and owing to the latter's political will to make the diplomacy of the state more muscular, decided to create a Career Management Unit as a strategic instrument that can help rationalize Cameroon's diplomacy.

This creation came at a strategic moment in Cameroon and world history, that is, four years after the September 11 terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Four years after the launching of the African Union. Cameroon was faced with the difficulties of getting the 2002 International Court of Justice decision on the Bakassi conflict applied by Nigeria. Cameroon was also working on wooing investors at the very moment all state forces focused on reaching the completion point of the Heavily Poor and Indebted Countries Initiative. This was also the moment where the world hyper power was formulating «Transformational Diplomacy». The creation of the Career Management Unit, therefore, represented one of the most forceful steps of Cameroonian authorities to modernize its diplomacy. It had been the expectation of most Foreign Service Officers to have this unit created.

c. The missions of the CMU

What therefore are the specific missions of the CMU? CMU's mission has been well spelled out in the July 30 2005 presidential decree mentioned above. It is formulated in the following way;

- The management of usages and definition of modalities for the application and planning of the rotation principle for diplomatic personnel.

- The conception, tailoring and sharing of tools and methods for the better management of careers in collaboration of the administrations involved.

- The making of a databank on opportunities featuring on international public services, and the coordination of matters relating to the preparation of profiles of candidates.

- The follow-up of the career of Cameroonians occupying international posts in collaboration with other competent departments.

It is clear from the above that the tasks of the CMU are judicial, institutional and technical. To carryout the above mission, the unit needs equipments, funds, personnel and political ease.

How is the CMU functioning? It is a little difficult to answer this question because the text creating it did not specify how, nor did we find any document explaining this. It is more difficult to explain the functioning because the history of the unit, which would have otherwise guided us on this issue, is quite short. This does not mean that the functioning at the moment reveals any anomaly (probably because the unit is still in gesticulation), but that the need could arise in future when the missions mentioned above all go operational.

The creation decree however specifies that the unit is headed by a unit head. In general civil service terms, a unit head is assisted by a Chargé d'Étude and Chargés d'Étude Assistants. Therefore, a secretary helps with some administrative tasks, while the unit head and his collaborators handle the files.

It is also worth noting, from another perspective that for the particular task of management of diplomatic personnel careers, three stages in the chain of administration of MINREX have been mentioned. First it is the task of the Minister to over-look the management of careers. This appears among the many task of the Minister. Second, it is the task of the Secretary General to manage the career of diplomatic personnel and fully apply the principle of rotation. Lastly, it is the task of the CMU to tailor and coordinate all matters relating to career management. What one can deduct from this triple attribution is that the issue of career management and placing in IOs has come to occupy a central position in the mindset of makers of Cameroon's diplomacy. Equally, the triple attribution should not be read as redundancy, but as a matter of insistence. After all, is the Secretary General not the direct administrative superior to the CMU head? And is the minister not the administrative superior to the former? This merging of coherence and insistence ensures a primal position for the future the career of diplomatic personnel in Cameroon.

The challenges of the CMU are numerous and non-exhaustive. As any novel service in any administration, the CMU is faced primarily with challenge of blooming into maturity. The first challenges are juridical in nature. It is a question of formulating a modern, clear and equitable judicial framework to apply to the diplomatic corps in Cameroon. Such a framework requires a total revision of the obsolete confusing [complex] legal framework that exists presently. It also means re-writing of existing texts relating to the situation of diplomats, as well as creating a MINREX-MINEFI mix commission, which should re-evaluate texts relating to financial indices for diplomatic personnel.

At the technical level, it will be necessary to make an inventory of diplomatic personnel in Central and External services of MINREX. This will require the creation of a databank, which will not only inform concerned quarters but also facilitate the placing of Cameroonians in posts in IOs. At the diplomatic level, the challenge of the CMU also consists of building a diplomatic lobbying. This should operate by having the issue of positioning Cameroonians in IOs and having Cameroon host international events or offices, appear on the minutes of all audiences granted by Cameroonian authorities to state and none-state representatives.

