Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Filipina addresses UN on global development



   


Filipina, 18, addresses UN meet on global development


An 18-year-old Filipino student showed them how.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Hannah-Lyn Creencia, a mass communications junior at Silliman University, took part in last week’s high-level discussion on the challenges of global sustainable development held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) headquarters in Paris, France.

She joined some of the world’s top policymakers, business leaders and the international geoscientific community at the meet.

Creencia had won an international essay-writing contest in connection with Unesco’s launch of “International Year of Planet Earth.” She began the panel discussion on the theme “Earth Resources: Threat or Treat?” by reading an excerpt from her essay on the continuing deterioration of the planet’s water resources.

Creencia, who one day hopes to work in the United Nations system, argued for greater initiative in creating educational and sustainable resource-use programs among coastal communities.

She said Unesco had a leading role to play on issues of sustainable development, including climate change. Thus, it should raise its visibility to engender greater environmental awareness, especially among young people worldwide.

She expressed hope for the future, dreaming of the day “when our country’s surrounding bodies of water become clean enough to support life which can only be found here,” and “when every person will stand up for the protection of that which brings life to us."

Joining Creencia on the panel were the chair of French petroleum giant Total, the director of the US Geological Survey and the Chinese vice minister for land and resources.

UN General Assembly Resolution 60/192 declared 2008 the International Year of Planet Earth, designating Unesco as the lead international agency in collaboration with the International Union of Geological Sciences, with the support of the UN Environment Program.

Unesco Director General Koïchiro Matsuura said the event provided a unique opportunity for the geoscientific community to contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals by promoting the wise use of the planet’s resources and encouraging better planning and management to reduce risks, particularly by encouraging political leaders to use available knowledge to shape national policies.

The DFA said that about 1,000 select guests, including ministers, heads of geoscientific institutes and organizations, leaders of industry and renowned scientists attended the event.

by: Cynthia Balana

Philippine Daily Inquirer

source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net






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