Lesotho / Planting trees with a goal; turning down the heat!
MASERU, Lesotho, October 22, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Lesotho kicks off commemorations of the 64th year of the founding of the United Nations with a focus on climate change and its impact on Lesotho’s ability to achieve the MDGs
As world leaders gear up for the Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho celebrates the spirit of the United Nations, with a focus on climate change and how it affects Lesotho’s ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Climate change is a hot topic for the tiny mountain kingdom. Over two decades of variable weather patterns and severe drought have left many Basotho [people of Lesotho] in a state of chronic food insecurity. Over half of the population [of 1.8 million people] lives below the poverty line. With only 10 percent of arable land and a grave state of land erosion, climate change is hitting hard on a population that relies heavily on subsistence farming and livestock.
This year the UN in Lesotho is marking the national commemoration of its founding over a period of five days. Starting 19 October, the UN country team in Lesotho has been mobilized in a series of events and interactions to take stock of progress in achieving the ambitious benchmarks set by the MDGs. The UN reached out to secondary and tertiary level students through lively exchanges and discussions both at schools and at the UN house, including planting trees in 14 schools across the three districts visited.
Addressing young students during an open day at the UN House, the Resident Coordinator of the UN in Lesotho said “Today the world is characterized by a multilateral and multicultural essence; we are one home and one planet and what one does affects all the rest. The challenges we face have no boundaries. HIV and AIDS, climate change, poverty, the burdens faced in Lesotho will definitely have repercussions on the rest of the world and vice versa”.
The UN in Lesotho has various activities to support the Government in achieving the MDG targets and contrasting the effects of climate change. These include food security and nutrition interventions, poverty alleviation, water and sanitation, agricultural sustainability, HIV prevention, treatment care and support, maternal and child health and gender equality.
The height of the commemorations will see His Majesty King Letsie III and The Right Honourable, The Prime Minister, Mr Pakalitha Mosisili joining the UN in a symbolic tree planting event in Litabaneng, Ha Khechane on Friday 23 October 2009. The predominant theme will be ‘Planting Trees with a goal’, where eight of the planted trees will each symbolise one of the eight MDG goals. This event will be followed by the official launch of the Lesotho 2008 MDG Status Report and the Global Human Development Report 2009 by The Right Honourable, The Prime Minister, Mr Pakalitha Mosisili at Manthabiseng Convention Centre
About the Lesotho MDG status report
The MDGs form a special core of the Government’s efforts to design and implement policies that can effectively combat poverty and promote human development. With the third highest adult prevalence rate of HIV in the world, HIV has been singled out as the greatest obstacle to development as well as to achieving all the other MDGs.
At the current pace it is unlikely that all the goals will be achieved. Lesotho is also presently lagging behind in achieving MDG Goal 5: Reducing child mortality and MDG Goal 6: Improving maternal health. Although child mortality has reduced, the infant mortality rate and mortality rate of under five years old in 2008 were still far from the targets. Another Goal, which might not be reached, is MDG Goal 2: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Unemployment, which is likely to increase due to the economic crisis, coupled with severe drought and food insecurity, make it all the more challenging in battling poverty and hunger.
Despite of all the challenges, there has been progress in achieving MDG 3 and 4 – universal primary education and gender equality respectively, as well as MDG 8 – developing a global partnership for development. Lesotho also has the potential to achieve MDG 7 – ensuring environmental sustainability, by halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation and integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes.
For more information please contact:
Ms. Alka Bathia, UNDP Economic Advisor
Office: +266 2231 3790; Cell: +266 5885 1170
e-mail: Alka.bhatia@undp.org
Clelia Barbadoro, UNICEF Communication Officer
Tel: +266-22315801; Cell phone: +266-58882872
E-mail: cbarbadoro@unicef.org
Ms. ‘Mamosa Moteetee, UNIC Communication
Tel: +266-22-313790; Cell phone: 58868932
e-mail: mamosa.ramakatane@undp.org
SOURCE
UNITED NATIONS
