Kathmandu, Sept 23: One of the goal ‘zero hunger campaign’ of the Sustainable Development Goals, to be declared in the 70th United Nations General Assembly has been initiated from Nepal. The campaign was inaugurated today at the coordination of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) in Nepal.
Nepali mountaineer Nimdoma Sherpa initiated the campaign at Karaunja village in Gorkha district one week ago by raising a flag as part of an international effort to bring the goals to the world’s attention. The campaign is the second goal of the SDG.
The goals would be formally adopted by world leaders at UNGA on September 25.
Nimdoma overcame rain, fog, rough trails and a steep ascent to reach the earthquake-stricken village of Kerauja. Five months earlier this community was mourning its dead and salvaging what it could in the rubble of homes destroyed by the 25 April earthquake.
Chandra Bahadur Gurung is one of the Kerauja villagers who witnessed the flag-raising. “After all the hardship our village has suffered following the earthquake, we are proud to have been chosen to carry this message to the world,†he said.
The flag-raising is one of 17 around the world – one for each of the global goals – and is part of a collaborative effort called Project Everyone to bring the goals to the planet’s seven billion people.
Together, the goals aim to end hunger and extreme poverty, overcome inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change – with a deadline of 2030. They present an historic opportunity to change the world for the better.
Nimdoma raised the flag for Goal 2 which focuses on ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture – aims that are also enshrined in the Government of Nepal’s policies, including the Agriculture Development Strategy.
“The long, tough trails we travelled represent the hard task ahead of achieving zero hunger. But when people work together, zero hunger can be achieved,†said Nimdoma. “I raised this flag here in the Himalayas for Nepal, for WFP and for all the world.â€
As a child in Simigaon, Dolakha district, Nimdoma received WFP school meals. In 2008, at the age of 17, she became the then-youngest woman to summit Mount Everest. Now, she uses her climbing expertise to help WFP bring humanitarian relief to remote communities affected by the April earthquake.
Community members enthusiastically welcomed Nimdoma, who arrived with a train of mules bringing WFP rice and pulses as part of the earthquake response. The team used trails that have been rehabilitated by WFP and the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN).
The main objective of the campaign is to take the information of the goal to seven billion people within seven days of the adaption of the goal.
The World Food programme has been supporting some 80 million people of 80 countries every year.
Source RSS
