14.04.2023
We have now reached the halfway point of our Fellowship Programme at the OPGA and having enjoyed so much from learning and contributing to the mandates of the PGA, I barely even noticed how the days and months have flown by so fast! Towards the end of March, the Fellows and I had the unique opportunity to participate in the taskforce mobilised for the Water Conference – a conference which was last held nearly five decades ago. I was assigned to monitor and take notes for two plenary sessions, in which I observed how most Member States attached significant importance to recognising access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation as a fundamental human right and strengthening transboundary cooperation and sustainable use of water sources across different states and regions.
After an enriching stint at the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Team, I have moved onto the Sustainable Development Team for my second rotation, running until early May. Right from the start, together with my colleague and fellow Fellow Gerard Anapu from Samoa, I was involved in facilitating a panel discussion held during the High-Level Meeting convened to mark the very first International Day on Zero Waste. Listening to the statements from the keynote speakers and panelists, I was very much moved and inspired to adopt a Zero Waste lifestyle by being more mindful and aware of reducing and reusing the waste we produce, because out of sight does not mean out of mind and transformative solutions truly begins with one’s own self. I am keen to deepen my understanding on the strive towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals as I go along this rotation
