Category: Virtual Reality

Inequalities Virtual Reality Film selection at European Development Days 2019

Addressing inequalities: Building a world which leaves no one behind

A selection of 13 Virtual Reality films from UN Agencies and the MY World 360º young media creators showcasing the challenges of inequality and the importance of leaving no one behind will be screened at the European Development  Days. The films take place around the world – in the Philippines, Albania, South Africa, Nepal, Iraq, Malawi, Nigeria, Lao PDR, Germany, USA, Brazil and Mongolia.

See the virtual reality film selection:

Migration – Sophie’s Story (3:00) FAO

Watch: Youtube / Facebook

Sophie is 11 years old. She used to live on a farm with her parents and always knew that when she grew up she wanted to be a farmer too. But life was not always easy on the farm and it became ever so hard to grow the food they needed. Harsher weather conditions meant that Sophie and her parents had no other choice but to leave their home and their farm behind. When they had lost everything they had to migrate to the city in search of a better future. However, they didn’t expect that life could be harder in the city… Their story is just one of the millions of stories of rural people around the world that are forced to migrate to escape hunger, poverty, natural disasters or conflict.

Abdul’s story (3:46min, Philippines) IOM / Watch

When ISIL affiliated fighters clashed with government forces in May 2017, 98% of the city’s inhabitants fled and cannot return home due to its complete destruction. Abdul, a former tribal dance instructor, fled together with his brothers and adopted performers in the midst of sewing costumes. Living in an evacuation centre, he holds on to a piece of traditional fabric that he inherited from his grandparents to remind him of the livelihood and dreams he and his brothers and adopted performers lost.

I Am Fatmira (07:00, Albania) UNDP / Watch

Roma activist Fatmira Dajlani married young at 14, dropped out of school and had two children before the age of 18. In many ways, Fatmira’s life story reflects common issues that Roma face, like lack of education, lack of employment, discrimination, early marriage and migration. But she also defies stereotypes. She left her marriage so she could have the freedom to be an activist, went back to finish school, and started an advocacy organization, Jemi dhe ne (We are Here Too) for her community. Fatmira’s story reflects the diversity of the larger Roma community, and the power of the individual to improve it.

360HIV (3:46min, South Africa), UN AIDS / Watch

According to the The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), roughly one quarter of people living with HIV are completely unaware of their status. That’s a pretty terrifying number when you consider there’s an estimated 37 million people carrying the virus worldwide. South Africa alone currently has 7.2 million people living with HIV — the highest amount in the world. Produced by South African production company Makhulu Media with support from Google, the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, and the Children’s Radio Foundation, the live-action series follows a young woman as she travels from her home to a health clinic on a mission to determine her HIV status.

Family planning in remote areas (6:20, Nepal) UNFPA / Watch

In remote areas of Nepal, women have little say in family planning, and often give birth to upwards of 8 children. With the help of the United Nations agency for reproductive health and rights (UNFPA), one woman is making choices about her future and family

The call center – Lives on the line in Northern Iraq (2:38, Iraq) UNOPS / Watch

When the phone rings, the reality of mass displacement suddenly becomes heartbreakingly concrete. Children call to find their parents, mothers call to find medicine for their child, and families call looking for a place to sleep. Through a free helpline, Iraq’s Internally Displaced Persons Information Centre can provide life-saving information to the people who need it most. This project is funded by the European Union.

Chief Theresa Kachindamoto – Courage to Question Inequality (6:30 Malawi) UN Women / Watch

Worldwide, more than 700 million girls alive today were married before their eighteenth birthday (UNICEF). Child marriage has devastating impacts on the realization of the rights of the child, from her right to an adequate education, to her right to sexual and reproductive health. Chief Theresa Kachindamoto has annulled 3,500 child marriages in the central region of Malawi and has helped girls to complete their education, often by subsidizing their schooling. Working with UN Women, the government, civil society and traditional leaders, Chief Kachindamoto contributed to the February 2017 adoption of a constitutional amendment raising the minimum age of marriage from 15 to 18 years. These achievements are against all odds—as the first woman leader in her village and in a village where child marriage is deeply embedded in cultural practice, Chief Kachindamoto’s fight for cultural change has required determination, leadership and persistence.

Big Picture (8:45, Nigeria) WFP

More data is being collected and shared by humanitarian actors and partners than at any other time. In Nigeria today, data helps respond to a food security crisis affecting millions of households. The challenge is to get an accurate Big Picture: making sure data is accessible, shared and analyzed to inform life saving decisions.

The Role of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Reducing Malnutrition in Lao PDR (3:57, Laos) World Bank / Watch

Water, sanitation, and hygiene plays a key role in reducing malnutrition. In Lao PDR, many communities, especially those in poor or rural areas, do not yet have improved access to water supply and sanitation. Join us on a virtual journey to Huaichai village, where families are focusing on overcoming these issues in pursuit of a better life.

