- says Acting UN Resident Coordinator
October 27, 2015 By Memunatu Bangura
Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone yesterday maintained that the world body remains as a beacon for all humanity across the world, as well as a reliable peace and development partner to the government and people of Sierra Leone.
Dr. Gabriel Rugalema was addressing newsmen at a press conference hosted at Radisson Blu, Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Day.
He said the contribution of the UN in peacekeeping, providing development expertise and humanitarian assistance in the country has been enormous, noting that the 70th anniversary of UN is being celebrated in the year that the global community has formulated and adopted a new development agenda known as “Agenda 2030”.
According to him, in September this year, President Ernest Bai Koroma and other world leaders adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN General Assembly in New York with wide ranging and ambitious goals aimed at building a prosperous and sustainable global, social and economic order.
He reiterated the UN’s commitment to work closely with the government and people of Sierra Leone for the realisation of the SDGs.
“In the fifteen years since the Millennium Declaration, 700 million plus people now live in extreme poverty, primary school enrollment has reached 91%, and 2.6 billion people have gained access to safe water,” he said.
Dr. Rugalema assured that the UN family intends to partner with the media in Sierra Leone not only in the popularisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, but also in monitoring its implementation and evaluating the progress and results being made.
In his speech to commemorate the day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had this to say: “Everyday, the United Nations feeds the hungry and shelters those driven from their homes. The United Nations vaccinates children who would otherwise die from preventable diseases. The United Nations defends human rights for all regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation. Our peacekeepers are on the frontline of conflict and our mediators bring warriors to the peace table.”