The Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, Professor Clement Adebooye, on Wednesday x-rayed the ongoing Israel-Iran war, concluding that its effects would have damning consequences on global affairs.
The Vice-Chancellor made the remark while declaring open a three-day International Sustainable Development Dialogue, themed, “Sustainable Development in the Age of Crisis: Humanities, Science and a More Equitable World”, held at the institution’s campus.
Meanwhile, the programme comprised scholars, technocrats and encyclopaedic thinkers from across the globe who attributed rising regional conflicts as a major impediment to achieving the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the 2030 deadline.
According to him, “There is no doubt that the contemporary world is characterised by crises of different magnitude and consequences not only at the national level but also at continental and intercontinental levels.”
“In the last one week, for example, the conflict between Israel and Iran that started like a candlelight has escalated with far-reaching and severe impacts not just for the immediate region but globally.”
“The various consequential dimensions and magnitude of this war are manifest in the conspicuous humanitarian crisis and rising casualties, geopolitical instability and regional spill-over, economic disruptions, nuclear proliferation concerns, and cyber warfare.”
“Undoubtedly, the long-term consequences of this avoidable war will depend heavily on the duration and intensity of the hostilities, as well as the involvement of other international actors,” he stressed.
Speaking also, Dr Feng Mao from the University of Warwick, UK, affirmed that the SDGs cannot be achieved alone but require collaborative efforts from all countries, saying, “We have five more years to the deadline of the SDG and all stakeholders must work together to ensure their attainment.”
Professor Imre Szeman stressed the need for state actors globally to reach a compromise on equitable distribution of energy resources with a view to ensuring balance between the South and the North.
In his own remark at the programme, Professor Moises Silva from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, observed that the use of nuclear weapons during war has a greatly negative impact on the SDG conservation agenda, including disruption of nature.
He said, “Without nature we cannot live, so this war and others that are happening are really showing us the true face of people that are very greedy and they prefer war to life because every activity of war impacts greatly on our environment.”
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