UNESCO holds information session for pupils

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) office in Ghana, on Thursday organised an information session for the pupils of St Paul Lutheran School in Accra.

The session dubbed “Meet the UN” was to share relevant information about UNESCO’s activities in Ghana and the world to young people.

Speaking at the programme, Madam Evelyn Sarpong, Reference Assistant, United Nations Information Centre, Accra said the objective was to expose the pupils to first-hand information about UNESCO’s work in general.

“It is also to enhance their understanding of the role of the United Nations in general”, she added.

She said the programme, which was the initiative of the United Nations Information Centre, was started in 2012, to bring students and the general public closer to the activities of the UN and its agencies.

“We also have another programme called “UN for You” where we rather visit various schools occasionally to educate them on UN.

Mr Osman Zakari, the Project Coordinator, UNESCO Office in Ghana, advised the pupils to take good care of the environment as any negative effect on it would have dire consequence on the existence of mankind.

“As humans, whatever we do whether positively or negatively, will automatically have impacts on the environment and our lives”, he said.

He urged the pupils to endeavour to grow more trees, as the planting of trees was one of the effective means of combating climate change which had hit the world.

He pointed out that, in the UN system, UNESCO was seen as the intellectual wing as it sustained humanity and also bring the creative intelligence of man to life in the form of science.

He noted that in Ghana, “UNESCO had helped to protect our cultural heritage such as the Ussher Fort at James Town, the Museums and Monument Board as well as the preservation and development of Ga Mashie.”

Mr Abdul Hamid Yakub, the National Programme Officer (Communication and Information), said UNESCO in Ghana was also educating journalists in Ghana on how to report on cultural issues.

“We are also working to support the free flow of information as we believe in freedom of speech on the part of the citizenry and press freedom”, he said.

“Due to our love for press freedom, we have dedicated every May 2 to 4 for the celebration of press freedom”, he said.

He said UNESCO also seeks to protect the interest of all especially the minority in the societies and their interests.