Ambassador Victor Asije, International Society of Diplomats (ISD) Special Emissary on Media to Nigeria, has said that the United Nations (UN) Observance Days urgently required more follow-up actions globally to achieve their desired objectives.
Asije, who disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos on Sunday, therefore, called on governments and other relevant stakeholders and organisations to rededicate themselves and resources to afforestation programmes as a means of mitigating the effects of climate-change.
He added that the UN Days, with the emerging national and global challenges, needed less parties, speeches, branded T-shirts, caps, jeans, hugs, group pictures, backslapping and exchange of contacts.
According to Asije, national governments, international organisations, communities, private organisations, non-governmental organisations, the media, among others, must know that the essence of these special days are beyond just these international dates.
“These Observance Days, which the UN observes globally on certain days, weeks and years, are meant to promote awareness and action to match strides with emerging environmental and other national and global challenges.
“But more prominence has over the decades been given to awareness creation than an all-out follow-up actions to make our silo-bunkered speeches, suggestions, recommendations and expertise yield the desired results.
“We need to reduce to the barest minimum the huge amount of money we budget and spend on renting attractive hotels, halls, preparing banners, T-shirts, caps, jeans, snacks and drinks,” he said.
The Ambassador observed that there was usually a disconnect and inaction between the Observance Days in one year and the next, a situation he described as “sleeping on duty”.
Asije said that during the gap between the celebration of a day in a year and the next, challenges that were supposed to have reduced have always increased.
“We must know that as we embark on creating awareness in these beautifully decorated halls, through the media and other means, with experts and other speakers taking turns to offer possible solutions to our environmental challenges, what is most needed now and going forward, is our all-out actions at making our suggestions and recommendations here a reality.
“Because the environmental challenges and other earthly emerging challenges are out there to affect us all, then, we all must humble ourselves, irrespective of our positions and social status, roll up our sleeves, and daily, actively keep pressure on what these Observance Days are meant to achieve,” he said.
Asije, who said that the World Environment Day (WED) and other UN Special Days should not be seen as annual routine for making speeches, partying, wearing of designer T-shirts, caps and jeans, noted that, for instance, trees planted in Nigeria, Africa and other developing countries were either usually destroyed by flood, human and vehicular movements or poorly nurtured.
The Special Emissary said that it was imperative for governments, international organisations, communities, private organisations and NGOs to prepare for more uncertainties in the years ahead.
Asije expressed the ISD’s readiness to partner, through its team of experts, on environmental sustainability, with governments, embassies, Consulates-General, High Commissions, UN agencies, research institutions, foreign academies, educational institutions and Ministries of the Environment, in achieving sustainable environment globally.