 

Gender Equality (3:48, Germany) UN SDG Action Campaign – MY World 360° / Watch

A dramatic enactment of gender discrimination, portrayed through the story of a young girl pursuing her dreams despite the discouragement of those around her, created by students at Berufliches Gymnasium Wirtschaft, Schulzentrum Wirtschaft & Makemedia Studios, Bremen, Germany

Youth Producers: Sukhmen G. (16), Alexandra D. (17), Sevginur K. (16), Alejna A. (17) Educator: Dr. Ute Pieper

Complex City (10:06, USA) UN SDG Action Campaign – MY World 360° / Watch

Complex City tells the story of the historical neighbourhood of Fifth Ward and its community. Crime, poverty and abandoned houses are some of the concerns that this project showcases. Created by youth producers from Texas, USA, the film gets the viewer to understand the problems and social issues of the people living in the neighbourhood. What are the actions that the community takes towards poverty?

Youth Producers: Byron A. (16), Daylen H. (13), Deandre D. (15), Roderick J. (14), Lamar E. (15), Matthew T. (16), Lee R. (16), James W. (12), Jason M. (14), Lynwood O. (15), Tant D. (15) Educator: Sharon Ferranti

Lollapallango (Portuguese 5:48, Brazil) UN SDG Action Campaign – MY World 360° / Watch

A short documentary about Lollapallango, a culture, sports, and technology event hosted for children living in Santo Amaro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro created by students at Colégio Estadual Souza Aguiar – CESA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Youth Producers: Beatriz P. (18), Bruna A. (17), Ana V. (17), Gean G. (18) Educator: Jussara Olinev

Pre-school for Nomads (6:03, Mongolia) UNICEF / Watch

The video depicts how access to education can be provided to children in rural areas, more specifically to those from nomadic communities in Mongolia.

18 April: LET’S CEE Film Festival brings VR cinema to Vienna – and the UN SDG Action Campaign is aboard as one of its programme supporters.

From Let’s CEE Film Festival

Get faced with the human made threat of nature in the Arctic or in the rainforest; learn what it’s like to be homeless or to live in a refugee camp; make a trip back to your first year of life or to the old age – LET’S CEE Film Festival makes it possible. Under the motto “Let’s Open Your Mind”, the organisers are bringing virtual reality films from all over the world to Vienna for the first time. Thanks to the support of renowned partners such as United Nations, Greenpeace International, Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, USC Shoah Foundation, WIDE and The Guardian, a high-quality as well as visually strong offer of socio-politically engaged cinema will be shown. Sitting on a swivel chair with a VR headset and headphones, VR Cinema makes you, so to speak, the focal point and part of the film thanks to 360-degree images.

LET’S CEE will set up two VR lounges: one at 4GAMECHANGERS, a festival for influencers and visionaries (18-20 April) and the second at Village Cinema Wien Mitte (21-22 April) with support of the presenting partner Cineplexx International. Admission is free, as is the whole short film programme at LET’S CEE.

The hardly publicly funded Austrian festival, which tries to make a significant positive contribution to a modern and exemplary understanding of intercultural dialogue year by year, runs from 13 to 22 April in Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Villach, the VR films can be seen from18 to 22 April in Vienna.

More about LET’S CEE: www.letsceefilmfestival.com

 

Films shown with the support of United Nations | UN SDG Action Campaign

Clouds Over Sidra | USA 2015 | 9 min. | English | Chris Milk, Gabo Arora / UN SDG Action Campaign

Twelve-year-old Sidra walks us through her “home”, the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. It houses 130,000 Syrian war refugees, half of them children.

Guardians of the Forest | BRA 2018 | 20 min. | English | Benjamin Ross, Brittany Neff / UN SDG Action Campaign

Activist Sônia takes the spectators to the Amazon’s rainforest, where their Guajajara people are fighting desperately against the destruction of their habitat.

Sea Prayer | UK 2017 | 7 min. | English | Khaled Hosseini / UN SDG Action Campaign On the second anniversary of the death of a three-year-old Syrian boy on the Greek coast, Khaled Hosseini wrote an imaginary letter of a Syrian father to his son.

Complete VR Programme:

Arctic 360 | UK 2016 | 3 min. | English | Francesca Panetta, Nicole Jackson / The Guardian A virtual reality trip to the Arctic, which was filmed under environmentally-friendly conditions, shows the terrible consequences of human behavior.

Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience | USA 2017 | 8 min. | English | Elise Ogle, Tobin Asher / Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab

You can experience what it’s like to be homeless, protect yourself and try to save your home while living on the street.

First Impressions | UK 2017 | 6 min. | English | Francesca Panetta, Nicole Jackson / The Guardian One experiences the first year of life from the viewpoint of a baby, interacting with the environment like a baby. A time span that none of us can remember.

Munduruku: The Fight to Defend the Heart of the Amazon | BRA/UK 2017 | 15 min. | English | James Manisty, Grace Boyle / Greenpeace International

An exceptional VR experience: We find ourselves amidst the indigenous Munduruku in Amazonia who, due to a dam project, have to struggle for existence.