CHAPTER TWO. THE CASE FOR A DATABANK

The methodological concepts and institutional frameworks presented above lead us to the argument for the creation of a databank in MINREX. The use of databases is common-placed in both national and international politics. From IOs, NGOs, MNCs, academic institutions, to government agencies, databanks are increasingly used as a research or decision-making tool. Our paper considers the principal purpose of a databank (the placing of citizens in IOs) before presenting arguments to convince decision-makers to create this bank.

The growth of international organizations in the Twentieth Century has brought as added aperitif to the quest of states on the international scene. National interest in IOs can be divided into three,

We are interested here in the second interest, the occupation of important posts in IOs by Cameroonian citizens. All of the three interests above have high stakes; therefore require efficient diplomatic skills for interested states. Each of these interests has stakes peculiar to it. We should therefore present the benefits Cameroon, as any other state, stands to draw from acquiring elective posts in IOs.

What does a state stand to gain by placing a national in the post of say UN Secretary-General? Goldstein affirms that «The Secretary General of the UN is the closest thing to a `president of the world' that exists»^19(*). Though the UN Charter, as in all other IOs, sets employees apart from the authority of member states, how many Cameroonians are found within the over 50,000 civil servants? What governs the political considerations that govern the appointment of international civil servants? We also know that the posts of Deputy Secretaries General of the UN are attributed by great-powers in the Security Council, and that Third World Countries are putting increasing pressure for the distribution of these posts and many more on geographical basis. In this light, one should question what South Korea stands to gain from the recent appointment of its national to succeed Koffi Anan. The Korean Times says that Ki-moon Ban's election "is one of the greatest events in the history of Korean diplomacy. This will dramatically promote the state and image of this nation at global level." Prof. Denis Smith of the New York University said: "The emergence of this candidacy is truly a noteworthy fact given that South Korea's admission into the United Nations is relatively recent (1991). It is a homage to the rapid ascent at global level of both the nation and the candidate"^20(*).

Alougou identifies two principal advantages for placements in IOs^21(*). The first factor that makes posts in IOs important is that their acquisition reflects the dynamism and prestige of the diplomacy of the state. As such it helps promote the image of the state on the international scene. It actually symbolizes the sacrifices states have been making for these IOs, as the state becomes respected and even feared. State contributions to these IOs should be understood from this same perspective. It is therefore understandable that states that contribute most for IOs claim proportionate posts in the administration of the organization.

The second importance of IO posts is the optimization of national interest on the international scene. From a purely realist viewpoint, what states go after in IOs is their national interest and the placing of nationals participates in the furthering of this interest. The presence of the national of a particular state in a prominent post in an IO permits the IO in question to become more interested in the problems of that state. Again, as Alougou rightly puts it, «even those who arrive in IOs by their personal means work for the interest of their countries»^22(*).

Apart from these advantages, Ndzesop identifies other reasons for placement in IOs. The need for posts in IOs, he says, could be attributed to the following reasons:

It appears from the above that IOs play quite strategic roles in the development of a country, and that the advantages a state will draw from placing nationals in them are many. These advantages call for the formulation of a specific and operational policy of placement.

Does a policy of placement exist in Cameroonian diplomacy? The four internships reports scrutinized above all seem to say no. It might be more accurate to say that that policy is not clear enough, or is not well managed. However the debate of existence or non-existence of a placement policy in Cameroonian diplomacy does not really advance our present study.

An empirical study of Cameroonians in IOs reveals the weaknesses of Cameroonian policy of placement. If many Cameroonians hold prominent posts in CEMAC, it is probably because the posts were negotiated during the signing of treaties establishing the institution. This impression was reinforced when Cameroon obtained the seat of the Stock Exchange market of the sub-region. At the continental level, the 25-year time lapse that separates William Eteki Mbouma as OAU Secretary General (1978), and Mrs Elisabeth Tankeu as Commissioner for trade and Industry (2003) reveals the tasks Cameroonian authorities will have to face in the policy of placement. We acknowledge and hail the presence of Issa Hayatou as CAF president. But the absence of Cameroonians in such African IOs as the AfDB, AU, the Economic Commission for Africa and all the UN regional offices in Africa reveals the necessity of a rigorous policy and management tools in MINREX.

