The United Nations System in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring peace and prosperity for all in Nigeria. This commitment was made by Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator (Ad Interim) during a symposium to commemorate the 2021 UN Day at the UN house in Abuja on October 25, 2021.

According to him, “The values that have powered the UN Charter for the last 76 years — peace, development, human rights, and opportunity for all — have no expiry date.”

Therefore, “Today, “We the peoples of the United Nations” reaffirm our commitment to the core tenets of the Charter and to continue on our global mission towards peace and prosperity for all”. 

He added that, “due to the pandemic, millions of Nigerians have been devastatingly affected through the loss of lives and livelihoods, increasing the levels of poverty and suffering in this country. The UN is committed to supporting Nigerians living in poverty and to building back a more resilient society during the pandemic recovery.” 

Commemorated every October 24, the day marks the anniversary of the day in 1945 when the UN Charter entered into force. UN Day celebrated annually offers the opportunity to amplify the UN common agenda and reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter for the past 76 years.

This year’s theme: ‘Building resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, and respond to the needs of the planet’ stresses on the dire need to recover from the damages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to be put in place to ensure environmental sustainability.

Seventy-six years ago, the United Nations was created as a vehicle of hope for a world emerging from the shadow of catastrophic conflict. The UN had 51 members at the time of its establishment. It is currently made up of 193 Member States. Each of the 193 Member States of the UN is a member of the General Assembly.

On his part, Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment Chief Sharon Ikeazor, represented by the Permanent Secretary Engineer Hassan Musa, mentioned that the Ministry would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders including the sub-national and local governments to build climate change resilience which will include management of the environment to reduce risk and confer resilience on people vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change, especially in the COVID-19 era.

“It is in response that the Ministry developed the Post-Covid-19 Medium-Term Strategy and plan (2020-2022) for the Environment sector in May 2020, the objective of which is to strengthen national institutions and initiatives to respond effectively to the future environmental challenges that may emerge after the initial environment shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic within the overall context of advancing sustainable socio-economic development in the country” he added.

A climate change activist Ms Adenike Oladodu and a panelist at the symposium also mentioned that, “the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the Nigerian economic system is not strong enough to withstand any form of pandemic or crisis and might lead to more crisis. So, we need to step up solutions that are suitable to see that we can stand the test of the climate change crisis.”

Further discussing the Nigerian Situation, a Senior Economic Advisor with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Dr Amarakoon Bandara said the UN was able to support the country even though, there is much more to be done, regarding climate change in the country. Immediately after the crisis struck Nigeria, we partnered with youth, women and youth groups to create solutions to the pandemic by making them resilient to the changes they face.” 

The UN came into existence on October 24, 1945. The name ‘United Nations’ was coined by the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was first used in the Declaration of the United Nations on January 1, 1942, during the Second World War.