"In my community the issue of land grabbing is serious. In the name of Public Private Partnership (PPP), the government takes farmlands from thousands of local farmers and in turn gives it to a few individuals. The land which is their only hope, the land which they inherited from their forefathers - even that is being taken away by the government to allow access to and defend the interests of big businesses and corporations."
The experience of Celestine and the Ogoni people of Nigeria attest to the growing trend of governments who seem to abdicate their roles in promoting social services, and instead outsource 'development' projects to the private sector. Furthermore, big businesses who secure contracts with governments are usually allowed free rein in exploiting the environment at the expense of local communities and indigenous peoples.
But Celestine remains indignant in saying "This is neither the time to give up in despair nor sit back and relax. It is our lives, our future and our destiny that is at stake here -- everything is tied to the implementation of the global goals for development. The gap has to be bridged. We now need to walk the talk."
Only time will tell if the UN Secretary General's statement that "These goals are a blueprint for a better future"We must leave no-one behind," will transform into action for the likes of Ogonis and the commoners like you and me.
Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS
(The author is the Managing Editor of CNS, and is supported by CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) to provide thematic coverage around UN General Assembly where Global Goals for Sustainable Development are being adopted. Follow us on Twitter: @Shobha1Shukla, @CNS_Health and @CSOpartnership_ )
- Shared under Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
