Poverty Eradication and Job Creation Conference
December 14, 2015
Editor’s Note: From time to time, stories written by FSC students will be featured in the Campus Times.
“Out of my interest in the world’s affairs and the refugee’s situation globally, especially at the time when Europe is undergoing the worst influx of refugees since the Second World War. I decided to attend high-level conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in November. The conference was devoted to the theme “Small-and Medium-Enterprises (SMEs) for Poverty Eradication and Job Creation for Women and Youth.” The conference gave stakeholders the opportunity to exchange views on the role of micro- and SMEs in promoting sustainable economic growth. Mr. Maseli, Director and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Representative to the United Nations chaired the first segment. Several delegations from the United Nations and Representatives by Member States, Economists, stockholders, and academies attended.
I had the privilege to speak with the keynote speaker, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (pictured above), Governor of Delta State, Nigeria. I discussed with Dr. Okowa on the ways to tackle SME-specific challenges and exploited on their growth potential in order to create jobs for women and youth, and to eradicate poverty in Africa. I told Dr. Okowa that the refugee crisis was an obstacle to economic growth, because when there is conflict, there is a loss of human capital. Dr. Okowa promised to look into the areas that we discussed.
It is vital to indicate that the refugee crisis is a humanitarian catastrophe, which has taken a toll on Europe and Africa. The numbers of refugees has continued to increase since the beginning of 2014, driven by the war in Syria and Iraq, and the conflicts and insecurity in Afghanistan, Eritrea and elsewhere. The international community should act fast to address human sufferings.”
By Benedicta Obodoruku, Advocate of Refugees, United States
