UN SDG Action Campaign

Data for Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) took place this month from 1 – 4 September, in Apui, Samoa. The overarching theme of the conference was ‘The sustainable development of small island developing States through genuine and durable partnerships’. Six multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues were held in parallel to the plenary meetings. The overall objective of the conference was to assess progress to date, seek renewed political commitment for action, identify new emerging challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of SIDS, and identify priorities for the sustainable development of SIDS to be considered in the elaboration of the post-2015 UN development agenda. In this context, MY World has published a report with a focus on data from SIDS, including MY World survey data and regional consultation data sets reposited on the World We Want website: worldwewant2015.org/reports

Please feel free to read our report by following this link.

SIDS Priorities

Protecting forests, rivers and oceans a top priority for Australians as voting in MY World survey continues!

Almost 8000 Australians have voted in the United Nations MY World Global Survey for a better world! The results so far show that the top three issues of concern are ‘Protecting forests, rivers and oceans’, ‘Access to clean water and sanitation’ and ‘Affordable and nutritious food’. The survey which will run until 2015 aims to capture people’s voices, priorities and views, so that global leaders can be informed as they begin the process of defining the new development agenda for the world.

To make your voice heard vote now by going to www.myworld2015.org or if you want more information on the survey visit our MY World campaign page where you can read additional background information and watch the UN Secretary-General’s call to action. Continue reading “Protecting forests, rivers and oceans a top priority for Australians as voting in MY World survey continues!”

MY World Survey the focus of UNIC Canberra’s information stall at the National Multicultural Festivalstival

UN Youth volunteers taking a photo with replica of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon after collecting votes from the public for MY World global survey.

The MY World global survey was front and centre of UNIC Canberra’s promotional activities at the National Multicultural Festival. With almost 300 thousand attendees, this year’s National Multicultural Festival was the biggest ever and proved a perfect opportunity to promote the MY World global survey as well as other UN initiatives and programmes.
To help garner support for the MY World global survey a real voting booth was set up together with a large colourful banner, factsheets, stickers and even a replica Secretary General, who proved very popular with the crowds. On what was a very sunny Canberra day, a group of UN Youth volunteers were also on hand to encourage people to vote and have their voice heard. Despite some finding it difficult to narrow down what is important to them to just six choices, almost 400 votes were collected from people of all walks of life, with some even from as far away as the United Kingdom and Sweden.

This year again UNIC Canberra partnered with the regional United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office (UNHCR) to promote the wider role of the United Nations in areas such as peace and security, human rights and environment.

UN Youth volunteer Kon Taw casting a vote for her future as part of MY World global survey campaign.

The festival provided a great opportunity for UNIC staff to interact with the community and raise awareness about the UN’s role in the region and its priorities for this year.

The National Multicultural Festival is an annual event hosted in Canberra which this year is celebrating its centenary. The festival celebrates cultural diversity and showcases an array of multicultural arts, music, dancing and food.