#ACT4SDGs: BBYDI Joined Millions To Mark Global Week Of Action

A Non-Governmental Organization Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) on Monday Joined Forces to Mobilize Millions to Take Action on the Sustainable Development Goals to mark this year’s United Nations General Assembly and Global Week of Action.

Mr Olasupo Abideen, the Executive Director of brain builders’ youth development initiative, said this in Ilorin during a press briefing with the Journalists in Kwara State, on “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.”

He said the flip the script event with the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly is to acknowledge the impact of crises such as COVID-19, climate change and conflict around the world with a focus on seeking solutions that build global sustainability and resilience against it.

According to him, the unprecedented impact of the Covid-19 pandemic set us several steps back. Although the pandemic was also a test of our resolve, it showed how much work still needed to be done.

“Today, there are still myriad issues facing the global community. The recent floods in Pakistan; the war in Ukraine, the growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, and many others, are sufficient reasons to strive for a sustainable world.

“We need all hands-on deck to achieve a more peaceful and just society where every life is protected and our planet is cared for.

“We need to transform a system that is no longer fit for purpose, flip the script and re-imagine our planet as our shared home, respecting the rights of all people and the natural world.

Mr Abideen called on the World Leaders to act on Peace, according to him, Wars and conflicts are one of the major factors leading to increasing poverty in the world. urged the World leaders to step back from armed conflicts, militarism must be reduced around the world.

He said, the war in Ukraine comes in a human context where armed conflict, violence in all its forms, authoritarianism, corruption and indiscriminate repression affects the lives of millions of people around the globe and violates the human rights of people – young and old – in countries around the world. All lives affected by conflict are of equal value.

“We call on your support for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine – a ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces, and the phased removal of all sanctions according to an agreed timeline.

“We further call for a global commitment from states to reduce military expenditures and to shift these funds to address the shortfall in financing for the achievement of Agenda 2030 commitments, such as on social protection and clean energy.

Speaking on the development, Mr Abideen said the agenda 2030 of the SDG is under threat. Therefore, the world leaders must deliver on the Paris Agreement goal to limit mean global temperature rise to 1.5C and to also protect the ecosystems on which all life depends by strengthening the commitment to international environmental law and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

“Poverty and inequality are once again on the rise in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In many countries, people are being pushed back into increasingly fragile situations, with the critical gaps in healthcare and loss of livelihoods being compounded by the lack of sufficient support from governments and international partners.

“We call for an end of austerity and instead a major economic stimulus package that radically reduces inequality, gender inequalities and lays the foundations for a just, equal and sustainable economy.”

Mr Abideen added that this year’s global goals week is another opportunity to onboard more people in the quest for sustainability and it have committed itself to actualize the SDGs by 2030.

He said to ensure that BBYDI do not leave anyone behind, the organization has translated the SDGs into local languages and partnered with traditional and religious leaders using town hall meetings on the SDGs to spread the purpose of the goals and the roles that everyone has to play.