United Nations Resident Coordinator, Tapan Mishra’s Speech on the UN Day 2019

Let us work all together towards making our children’s dreams a reality! 

Colleagues, guests, ladies and gentlemen, 

Warm greetings and welcome to the UN House!

Today we are celebrating the UN@74. In human life terms it is a whole life full of stories to pass to the next generations. Same with the UN – in its 74 years of existence, having emerged from the horrors of the worst bloodshed in human history, the UN had been instrumental in the matters of world peace, counties’ self-determination, humanitarian action, human rights protection, climate action and ensuring the right to development for every nation, leaving no one behind. 

Today, in the era of climate emergency and emerging conflicts, the UN member states have committed to implementing the Global Agenda 2030, a programme of action for the People, the Planet and our common Prosperity. 

To help the member states to implement this most ambitious agenda in the history of humankind, the UN has conducted a reform to deliver a more efficient, more responsive to the countries’ needs, and coordinated support to the countries for ensuring sustainable development and implementation of the SDGs. Hence we have now a more empowered and independent UNRC Office to coordinate development and humanitarian efforts. 

The UN commends Mongolia on being the early adopter of the SDGs agenda through passing by the parliament its Sustainable Development Vision- 2030 in mere 5 months after the adoption of the Global Goals. Just past July Mongolia has presented its first VNR to the High Political Forum on SDGs and worked out the indicators to measure its progress – all confirming its commitments to the Global Agenda 2030.

To raise awareness about the SDGs among the larger population, the UN, together with the national and international partners continues undertaking devoted efforts in popularizing the goals to leave no one behind and to ensure everybody’s contribution and action to realize the Goals. 

One of such awareness-raising and mobilization campaigns are ongoing throughout this month of October with UN engaging with students and school children through lectures and lessons on SDGs; journalists and editors on acquiring the SDGs lens when covering news and events; artistic community to spread the messages through arts; and a larger public though organizing events. The highlight of this month’s SDGs campaign was the first UN Open Day event conducted last Saturday. On this day the UN House hosted over 500 people of all ages and occupations, students, scholars, filmmakers, herders, elderly, people with disabilities, artists and civil servants who have come to listen to 11 inspirational speakers invited for the 1stedition of the #ActNow #SDGsTaLx and watch the newest artistic performances on of inclusive societies, overconsumption, environmental protection, air pollution and human rights. 

Today some of these role models and celebrities who supported our UN Open Day event and joined the cause of mobilizing fellow citizens for SDGs are here, with us. And I’d like to say a big, heartfelt THANK YOU to them for being true global citizens and true patriots. 

This month the UN staff, together with the SDGs supporters and environmental defenders, have planted trees in the National Park founding the UN Green Garden to contribute to greening Mongolia and our Planet. We’ll be taking care of the Garden and planting more trees in the years to come. 

I’d like to resume my brief speech with saying how fortunate I am having come to Mongolia a little over a month ago as the UNRC! This country with its energetic and warm hearted people and tremendous development potential can be a role model of sustainable development for others as one young boy has wished for during our UN Open Day event. Let us work all together towards making our children’s dreams a reality! 

Happy UN Day!