Sunday Times 2
Vesak commemoration in Kenya sees donation of one million plants
View(s):The Sri Lanka High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya, co-hosted the Vesak Day commemoration with the Thai Embassy in Nairobi at the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) on May 5. The ceremony was held in the main conference hall of the UNON, with the participation of the UN Under-Secretary-General and Director General of the UNON Zainab Hawa Bangura, Deputy Governor of the Nairobi County Njoroge Muchiri, Ambassadors, Kenyan government authorities, including the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Ministry of Kenya, and members of the Lankan community. Around 300 participants gathered.
High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Veluppillai Kananathan, emphasised that the teachings of Lord Buddha, which date back more than two millennia, are relevant to the conflict-stricken world of today.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Director General of the UNON, Zainab Hawa Bangura, read the Vesak Day special message issued by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, adding; “Reviving the world’s ecosystems by 2030 is not an easy endeavour. But it is crucial if we want to avert a climate catastrophe, mass biodiversity loss and food insecurity. In this context, we are thankful to Sri Lanka High Commission’s generous support to bringing degraded ecosystems back to life, here in Kenya.”
The highlight of the event was the donation of one million seedlings and plants by the Sri Lanka High Commission and a group of Lankans in Kenya to Nairobi City County as a gesture of goodwill for the 50 billion tree-planting campaign launched by the President of Kenya, Dr William Ruto.