From a global perspective, it appears certain that, apart from fairly considerable posts such as Tankeu at the AU, Obam Nlong at the International Organization of the Francophonie, Sona Ebai at COPAL, Mboui at the UNESCO, Rabiatu Njoya at the African High Council for Sports, Paul Bamela at the International Court of Justice, Victor Pungong at the Commonwealth and Victor Ndjomatchoua at the AU office in Bruxelles, Cameroon has a long way to go. But then, Cameroon is identified as a member of several IOs such as ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, Commonwealth of Nations, ECCAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, the International Commission of Lake Chad Basin Countries, the Commission of the Gulf of Guinea,^24(*) etc. A more muscular placement policy needs to be adopted for posts in these IOs.

Cameroon's placement policy could be defined as a policy gathering muscle, requiring audacious decisions and collective engagement. The 2005 decree organizing MINREX seems to affirm Cameroon's determination to have a clear, planned and supported policy in relation to placing nationals in IOs. The CMU has been attributed that special task. But such a task requires rigorous tools, committed personnel and politico-financial means. What happens in other countries ought to inspire Cameroonian authorities.

A scientific demarche requires that both researchers and practitioners draw from past cases and examples from other contexts to inspire and facilitate their tasks. Cameroon is a relatively young state (less than half a decade) comparatively to other states. Countries such as the United States of America, France, Britain, Ethiopia, Italy, Canada, etc., are quite old and experienced in the management of state affairs. Apart from financial constrains, there are no reasons why Cameroon should not copy from them as it has done in other domains (democracy, good governance, etc.). Even when there are financial constrains, countries with lesser means could come up with a miniature.

Several countries have developed efficient mechanisms for the placing of nationals in IOs. Such countries as Senegal, South Africa, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Rwanda, etc., have developed fruitful policies to push their citizens to top posts in IOs. Most of these countries neither have a heavier diplomatic arsenal nor bigger sums of money, if we judge from their GDP. If most of these countries have lesser resources, less-trained personnel and negligible strategic interest, what then makes them for efficient? Of course, we know they are efficient from the number of nationals they have in IOs and the quality of post these nationals occupy.

The existence of a department in the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of placing Senegalese in IOs is an often-quoted example. But Senegal is not the only country to create such a department. Other successful cases exist, though not necessarily in the same nature. Recently, a Western diplomat in Nairobi explained to us that his principal task in Kenya was to seek to obtain posts in the several IO headquarters in Kenya. According to this diplomat, he was in charge of identifying vacancies or future vacancies then identify a French national who is best trained for the post, and then lobby for their placing in the said organization. Cameroon needs to define such job descriptions to specific diplomats. But when that will be done, how will the diplomat carry out his/her job?

Particularly about databanks, several countries have developed powerful databases in their Ministries of Foreign Affairs for career management and placement in IOs. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs an online database entitled, Databank for Career Opportunities in International Organisations. Within this database are two main entries:

1. Job opportunities 2. CVs for prospective candidates. This means that Italians around the world can consult posts available in IOs for which Italy is eligible. At the same time, they can download the modalities online, and/or send their their CVs for application. Italians could submit CVs even in the absence of posts and will be notified when a post that suits their CV comes up. In Jamaica, a powerful database has been built in the department for Jamaicans abroad that serves as an interface between Jamaicans of the Diaspora and enterprises at home. It is called the Jobs & Skills Data bank. The data-bank offers Jamaican employers cost free help in identifying expatriate Jamaican professionals with key knowledge and skills for employment or consultancies in Jamaica. It is divided into two sectors Professionals by Occupation^25(*) - skilled professionals interested in returning to Jamaica and joining the work force and current Employment Opportunities - vacancies for qualified professionals on the island in collaboration with a local job management firm. These skills include technical, personal, communicational skills as well as ability to work in a group or under pressure in multilateral institutions. The bank is not limited to the above-mentioned functions. Data from Jamaicans of the Diaspora are used for placement in IOs^26(*). At the same time, a Personal History Form is accessible for on line completion if desired by prospective Skills Bank candidates.

