A virtual United Nations event hosted by Riyadh on Monday discussed how the world can best recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – July 15, 2021 – Forums and Conferences
Speakers covered topics including preserving natural resources and ensuring social inclusion and equal participation in a post-COVID-19 world.
The event was hosted by the Saudi Green Building Forum, a Saudi non-governmental organization, along with the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which took place from 6-15 July.
The Forum works to raise awareness and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and is one of the few Saudi NGOs to have consultative status with the United Nations.
The event sparked a debate about how to bridge the gap between the roles of the public and private sectors to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Secretary-General of the Saudi Green Building Forum, Faisal Al-Fadl, told Arab News: “Holding this meeting from the Saudi capital as part of this prestigious event is an outstanding achievement, and represents a statement for Saudi civil society towards the sustainable development goals.”
Experts, academics, youth, and representatives of non-governmental organizations from around the world volunteered to participate in the discussion titled “Honest Voice, Bridging the Gap: Climate, Sustainability and Resource Efficiency; ensuring the health, safety, and the environment; A sustainable and resilient recovery from COVID-19.”
“The COVID-19 crisis has made clear the relationship between human health and the health of our natural ecosystems,” Clara Rowe, CEO of Restore – an open data platform that supports the global restoration movement – told the event.
In her speech during the first session on Climate, Sustainability and Resource Efficiency, Rowe added: “June 5th marked the launch of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, a critical moment to focus collaboration across sectors and between nations, to restore our planet. For local resilience and for our collective fight against global climate change. ”
For his part, Kehkashan Basu, the UN human rights champion, said the recovery process provides a unique opportunity to rebuild a better environment and restore the balance between humanity and “Mother Earth”, to help promote a “culture of peace”.
Also among the speakers was the former Secretary-General of the Riyadh-based International Energy Forum, Aldo Flores Quiroga, who spoke on the circular carbon economy and sustainability.
Omani Ambre Naija, Writer, and Founder of Sparkling Agency – who specializes in designing sustainable business models – said: “COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis that is hitting the entire world and fundamentally changing the way we live, work together and do business. It is now necessary to adopt the paradigm shift towards a new reality.”
Magda El-Kady, Consultant, and Human Development Planning Specialist said during the discussion that there should be more support for civil societies to enhance their participation in economic growth and national transformation.
Speakers’ closing recommendations highlighted some of the long-term priorities for the future, including drawing attention to natural resources, providing infrastructure for an inclusive society, strengthening the link between politics and science, and building civil society resilience.
Speakers said these goals must be achieved by enabling independent learning, ensuring health and safety, supporting local communities, and enabling equitable systems supported by multisectoral and multidisciplinary actions.
Read Also: Noor Riyadh Festival Sets Two Guinness World Records
Source: Ukrgate
