Let’s build a future without rich-poor divide: Nepal
World leaders are at UN Headquarters in New York now to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Besides the main UN Assembly meeting where the leaders are to address, they are also attending various other meetings, conferences as well as side-line bilateral, trilateral and multi posters meetings.
Among those meetings, the two-day Summit of the Future is also one concluded on Monday where, alongside plenary sessions, a series of interactive dialogues were organized among various government leaders, top UN officials and civil society representatives.
The leaders are discussing a game-changing Pact at the Summit of the Future to reimagine the multilateral system and steer humanity on a new course to meet existing commitments and solve long-term challenges.
Speaking on behalf of the least developed countries (LDCs) group, Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli said that millions of their children were going hungry every day – highlighting the clear inequality evident around the globe.
“Nothing could be more unjust and ethical than to be ignorant to the fact that millions of people in LDCs live in extreme poverty while a small minority in some corners of the world accumulate billions in wealth.”
He stressed that this is not the future that humanity should aspire towards.
“The International community must act now to ensure every child and young person has the chance to thrive,” he said.
Prime Minister Oli also highlighted the severe challenges facing LDCs, including unmet official development assistance, climate financing commitments and expanding debt distress.
“Critically, global financial and trading regimes remain fundamentally unfavourable to LDCs,” he said, adding that the growing digital divide between rich and poor, threatens to exacerbate their situation.
He urged leaders to pull the world back from the brink of catastrophe through coordinated, comprehensive, science-based policies, with LDCs at the centre.
At the concluding remarks, the President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly Philémon Yang says that ideas exchanged by the distinguished personalities of the world at the Summit of the Future would inspire further initiatives to sustain decisive action
As the Summit marked a significant step in “our continuum of efforts to deliver faster – and smarter” on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, he reminded delegates not to lose sight of ongoing global challenges like poverty, hunger, and the suffering of those caught in conflicts, violence, and deprivation.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed on the need of securing adolescent health and well-being of all for the health of future generations.
In a new scientific publication, highlighting a number of troubling trends in adolescent health observed over the last decade, pointing to the urgent need for action, the WHO has indicated that there is an urgently need increased investment to address evolving health risks at including the mental, sexual and reproductive health of nearly 1.3 billion adolescents (aged 10-19 years) globally.
The publication was released at a high-level event convened on the margins of the UN General Assembly hosted by the Governments of Chile, Colombia, and Ireland along with the UN’s Human Reproduction Programme, PMNCH and WHO in collaboration with: FP2030, Guttmacher, International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHUSPH), Plan International, UNESCO, UNFPA, Women Deliver, and YieldHub.
Adolescence is a unique and critical stage of human development, said a report that involved major physical, emotional, and social transitions which is a pivotal window for laying long-term foundations for good health.
At least 1 in 7 adolescents globally now suffer from a mental disorder, for instance, with particularly high rates of depression and anxiety.
Anaemia among adolescent girls remains prevalent, at levels similar to those in 2010, while close to 1 in 10 adolescents are obese.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including syphilis, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and genital herpes that commonly occur among youth are rising, and if left untreated, can have lifelong implications for health.
Meanwhile violence, including bullying, affects millions of young people worldwide each year, with devastating impacts on their physical and mental health.
The study emphasizes other broader fundamental challenges to the future of adolescents including climate change, conflict, and inequality.
Earlier this year, world leaders committed to accelerate efforts to improve maternal and child health, including adolescent health, at the World Health Assembly.
Valuing the Sustainable Development Impact Meetings 2024 to be held from 23-27 September in New York where over 1,000 global leaders from diverse sectors and geographies will come together to assess and renew global action around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through a series of impact-oriented multi stakeholder dialogues, the World Economic Forum (WEF) also released a new report.
With over half of the global GDP – approximately US $44 trillion – reliant on nature, the report highlighting how several companies are leading the transition to a nature-positive economy underscores the critical need for businesses to integrate nature-positive strategies into their operations.
This new analysis reveals seven pioneering approaches adopted by multinational businesses to address environmental challenges and seize new opportunities for sustainable growth.
As the 2030 deadline for the SDGs approaches, the WEF continues to emphasize the importance of collaborative action and innovation in driving the transition to a nature-positive economy.
The report calls for increased commitment from both the private and public sectors to adopt and scale sustainable practices that support global biodiversity and climate goals.
(Based on UN News, WEF and WHO sources)
