Our Executive Director Mr David Michael Terungwa participated in the UN 68TH Civil Society Conference which took place in Salt lake City Utah USA.
The conference, which met under the theme, “Building Inclusive and Sustainable Cities and Communities” drew registrants from some 130 countries, with an estimated 40 percent of participants aged 23 and younger. The conference was the largest UN Civil Society Conference to-date, with some 4,000 civil society representatives in attendance
Mr David was a speaker in one of the Thematic Sessions: Infrastructure and Natural Resources Use. The session highlighted Infrastructure development and inclusive and sustainable industrialization as key drivers of growth in the service of human prosperity within planetary boundaries and how Investment decisions on infrastructure impact the well-being of citizens, the availability of natural resources and the preservation of ecosystem services for decades into the future, affecting the choices of future generations. Transportation systems, buildings, energy production and manufacturing are just a few examples that affect land and water use, waste, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions in profound ways.
Mr David opined the need to involve communities in planning infrastructure development and the adoption and use of local knowledge in sustainable development of infrastructure especially in rural communities. He further stressed the need to use the concept of community natural resources mapping and land use planning as a means to involve community members in the planning process and ensure the preservation of ecosystem services for decades into the future.
Mr David Michael also spoke at another workshop during the conference on the topic: Climate Change Impacts All Cities & Communities: Together We Can & Must Make a Difference where he shared the Solar For Internally Displaced Persons Camp’s #SolarForIDPCamps initiative. The initiative is aimed at providing clean energy access to nearly 2 million persons taking shelter in different Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across Nigeria by lighting up the IDP camps with Solar. The initiative have so far provided solar light for at least 10,000 internally displaced persons in North East Nigeria who are displaced as a result of actions of the terrorist group Boko Haram and communities without access to clean energy. The workshop was organized by Global Foundation for Democracy & Development Co-Sponsors: NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Humanitarian Focus Foundation, and Foundation for Post Conflict Development, Global Family, NGO Major Group Urban Cluster.
The Board and management of GIFSEP wish to Thank the planning Committee and the United Nations Department of Global Communication for giving our organization the opportunity to be represented by Mr David Michael Terungwa