By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
Four distinguished Nigerians have been conferred with honorary designations as Ambassadors of Humanitarian Affairs and Goodwill Ambassadors during a high-level side event on the margins of the ongoing 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
The investiture ceremony took place on 18 September 2026 at the United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 11, as part of the UNGA High-Level Global Executive Roundtable Side Event 2026.
The Global Organization for Sustainable Development Goals (GOFSDGs), an organisation in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), partnered with the Civil Society Organizations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) and collaborated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to confer the honorary titles.
According to a statement by Dr. Sophie Romma Murashkovsky, on behalf of the Organizing Committee, UNGA High-Level Global Executive Roundtable Side Event 2026, the five honourees and their designations are: Hon. Mr. Kunle Yusuff, MON, Director-General, CSCHEI – Ambassador of Goodwill, Mr. David Luftglass, Chief Executive Officer, Renaissance Assets Holdings Corporation, USA – Ambassador of Goodwill, Dr. Judith Ogbara, Chief Executive Officer, Rosem Energy Ltd and Chairperson, AAE Foundation, Nigeria – Ambassador for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Dahiru Biu – Ambassador of Goodwill and
Duke Kelvin Iyke Asogwa – Ambassador for Humanitarian Affairs.
The ceremony was officiated by the Secretary-General of the International Human Rights Commission, the Founder of Open Diplomacy International, and representatives of UNITAR.
The Organising Committee explained that the conferment followed “a rigorous due diligence and assessment of track record, integrity, and measurable contributions to humanitarian advancement, in full alignment with the United Nations Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
It stated that the honourees were selected based on demonstrated leadership in advancing humanitarian principles, community-driven development, and inclusive social protection systems, consistent commitment to accelerating the implementation of SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 13 (Climate Action), 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) at national and sub-national levels
Other criteria included Proven capacity to leverage and mobilise multi-stakeholder partnerships, catalyse resources, and foster goodwill for vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations and exemplary service that enhances Nigeria’s positive engagement in the multilateral system and reinforces inclusive multilateralism and South-South cooperation.
The organising committee stated that the honorary status “confers not only recognition but also responsibility — to uphold the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence; to champion accountability to affected populations (AAP), sustainability, and the principle of Leaving No One Behind (LNOB); and to serve as credible bridges between Nigeria, the global humanitarian community, and the international investment and donor ecosystem.”
The statement noted that at the conclusion of the High-Level Global Executive Roundtable, participants adopted three key resolutions: “To operationalize the Global Partnership Network Support System (GPNSS) as a catalytic platform to facilitate private sector access to sustainable, blended, and concessional financing for humanitarian and development initiatives.
“To institute a structured follow-up, capacity-building and impact-tracking mechanism anchored by UNITAR and other relevant UN entities, Donor Agencies and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs).
“To mandate the newly decorated Ambassadors to serve as focal champions and goodwill envoys for resource mobilization, high-level advocacy, and localization of humanitarian interventions in alignment with UN standards and humanitarian principles.”
The organising committee congratulated the newly decorated Ambassadors and “strongly encourages them to continue to align their future engagements, programmatic interventions, and strategic partnerships with the mandates of the United Nations, bilateral and multilateral Donor Agencies, Development Partners, Development Finance Institutions, and INGOs.”
“We call upon all stakeholders to provide the necessary technical and financial support to enable them to effectively deliver on this noble mandate,” it added.
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