Recourse to a databank will be one of the most efficient ways to implement the head of State's policy of placement. In deed, Cameroonian diplomacy stands to gain enormously from the creation of a databank in MINREX. A databank is not the magic solution that will solve all the problems related to the placing of Cameroonians in IOs. But it has several advantages that MINREX stands to gain by putting them in place. The importance of a databank has been underscored by the French system of administration. In France, several observatories exist in the form of databanks. In a disorderly and non-exhaustive manner, there are observatories for refuse, integration and town, medical demography, drugs, noise and urban transport, information and communication strategies and technologies, careers and competences, the prescription and consummation of drugs in ambulatory and hospital sectors, poverty and social exclusion, household indebtedness, delinquencies, prisons, and for democracy.

From the above functions, the importance of a databank becomes self-explanatory. At the moment, MINREX is experiencing far-reaching innovation, a databank will be important to optimize the actions of the politician and administrator.

CHAPTER THREE. CREATING A DATABANK AT THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT.

The first thing we need to say is that this databank is studied here precisely in the context of career management and placing of nationals in IOs. Therefore, several other databanks could be created in MINREX for different political and or administrative purposes. There could be for example an Employee database, a Recruitment database (offer letter, appointment letter, promotion/demotion letter, training type, etc) and a Job Opportunity database (present and future jobs) for MINREX.

In the past, data used to be stored in a traditional file processing systems which had several disadvantages such program data dependency, duplication of data, limited data sharing, lengthy development times and excessive program maintenance. The database approach to data management offers several advantages to the administration. The table below shows the advantages of the database approach to data management.

1.1 Advantages of the Database approach

The bank we are proposing is a `low-level' bank and not a mainframe bank as found in enterprises. Mainframe computers for databanks could store thousands of terabytes. In the case of the low-level databank, it requires just a few gigabytes that can contain names, diagrams, tables, pictures, or even short videos.

The databank is built in a computer with appropriate capacities and performance, in an appropriate application program such as MICROSOFT ACCESS. The data in the bank is organized according to the functions of the bank as defined above. This means that databases are constructed for each feature.

Name

Person's Name

Name

The diagram above shows the primary structure of what a databank could look like. We must say that this diagram is not a perfect one; it serves the technicians to develop a better architectured model appropriate for MINREX. This diagram only reveals the intention of the diplomat, what they want to accomplish.

The diagram above also summarizes the contents of a multi-purpose databank hosted at the CMU. However, for the management of diplomatic personnel, a more specific diagram could be proposed. The diagram below focuses on the structure of diplomatic personnel career managing, tracing their itineraries from their recruitment to the time of separation with MINREX.

The organizational structure shows MINREX organizational structure including grade and position of diplomatic personnel. A click on an icon in the middle shows who is where, while the Employee Databank provides the rest of the information. Employee Information System records all the information of every employee right from the day he/she joins MINREX till the separation. Employee Databank also includes information specific to Asset Management, Vehicle Management, Medical History, Other Hobbies and Interest, etc. Movement Activity keeps a track of every activity like Temporary Transfer, Permanent Transfer, Promotion, etc. that takes place in the employee's career path. Separation Activity records separation due to Resignation, Death of employee, Termination, etc. Such a diagram could be tailored for each personnel and regularly updated as the person progresses. Equally, such a diagram could be constructed as a corporate structure of the ministry. In this case, it will show who is at what stage. We will obtain data easily on who is being appointed or recruited, who is on probation, who is on movement, who is separating, who is at each grade, etc. On the other hand, as we saw with the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a Personal History Form^28(*) could also be made accessible for completion if desired by prospective Skills Bank candidates.

Movement

The organizational structure shows MINREX organizational structure including grade

A click on an icon in the middle shows who is where, while the Employee Databank provides the rest of the information.

Employee Information System records all the information of every employee right from the day he/she joins MINREX till the separation.

Employee Databank also includes information specific to Asset Management, Vehicle

Movement Activity keeps a track of every activity like Temporary Transfer, Permanent Transfer, Promotion, etc. that takes place in the employee's career path.

