Sharad Vivek Sagar. Telegraph picture

Patna, Sept. 8: Sharad Vivek Sagar, a city boy who aims at becoming India’s first secretary-general of the United Nations, has come up with another feather in his cap. Sagar has been selected as the regional ambassador of the Asia-Pacific region for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Tunza Eco-Generation.

UNEP is the children and youth body of the United Nations, which works in the field of environmental protection and awareness.

Among the nine ambassadors selected from across the world, Sagar has been selected as the ambassador for the largest region — the Asia-Pacific. The region comprises 49 countries in all.

This is for the first time that an Indian has been made the ambassador for the entire Asia-Pacific region. Another person has been selected from India but for the Hyderabad, India region.

A Class XII passout from St Dominic Savio’s High School, Sagar would be holding office for six months and also would be seen bringing more awareness about environmental issues among children and youths across the world.

The founder-president of We Aim High — a students’ organisation, Sagar would be focussing on the goals of the UN, that is Millennium Development Goals, which include ending poverty, fighting hunger, illiteracy and environmental problems. An example is that the UN aims to end poverty by 2015.

Sagar said: “In India, 50 million people, which is almost half of the country live on less than $2 a day. Across the world, 852 million people sleep without having two square meals a day. We have planned campaigns but have failed to reach out to the grassroots level. The yardstick of development in present times lies solely on the developed nations.” Sagar added that we live in a world where if a developed country sneezes, the whole world catches cold.

This is one of the major reasons why Sagar wishes to join the UN.

Sagar feels this is also one of the major reasons why no one from India has been able to become the secretary-general of the UN in the past 64 years. Sagar said after the World War II, the UN has slowly become a defunct body and the modern world order would need the UN to get stronger than ever. He said: “If the UN has not failed in maintaining world peace or bilateral relations between nations, it has definitely not succeeded either”.

Sagar said when it comes to environment, the responsibility lies with individuals as much as it does on world policies and treaties. “Limiting the personal carbon footprints is important and young people should maintain a green lifestyle. UNEP has a social networking site called Tunza Eco-Generation. I would try and get as many people involved on the site as possible,” he said.

The Patna boy has represented the country in other countries too, while participating in various events. Having taken up the mantle to ensure awareness for a better environment, Sagar attended the 350.org Second Climate Leadership workshop in New Delhi.

Sagar started Dexterity, an inter-school fest in 2008 to help kids grow and make them environmentally aware. Dexterity also has an online portal (on Facebook) where environment-related tips could be looked up for on a daily basis.