A former Commissioner for Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs in Imo State, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji, has been invited to participate in a United Nations (UN) conference titled, “The Africa We Want and the United Nations We Need”, where he’s expected to speak on issues pertaining to strengthening security in the continent.
Hosted by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), the event will take place between March 4-6, 2024, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The dialogue, organised by SCDDD and the Stimson Centre of Washington D.C., aims to debate and recommend reforms to help shape the UN agenda as it prepares for the next 75 years.
Specifically, it seeks to advance African perspectives and priorities, strengthen collaboration between the African Union (AU) and UN, and inform discussions at the upcoming Summit of the Future.
Leading policy researchers, practitioners, and advocates, mainly from Africa and around the world are expected to convene to debate and recommend specific and concrete global and regional institutional, policy, legal, normative, and operational innovations that could inform the agenda and help to raise the ambition of the Summit of the Future, giving special attention to African perspectives and innovation priorities.
The convention further aims to establish a new platform for African policy researchers and advocates to critically discuss and advance policy research and implementation strategies on “What Africa Wants” and the type of relationship the continent needs to have with the UN and international financial institutions in the next 75 years.
It is also expected to strengthen the collaboration between the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the UN, including through the new Agenda for Peace, Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations.
Given his expertise in security and peace initiatives, Dr. Ugorji will speak on the “Peace, Security and Defence” expert panel. He is expected to offer insights from his experience in Imo State and scholarship in security studies to articulate an African viewpoint on the issues.