Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, a United Nations Civil Servant and a TEDx speaker addressed the students of Curtin University Dubai on Africa’s giant youth bulge. He also spoke on the importance of educating female children, the growth of agro-business, and the emerging markets in Africa, India, and China.
Siddharth Chatterjee leads the UN Country Team to deliver on the UN Development Assistance Framework in Kenya. Sid served previously as the UNFPA Representative for Kenya, wherewith his team spearheaded efforts to reduce the unacceptably high maternal deaths in Kenya putting the spotlight on the challenges faced by adolescent girls, including child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and sexual and gender-based violence. Sid has served the UN in various countries including Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan (Darfur), Indonesia, and in the peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr. Chatterjee spoke about the current economic condition in the different African nations. He enlightened us on key developmental factors like overpopulation and unemployment and highlighted the grave issue of unemployment of women in Asian countries. He elaborated on the need for youth today to choose agriculture as a career. His words of wisdom made us think about the problems of the present.
Keerthana Dana Sekaran, BEng Hons. Mechanical