Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Former Ambassador of Pakistan, Manzoorul Haq here Sunday said the rapid increase in population had brought all socioeconomic and environmental sectors under enormous pressure in the world including Pakistan and collective efforts were required to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015 for 193 members countries to make the planet worth living for all.
‘Today, the world’s population had exceeded of 7.5billion out of which 800 million have no access to two-time meal and every third person did not get clean drinking water facility besides five million children perish before attaining the age of five due to different fatal diseases, malnutrition and poor health services’ he told.
To address these daunting challenges, he said the UNGA had adopted an inclusive agenda for sustainable development in September 2015 that includes 17 SDGs built on the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ that would be achieved by 2030. ‘Under SDGs, every person on earth irrespective of colour, caste and nationality would be provided all basic facilities of life including food, treatment, education, clean water, energy, dignified employment, economic development, peace, security and justice,’ Manzoorul Haq who served Pakistan’s Ambassador in Saudi Arabia and Egypt said.
He said 193 countries including Pakistan had agreed to take practical steps for implementation of these goals for which collective efforts were needed. The SDGs goals include quality education, gender equality, no poverty, zero hunger, good health, clean water and sanitation, affordable & clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure devolopment, reduced inequality, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice, strong institutions and partnerships.
Pakistan has showed strong commitment to SDGs by including it in the National Development Program (BDP). These goals were not only guarantee for human survival and better future but was an effective planning to protect birds, animals, plants and acquatic life. To create awareness among students about significance of SDGs for Pakistan, he said a function was held at Roots Millennium School and College Peshawar where Professor Fernando M Raymar of the renowned US Haward’s Graduate School for Sustainable Development and his three Pakistani students held in-depth discussions on SDGs through video conference attended by senior faculty, teachers and students. Ambassador Manzoor said Professor Raymar presented the idea of ‘Global Citizenship’ and maintained that every citizen of the world living in any country was also the citizen of the world as today we all are living in a global village.
