Implementing the 2030 Agenda through Inspiration, Mobilisation and Connection

At the beginning of 2020, the international Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Action Community was called on by the UN SDG Action Awards to share their transformative projects and approaches. The search for initiatives that accelerate action towards the SDGs brought up an inspiring group of finalists. While the chosen winners will be awarded during the SDG Global Festival of Action in March 2021, the Action Awards also shared a list of “Honourable Mentions”. Even though their affiliation with Governments or the United Nations (UN) prevents them from being officially awarded, their impact must be recognised. The initiatives are located primarily in the sphere of technology and media, aiming for outreach and advocacy by demonstrating creativity, innovation and replicability

The first initiative “Youth Climate Report” is organised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and media partners in the field. The initiative mobilises global youth to report on climate research, impact and solutions fromtheir respective communities, to bring their local perspective to official UN Events. Their submitted films are added to a GIS map to create an interactive digital platform. Accompanied by training programmes and peer-teaching, the “Youth Climate Reporters” are enabled to produce visible evidence of underrepresented SDG research angles.

Staying in the field of technology the second honourable mention is the “Samsung Global Goals App” which was created in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The education-focused app provides millions of users with critical information about the SDGs and shows how individual contributions can make a meaningful difference. The funds raised through the app worldwide have already exceeded 1 Million USD and contribute to the UNDP’s work in education, climate change, gender equality and crisis recovery.  

The “BE THE ONE CAMPAIGN” and its flagship ‘Outrage to Action’ is the third initiative and focusses on mobilising communities worldwide that are committed to finding new inspiring ways to achieve the SDGs. Prioritising advocacy, the global media campaign gives a voice to thought leaders who visualise the needed behavioural change in communities, societies and institutions to create a lasting impact for the 2030 Agenda implementation.  

The final campaign “Change the Sequence” is a joint campaign uniting YouTube, the United Nations and Tribeca Enterprises to raise awareness and action for the Global Goals. By building impactful sequential storytelling campaigns on YouTube, the collaboration fosters an understanding for the power of storytelling to spark decisive action and achieve real-world outcomes.

Learn more about the initiatives’ creative approaches by watching their promotional videos and use the opportunity to register for the SDG Global Festival of Action.