….advocates sustainable dev’t, climate action
The ever-increasing focus on sustainability and climate action is becoming interesting as many young folks have jumped on board to add their voices and support the call with their potential for a brighter tomorrow.
One of these young folks is Rosemond Yeboah, a Ghanaian female studying her Master’s in International Affairs at City University of New York Baruch College.
Having been invited by the President of the 77th Session of the General Assembly to give a few minutes speech, Ms. Yeboah, who doubles as a youth representative for United Nations Environment Program Children and Youth Major Group, advocated for sustainable development and climate action.
For her, grassroots education on climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals in the languages the people best understand is a critical measure that must be considered in the quest to achieve the goals.
She also called on developed countries to consciously look into their actions, which cause massive effects of carbon emissions on middle-income countries and the world at large.
“Developed countries should honour their budgetary pledges toward climate financing and governments of middle-income countries should be held accountable for every money spent to achieve Agenda 2030.
“All and sundry should commit to refusing, reusing and recycling single-use plastics in accordance with responsible consumption and production,” she added.
Ms. Yeboah further urged the integration of inputs, contributions and concerns of the youth into the decision-making process at every stage of policy formulation and global discussions, adding that facilitating intergenerational structures that include youths in active dialogues is important to achieve the SDGs.
As the theme focused on ‘Accelerating the Achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals in Middle-Income Countries with a Focus on Environmental Issues’, she proposed to the General Assembly to consider achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in tiers to bridge the gap in inequalities and respond to needs according to developed, developing and underdeveloped countries using variable approaches rather than a single approach for all.
“Poverty, equity and environmental degradation must be addressed to realise our hopes for political collaboration and progress,” she added.
Major recommendations from Ms. Yeboah ’s speech focused on:
- Grassroots education on climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals in the language the people best understand.
- Developed countries to consciously consider their actions, which cause massive effects of carbon emissions on middle-income countries and the world at large.
- Developed countries should honour their budgetary pledges toward climate financing and governments of middle-income countries should be held accountable for every money spent to achieve Agenda 2030.
- All and sundry should commit to refusing, reusing and recycling single-use plastics in accordance with responsible consumption and production.
- Poverty, equity and environmental degradation must be addressed in order to realise our hopes for political collaboration and progress.
- Also, integrating the inputs, contributions and concerns of the youth into the decision-making process is essential at every stage of policy formulation and global discussions, which is why facilitating intergenerational structures that include youths in active dialogues is important to achieve the SDGs.
- Urged the General Assembly to consider achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in tiers to bridge the gap in inequalities and respond to needs according to developed, developing and underdeveloped countries using variable approaches rather than a single approach for all.