The content of personnel files, be it diplomatic personnel or potential candidates should be built up in the different databases that make up the bank. For each name appearing in the databases, the essential information that could facilitate placing should be entered. We shall call this table of name profile as illustrated in the table below. 1.4 Name profile for diplomats and potential candidates for IOs.

Sized pictures


Place of birth
Province of origin
Service commencement date
Present grade
Present position
Academic title
Present administration
Next expected grade	Date
Date of next movement
Expected retirement date
Language knowledge
Brief academic profile
Brief work profile
Personal address (phone, mail, e-mail, street and house number)
Persons to be contacted in case of need

We must specify here that the same table could register information on the three categories of persons in we have been working with, namely; diplomatic personnel (MINREX), Cameroonians working in IOs, and potential candidates for posts in IOs. The table could be expanded as need may arise. As for the source of information to be registered in the databases, category one (1), that is diplomatic personnel, will be obtained from MINREX internal and external services. Category two (2), that is Cameroonians working in IOs, will be obtained from MINREX, as well as the organizations^29(*). Category three (3), that is potential candidates for IO posts, will be made up de facto of all diplomatic personnel of MINREX, citizens of category (2) above and select executives of other Government agencies, lecturers, researchers, as well as prominent members of the civil society. This last category might reveal quite difficult to constitute. But the diplomats in charge will have to be really rigorous, proactive and efficient. Category three databases seem particularly important. The difficulties met by Cameroonian authorities to find a suitable candidate for the post of AU Commissioner for trade and Industry, as reported by Ndzesop, is partly because of the absence of such a database. Candidates for posts in IOs are not only MINREX civil servants, but the entire Cameroonian citizens who qualify for such posts. Already, documents from the Bureau of Liaison at the Directorate of General Affairs in MINREX show that a majority, if not all, of technical IOs are lodged in Government agencies directly concerned. As such, while MINREX harbors technical IOs, these other Ministries harbor those IOs that have to do with technical issues. More so, even when there is a post in a political IO, Cameroon's candidate shall not come only from MINREX. In this category three, profiles of such personalities as former ministers, minister delegates, secretaries general, directors, professors, rectors, etc., should be included. It is important, here, to mention that political posts in IOs require candidates with high political experience. In some countries the preparation of candidates for posts in IOs could include the appointment of the latter to a high-level post. At another level, the database for available posts in IOs needs to be quite efficient. Folders need to be arranged in this database according to IOs, a folder per IO. Within each IO's folder, a list of available jobs has to feature, with job descriptions, qualifications and application forms.

The management of the databank will be quite easy if the bank is well conceived and established. If an adapted application (computer) program is used, a simple click on an icon, say available posts in IOs, will open the folder. Another click of a particular IO will show specific posts available at that moment. Yet another click will open up a particular job vacancy. The operating agent of the bank shall download application forms for such posts. An important requirement of the databank at CMU is update and modification. This has to do with many aspects. The first and most important thing to update is the presentation and construction of the database itself. Those in charge of the bank need to constantly update and modify the bank to suit the purposes of the Government. Modifications should also be effected to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the bank. On the other hand, there is need for constant modification and update of files and folders contents. This makes up one of the most costly tasks of the managers of the bank, but it is worthwhile. The purposes of the bank do not permit it to be outdated. Diplomatic personnel constantly change grade, function, work place, titles and even separate either by resignation, retirement or death. The same is true with potential candidates, MINREX patrimony, and Cameroonians present in IOs. Similarly, posts in IOs are constantly being created, occupied, deleted or modified. It even happens that the posts come up again but with different job descriptions, qualifications, etc. Daily inspection needs to be done in order for the bank to be efficient. d. How to use the files (decision tool) The fact that we have provinces of origin, academic profile, etc., feature on the profile will be important for the rotation of diplomatic personnel. It is a general principle that personnel from the same province will not all have to go the same department or embassy. The cultural diversity, linguistic multiplicity and academic exuberance of Cameroonians will well be put to light in different departments of the ministry.

