Vice President Nangolo Mbumba said assistance is needed to combat issues of quality education, youth empowerment, and gender-based violence in the country.
Mbumba said this during his keynote address at the 30th anniversary of the Namibia National Commission (NatCom) for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), where he called on all stakeholders and partners from all sectors to unite for an even greater impact in Namibia.
While commemorating the anniversary Mbumba addressed the challenges ahead in sustaining the ideals and beliefs of Namibia.
“The Namibia NatCom will need all the support from its governance structures, as we approach the challenges like quality education, water, food and energy security, climate change, youth empowerment, and gender-based violence,” said the Vice President.
Mbumba paid tribute to current and former members of the Namibia NatCom whom he said had mobilized the educational, scientific and cultural community in Namibia, so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education, as a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for human development.
“They also pursued scientific cooperation, built an intercultural understanding and protected freedom of expression, the right to access to information and media pluralism. These are essential conditions for democracy, development and human dignity; all values that Namibia upholds,” Mbumba said.
Meanwhile, UNESCO Representative to Namibia, Djaffar Moussa-Elkadum called for action against the rise of xenophobia attacks.
“We all sadly observe in the Southern African Region a rise of xenophobia, suspicion, and, mistrust between people who fifty years ago lived in solidarity, supporting each other to recover their liberty, human dignity, and peace,” Moussa-Elkadum said.
He emphasized the importance of reconstructing defences of peace and solidarity in the minds of people especially the youth by promoting collaboration among the nations and their people through education, science, and culture.
At the event, six beneficiaries of the programs offered by UNESCO spoke highly of the agency’s curricula.
“NatCom has contributed to my personal growth in the profession,” Umbi Karuaihe said.
On the same occasion Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Itah Kandjji-Murangi who is also the chairperson of NatCom for UNESCO launched several publications namely NatCom@30, Tracing the Footprints of the Windhoek Declaration and Chatting the Windhoek +30 Declaration.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
