Ladies and Gentlemen:
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure and honor to address this unique international gathering of youth volunteers emanating from various countries - Luxembourg, Italy, Japan, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Kenya. I wish to thank the organizers of this workshop for choosing Kenya as the venue where the volunteers have come to discuss and render service under the workshop theme "United Nations Millennium Declaration : The special need of Africa, Implementing the culture of peace through health". Let me take this earliest opportunity to welcome you officially to our beautiful city of Nairobi and in Kenya as a whole. Feel at home and take time to enjoy our Kenyan hospitality.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
As some of you may recall, at the 55th session of the United Nations General Assembly held in September 2000 in New York, heads of State and Governments recognizing the miserable plight of most of the world's people, came up with a blue print called the Millennium Declaration, which aims at fundamental reforms for our existing world order. The Declaration includes topics such as
This Declaration is a significant statement outlining the shared values and the critical areas in need of serious consideration as we look into the new century and new millennium.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The International workshop being held here today in Nairobi is a response by the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) to the Millennium Declaration "meeting the special needs of Africa by Implementing the culture of peace through health". The Millennium Declaration made many promises to the next generation and it is our responsibility to help to keep those promises. Indeed the time has come for all of us to roll up our sleeves and go to work. We want to see the NGO community working harder than ever before. This is the challenge and I believe we can and will rise up to it.
In responding to the Millennium Declaration, I wish to acknowledge the part played by the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) KENYA CHAPTER which has taken a bold step in addressing a special need in Africa through a public health project service in Kenya. I note with great admiration that the volunteer participants gathered in this forum, emanating from various countries and inter-religious faiths, are people who have willingly given their own time, energy and resources through service for the achievement of the health project without any pay.
Dear Brothers and sisters:
Many of the problems of our world transcend the traditional political questions which the UN has traditionally dealt with. Many times they become questions involving an entire region or globe. Often the roots of conflict can be found in culture or religion rather than nationality. As a result of this finding we should realize that the world can not achieve lasting peace without a greater partnership and cooperation between governments, civil society and the worlds religions. Above all, the family as the foundation for world peace must be strengthened since it has profound social, moral and global significance.
NGO's and civil institutions should act according to the highest moral standard and ethical norms and avoid becoming too narrowly focused or self - centered. Special individual interests should never overshadow universal interests.
Distinguished youth participants:
Human security must no longer be seen in terms of protecting national territory with military power, but in terms of meeting educational, health, nutritional, and other basic needs. The world must not only be viewed as a journey for trade and commerce with life driven by market forces, but also as an unfolding of a drama where we are all mindful of other peoples welfare.
Dear participants and distinguished guests,
In this congregation I have observed we have racial, cultural, national, religious, age and gender diversity. This is very impressive and indeed very healthy. I wish to urge other NGO's to borrow a leave and learn that for sustainable change and development to occur, it requires the efforts of more than one generation and more than one sector of society. Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, it is time to go beyond the confines of our own particular spheres of responsibility not only to fulfill the Millennium Declaration, but also to begin the culture of peace.
You will therefore agree with me ladies and gentlemen, that one way respond to the challenge in our society is for NGO's to come together and experience this collective wisdom of rendering SERVICE through development projects such as the Lugari Medical Health clinic.
Distinguished participants and Honorable guests:
I sincerely believe that the nature of this service oriented workshop organized by the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) KENYA CHAPTER and Religious Youth Service (RYS), will set a continuous process of learning that will go beyond ones learned bigotries and inherited resentments in order to learn to trust, respect, and work together for the sake of others. The mission of IRFF is to stimulate individuals and communities by offering a vision of public welfare arising from self-reliance and ethical action. This vision should be natured and encouraged.
Dear Participants,
I am informed that after this official opening of the workshop, you will have a two-days orientation program here in Nairobi and thereafter proceed for another ten days to the project site at Lugari district in western Kenya. I wish you fruitful deliberations during your orientation program and a successful workshop at the project site. Once again, "KARIBU KENYA".
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to declare this workshop officially opened. Thank you and may God bless you.
Copyright (c) 2003 IRFF Europe
Luxembourg@irff-europe.org