Simple data is useless except transformed into information. The decision-maker does not read the data, but the information. The coordinator of the bank has to present the data in a way that makes for information. Raw data is only useful if converted into information. Usually, the coordinators will have to notify the competent authority (MINREX), when an elective post is available in an IO. The notification has to be done with a list of potential candidates available in the databank. With the accord of the Minister, the best candidate is summoned and informed of the posts and the lobbying machine is set up. For non-elective posts, the CMU has to notify potential candidates. Upon reception of appropriate candidates, the CMU should request a support letter from the highest possible authority. Such moves have to be done in close collaboration with the department directly concerned with the IO in question.

As for the management of careers of diplomatic personnel, the fact that data is available on the state and expected change (modification, promotion, nomination, etc) in the career of every diplomat permits the writing of regular reports. Particularly, grade change and rotation data present in the bank has to be reported in time to the hierarchy for appreciation.

As for the bank itself, its management requires much sacrifice. As costly as it is to establish it in the first place, it is even more costly to manage. MINREX should keep in mind that there is an installation and management cost, a need for the training of new personnel with appropriate skills, regular back-up and data recovery, etc. Databases require planning because the facts introduced into the bank are not politically neutral. They represent the goal of the politician to translate a particular policy into reality. Therefore, regular meetings have to be held to decide on major changes to be made on the structure and content of the bank.

On a more technical note, the administration of the bank has to acquire appropriate software for data security management, data quality control and data transformation into a decision-making informational facility. This bank at the CMU should function as a data warehouse, a sort of central recipient and distributor of data to various destinations. This is so because each department in MINREX runs or should run a group database of its services. This is especially true for embassies, consulates and departments in charge of IOs.

General Conclusion

This paper has dealt more with professional efficiency than with political will. However, it has been noted, as an underlying factor, that the creation of this bank on the one hand and it usage on the other hand, depends on the will of the makers of Cameroon's foreign policy. It is one thing for a bank to exist and another for it to be efficiently exploited. But the simple existence is a mark of a strong political will to place Cameroonians in IOs. From this perspective, we must say that if the decision of the Head of State to create a CMU in MINREX's GS with the particular tool of a databank is loadable, it requires yet another stronger political decision to put it into place and manage it. The age of transformational diplomacy corroborates with the placing of nationals in IOs. The policy of placing is fast becoming one of the most vibrant wings of state politics at the international level, especially the weak states. Several governments are optimizing existing databanks in this domain. Several others are in the creation process. This work is a contribution to that process in the Cameroonian context. There is no doubt that when it goes operational, many other countries will copy the «Cameroonian model». The use of a databank as a decision-making tool is neither exclusive to MINREX nor limited to career management nor the placing of nationals in IOs. As we have seen, several administrations around the world have created databanks for various purposes. In the US, the nature and function of databases in government services have increased rapidly in the last few years. A global management strategy for databanks has been put in place through the Data Base Advisory Committee Meeting, which brings together representatives of different administrations running databases. At this point, it is worth mentioning two bodies that provide data to the general public. The first, database corner which is a knowledge - based website about the database industry, database software, database management systems, database application development, data warehouse, data mining, business intelligence, OLAP, database administration, database design, data modelling, data integration, database security^30(*). After the construction of this bank, Cameroonian authorities should look forward to transforming it into an online databank accessible to Cameroonians everywhere and at all times. This measure should be envisaged for the reasons that the process of globalization is intensifying unstoppably. Several countries have set up on - line databases for the purpose of placing nationals in IOs. Cameroon has the right and the duty to look in that direction.

WORKS CONSULTED

1. Couloumbis, Theodore A. and James H. Wolfe (eds), Introduction to International Relations. Power and Justice. 3^rd Ed, New Delhi, Prentice Hall Inc., 1986

2. Goldstein, Joshua S., International Relations, 5^th Ed, NY: Longman, 2003

3. McFadden, Fred R. et al., Modern Database Management, 5^th Ed, California: Addison-Wesley, 1999.

4. Rourke, John T., International Politics on the World Stage, 2^nd Ed, Connecticut: The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc., 1989

1. Albright, Madeleine, «The Making of US Foreign Policy» in Foreign Policy Agenda, Washington: U.S. Department of State, Volume 5
· Number 11
· March 2000.

