On 17 October 2008, the AIT Conference Center Auditorium was packed
with students from the AIT Community School in national costumes to
observe and celebrate UN Day on 24 October 2008. Parent, school
teachers and the rest of the AIT community joined in the event which
carried the theme “Environmental Sustainability: An Essential Tool for
Poverty Alleviation”.
According to Dr. R.K. Padam, the AITCS
principal, approximately 300 students from 34 nationalities donned
their national costumes in the spirit of the UN Day. Parents and
teachers contributed greatly to the national performances which ranged
from singing and dancing. The students from China even prepared a
short, participatory skit filled with riddles and games.
“AIT community school is proud to celebrate this great
occasion with the collaborative efforts from both the children and
parents. This activity instills the importance of the United Nations,
which is any organization that puts forth real thoughts for the world
today filled with conflicts and terrorism”, shares Dr. R.K.
Padam.
An exotic parade of students in national costumes shortly
followed the address by AIT President Said
Irandoust.
Prof. Ajit Annachhatre, director of AIT-UN office, was
invited as a guest speaker for UN-Day celebration and requested to
reflect on the celebration’s theme this year.
Prof. Ajit’s speech encompassed the background of formation of
United Nations and its mission and objectives as well as Millennium
Development Goals being implemented by the United Nations. He also
highlighted threat to environmental sustainability because of human
activities; current environmental problems suggest Global Warming, Acid
Rain, Ozone layer depletion as well as spread of persistent organic
pollutants (POPs). He further talked about link between environmental
degradation and poverty alleviation. Reasons for these global problems,
namely over population, higher standard in living as well as
unsustainable utilization of natural resources was also brought
forward. And he stressed the need for sustainable utilization of
natural resources as well as renewable energy sources.
U.K., Nepal, Pakistan, Korea, Nigeria, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Laos,
Indonesia, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China, Uzbekistan, Taiwan
and Mongolia, Philippines, presented their national cultural shows,
providing an enjoyable experience to the audience.
