School children in Ghana have petitioned the government to work on improving their living standards and stop environmental degradation.
Action 2015 Ghana, a part of a global campaign, presented the petition on Wednesday demanding that President John Mahama must institute stringent measures to end poverty, fight climate change and bridge the widening inequality gap in the country.
“put the interest of children at the heart of the new post 2015 development framework”
The government was also urged to guarantee food security by investing in small-scale sustainable agriculture, enact and fully implement laws to protect women and children without discrimination.
Two United Nation’s summits that can bend the course of history would be held this year.
The first one would in in September to tackle poverty, environmental destruction and inequality.
The second summit due in December is to set new climate action targets towards a safer planet.
“We stand on behalf of all children of age 15 years today to petition you to put the interest of children at the heart of the new post 2015 development framework,” the petitioners said.
“We ask that you make choices dictated by needs of future generation and not by short term policies,” they added.
This year also marks the end of the set target of the Millennium Development Goals where all leaders promised to end poverty and ensure that every citizen now and future are able to lead good and dignified lives.
If leaders fail to deliver and build on the growing momentum for ambitious deals at the UN special summit on sustainable development in September and climate talks in December, the number of people living in extreme poverty could actually increase to 1.2 billion by 2030.
“A lot of children in Africa are living in poverty, a barrier to the development of the continent, some of the issues raised by the group are not tackled, some are beyond government and some are within the means of government, ” Alexander Kwaning, a government official said.
Source: The Africa Report