1. Ahidjo, Le Placement des Camerounais aux Postes Electifs dans les OIs; le Cas du Secretaire General Adjoint de l'OCI, internship report, Yaoundé: IRIC, 2005.

2. Alougou, Many Germain, La Problématique du Placement des Camerounais dans les Organisations Internationales par le Ministère des Relations Extérieures (MINREX), Internship Report, Yaoundé: IRIC, 2005.

3. Biloa Tang, Le MINREX dans la Politique Etrangère du Cameroun. Une analyse á la lumiere des Politiques Publiques, DESS thesis, Yaoundé: IRIC, 2000.

4. Ndzesop, Ibrahim, Cameroon's Battle for Posts in International Organizations; the Cases of Mme Elisabeth Tankeu and Theodore Nkodo, Internship paper, Yaoundé: IRIC, 2005.

5. Ondoa Mbazoa, Thomas Didyme, Les Fonctionaires Camerounais de L'union Africaine, Internship report, Yaoundé: IRIC, 2003.

6. Oyono Oyono, Jean Stanislas, La Diplomatie Camerounaise Face aux Défis de la Mondialisation, 3^e Cycle thesis, Yaounde: IRIC, 1999.

* ¹ See Madeleine Albright, «The Making of US Foreign Policy» in Foreign Policy Agenda MARCH 2000. p. 2.

* ³ Oyono Oyono Jean, La Diplomatie Camerounaise Face à la Mondialisation, 1999, p. 74.

* ⁴ Ondoa Mbazoa, Thomas Didyme, Les Fonctionaires Camerounais de L'union Africaine, 2003, p. 2.

* ⁷ Ndzesop, Ibrahim, Cameroon's Battle for Posts in International Organizations; the Cases of Mme Elisabeth Tankeu and Theodore Nkodo, 2005.

* ¹⁰ Alougou Many Germain, La Problématique du Placement des Camerounais dans les Organisations Internationales par le Ministère des Relations Extérieures (MINREX), 2005, p. 11.

* ¹³ Ahidjo, Le Placement des Camerounais aux Postes Electifs dans les OIs; le Cas du Secretaire General Adjoint de l'OCI, 2005.

* ¹⁴ Biloa Tang, Le MINREX dans la Politique Etrangère du Cameroun. Une analyse á la lumiere des Politiques Publique, 2000, p. 19.

* ¹⁵ See article 5 para 23 of decree no. 92/245 of Nov. 26 1992 on the organization of government.

* ¹⁷ On an in-depth analysis of the `high - low' continuum in politics, see Theodore A. Couloumbis and James H. Wolfe (eds), Introduction to International Relations. Power and Justice, 1986, pp. 4-5.

* ¹⁸ See John T. Rourke, International Politics on the World Stage, 2^nd Ed, Connecticut: The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc., 1989, p. 58.

* ¹⁹ Joshua S. Goldstein, International Relations, 5^th Ed, 2003, p. 278.

* ²⁴ See CIA World Factbook on-line, last modified on September 7, 2006.

* ²⁷ McFadden, Fred R. et al., Modern Database Management, 5^th Ed, 1999.

* ²⁹ The Human Resource management services of these IOs will provide data on the identity of Cameroonians within the IO.

The Case for a Data Bank at the Ministry of External Relations - Cameroon

AN INTERNSHIP PAPER PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A POST-DEGREE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

SUPERVISED BY

Dr. TITE AMOUGUI APPOLINAIRE

Résumé

Abstract

General introduction

CHAPTER 1. Internship at the Career Management Section of the General Secretariat.

a. The missions, structure and functioning of the General Secretariat

- The Communication Unit

b. The creation of the Career Management Unit

c. The missions of the CMU

CHAPTER TWO. THE CASE FOR A DATABANK

It appears from the above that IOs play quite strategic roles in the development of a country, and that the advantages a state will draw from placing nationals in them are many. These advantages call for the formulation of a specific and operational policy of placement.

CHAPTER THREE. CREATING A DATABANK AT THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT.

1.1 Advantages of the Database approach

Name

Person's Name

Name

Movement

Sized pictures

General Conclusion

WORKS CONSULTED