The Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Nasir Isa Kwarra has appealed to United Nations Member States to put an end to unnecessary and prolonged conflicts that result in civilian casualties and unbearable suffering globally
He expressed that, there is a need for Member States must work together to implement the right policies to ensure that people can feed themselves and not to fall into poverty.
Kwara made this appeal while speaking at the 79th Third Committee Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The theme of this year’s General Assembly, ‘Unity and Diversity for Advancing Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity, Everywhere and for All,’ underscores that significant work remains to fulfill the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030.
According to him, many developing countries are on the verge of famine. “To this end, the UN and its agencies should continue championing inclusive, just, and sustainable development for all.
“The UN’s foundation is built on inclusiveness, anchored on peace, sustainable development, and human rights,” he stated.
He condemned the humanitarian catastrophe and continuous loss of civilian lives, particularly defenseless women and children, caught in wars worldwide.
The chairman also advocated for increased collaboration between Member States, UN agencies, and partners to tackle multiple global crises and eradicate poverty.
“In ensuring that no one is left behind, the government of Nigeria has made it a priority to include the most vulnerable people in all development programs and frameworks, by building a globally competitive economy.
“In the same vein, my delegation firmly believes in achieving the objectives of the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration of Future Generations, which necessitate unwavering political commitment for effective implementation.”
Speaking about climate change, Kwarra stated that the world faces a multitude of crises, including humanitarian, economic, social, food, and climate-related challenges, which posed significant obstacles to social development policies.
He emphasized that member states must collaborate to implement effective policies, ensuring people’s self-sufficiency and protection from poverty.
Noting that many developing countries were on the brink of famine, Kwarra urged the UN and its agencies to continue advocating for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.
Regarding Nigeria’s progress, Kwarra highlighted the Federal Government’s commitment to leaving no one behind, prioritizing the inclusion of vulnerable populations in all development programs and frameworks.
“Nigeria recognizes the emerging need for social development and has, accordingly, designed appropriate social development policies and programs targeting economic growth, job creation, improving security, food production, health, and education. The aim is to ensure healthy lives and the promotion of well-being for all at all ages, in line with SDG-3.
“The Nigerian Government launched a social protection system; the National Social Safety Nets Project under the supervision of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) It is part of the government plan to reduce extreme poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition, inequality and ameliorate the suffering of the vulnerable families. This initiative is directly and indirectly impacting the lives of poor Nigerians through its four cluster programmes namely: the N-POWER Programme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) and the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme (CCT). The Conditional Cash Transfer Programme has just been updated to include an additional 15 million households to benefit from the project.
“Furthermore, the government has launched a student loan scheme aimed at providing financial assistance to individuals from poor backgrounds to assure quality education for all. Access to Tertiary Education Act, also known as the Student Loan Act, signed into law in 2023 is expected to provide easy access to poor students through interest-free loans. The scheme would help increase enrolment in school, address school retention, reduce dropout rate due to financial constraints, and ensure quality learning outcomes. We believe that our youths are leaders of tomorrow; therefore, the government is organizing a National Youth Conference that would enable them to participate actively in nation-building and drive policies that would positively impact their lives.
“Every year, we continue to discuss how we have tackled numerous challenges of terrorism, armed conflict, inequality, poverty, racial discrimination, human rights abuse, food crisis, hunger, irregular migration, piracy, global pandemic, hyper-inflation, nuclear proliferation, grinding debt burden, climate change etc. The continued manifestation of these challenges testifies to our failings rather than to any lofty achievements on our part.”
