Monrovia – A two-member high power Liberian delegation, headed by Senate President Pro-Tempore, Armah Zolu Jallah, leaves the country today for Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon, Republic of Korea, to participate in the first international conference and exhibition on Smart Technology and Procurement relating to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Organized by Yonsei University, Korea National Assembly UN SDGs Forum, Africa Asia Development Relief Foundation (ADRF), Love in Lights Messe K, Asia-Pacific Peace and Development Service Alliance (APPDSA), and the TIA Group, the conference would be held from 30, November, to 2, December 2017.
Other member of the Liberian delegation is Mr. Augustine S. Arkoi, a Civil Society Representative, who is also Co-Founder of the Africa Asia Development Relief Foundation (ADRF).
Mr. Arkoi is also Founder of Better Future Foundation, (BFF), a collaborating partner of ADRF in the promotion of universal access to education in 15 countries in Africa and Asia including Senegal, Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Philippine, Nepal, and Myanmar among others.
In an official invitation to the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Armah Jallah, by 20 Korean Congressmen, according to ADRF Liberia Representative, Augustine Arkoi, they said – “It will be an extreme honor and privilege for all of us if you could come to Korea for this event.
At the same time, the congressmen extended official invitation to Pro-Tempore Jallah and the Liberian delegation to grace a welcome dinner being organized by the Korean National Assembly.
The conference is being supported by an array of oversea partners including UN-HABITAT, United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), International Development and Information Organization (IDIO), Latin American Presidential Mission, World e-Governments Organization of Cities and Local Governments (WeGO).
Other partners which also include the media are Institute for Art and Restoration, Association of American State Offices in Korea (ASOK), Indo-Korean Business and Policy Forum, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Korea Economic Daily, Environment Times, and the Korea Social Economy NEWS.
According to a release issued by the Liberian Chapter of the Africa-Asia Development and Relief Foundation (ADRF), the global forum and exhibition on Smart Technology and Procurement will provide rare opportunities for all stakeholders who include scientists, development specialists, academic, civil society, world and media leaders among others to not only compare notes with focus on promoting SDGS and Climate Action through technology solutions but also find the right partners and business opportunities-both profit and non-profit- in pursuit of common goals and actual players in the community and markets.
“As we know, in the past decades, advancement in technology has been so fast, transforming lives worldwide.
At this juncture of the end of year 2017, expectation and fears cross over the magnitude and speed of technological advancement as reflected in debates on its effects concerning the upcoming era/ new age, styled: ‘The 4th Industrial Revolution’.
The world had agreed at the 1st year of the millennium (in 2000) to adopt the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to mainly eradicate extreme poverty in the world.
Thanks to concerted efforts of the world community, the population under extreme poverty was halved.
Such factors as national development efforts with better governance, expanded international cooperation and aids, widened opportunities by globalization and increased investment in education and technology could be among multiple factors.
No one can deny that technology has played a key role in the advancement of the world,” the release said.
“With this achievement secured, the world leaders again agreed upon implementing the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ in 2015 at the special session of the United Nations, which is much more ambitious and comprehensive, focusing much more on ‘Planet Sensitivity’” which is reflected also in the adoption of the UN Convention of Climate Change,” the release added.
The SDGs guides each nation, both developed and developing ones, to chart its own development strategy and to cooperate with others by sharing resources, experience and, knowledge including technology,” said the release.