 Notes to My Father | UK/USA 2017 | 12 min. | English | Javisha Patel / WIDE

Her father married her off when she was 13, but like many Indian girls, Ramadevi was then sold to a brothel. Now she fights against the sexual slave trade.

The Last Chair | NLD 2017 | 2 x 15 min. | Jessie van Vreden, Anke Teunissen / WIDE

A VR experience about the last phase of existence. You can immerse yourself in the lives of two old men preparing for their final days.

The Last Goodbye | USA 2017 | 20 min. | English | Gabo Arora, Ari Palitz / USC Shoah Foundation

In July 2016, Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter visits the Majdanek concentration camp. The Last Goodbye is a testimony of love, compassion and the human spirit.


Press Contact:

Magdalena Żelasko
Festival Director LET’S CEE Film Festival
management@letsceefilmfestival.com
Homepage: www.letsceefilmfestival.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/letscee
Twitter: www.twitter.com/letsceeff
Instagram: www.instagram.com/letscee

MY World 360° – Empowering the next generation of SDG journalists through virtual reality

BONN, GERMANY (March 22, 2018) – At the Global Festival of Action, the United Nations SDG Action Campaign, Digital Promise Global, and Oculus announced a new partnership and the launch of the MY World 360° project. (View video of the announcement here.)

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to the idea that immersive technologies like virtual reality hold potential for experiential storytelling that spurs learning and action. MY World 360° invites young people worldwide to develop digital skills and create 360° media as a way to share their perspectives and advance positive action toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

MY World 360° ultimately aims to increase participation through a new expressive and immersive medium by young people and marginalized groups, and promote awareness and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Engaging young people through a powerful learning experience to help them build new digital skills for a purpose, the program is open to global submissions, with additional activity planned in Germany, India, and the United States.

“The Sustainable Development Goals are an open call for all people to join together to create a more sustainable and equitable world,” said Mitchell Toomey, Director of the United Nations SDG Action Campaign. “MY World 360° will empower young people with the language to describe challenges, the skills to document the SDGs in a local context and the knowledge to influence and make change. This will equip young people with the tools to have an open dialogue with decision-makers in their communities, hopefully inspiring the collaborative action needed to achieve the goals.”

PILOT COUNTRIES

Oculus, Digital Promise Global, and the UN SDG Action Campaign also announced today that MY World 360° will launch national pilot programs in Germany and India. A limited number of German and Indian schools and youth organizations will receive 360° video production equipment from Oculus, as well as targeted support from local media mentors.

In Germany, implementing partners for the national pilot include schools and youth organizations affiliated with the UNESCO Associated Schools Network and UNICEF. The implementing partner for the national pilot in India will be UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace.

PROGRAM ORIGIN

Since 2016, Oculus, the virtual reality company, has partnered with Digital Promise Global, a non-profit organization working to spur innovation in education, through the 360 Filmmakers Challenge. Bringing virtual reality production tools to classrooms and youth organizations across the United States, the program has engaged more than two thousand students and over 20 awarded youth-produced films.

From 2012 through 2015, the UN SDG Action Campaign coordinated the MY World 2015, the UN Global survey that ensured 9.7 million people’s sustainable development priorities were included in the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The MY World 2030 project will continue to shine a light on people’s personal experiences around the world, ensuring they have a platform to have their say. MY World 360° will join a suite of storytelling projects which include the Humans of MY World, as well as immersive films promoted through UNVR.

The MY World campaign, the success of UNVR, and the youth-produced media from the 360 Filmmakers Challenge caused Oculus, Digital Promise Global, and the UN SDG Action Campaign to develop the idea for a global campaign for youth-produced 360° media for SDG awareness and action.

“Giving people the resources they need to highlight the issues they care about has been a goal of our partnership with Digital Promise Global, and we’re thrilled to be working with the UN SDG Action Campaign this year,” said Parisa Zagat, Head of Oculus Policy Programs. “By expanding this work internationally through this new initiative we hope to encourage even more young people to think about how technology can help them raise awareness for causes they believe in.”

“We are excited to partner with Oculus and the UN SDG Action Campaign to help young people around the world develop their digital skills,” said Karen Cator, President and CEO of Digital Promise Global. “By using emerging technology, more learners can bring their ideas and experiences to life in new and powerful ways.”

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

MY World 360° offers tools and resources to help participants learn about the SDGs, and to develop the skills needed to capture, edit, and share 360° media to represent their perspectives and their communities in an immersive and compelling way. Youth participants from around the world are eligible to contribute immersive media, including photography and film, to the open call for submissions to MY World 360°. Further details about tools, methods, and submission guidelines are available on the MY World 360° program page.

 

Youth Leaders Engage with UN SDG Action Campaign during ECOSOC Youth Forum

The 2018 ECOSOC Youth Forum took place on 30 – 31 January 2018 at the UN HQ in New York City. The Youth Forum brought together hundreds of young leaders, ministers, civil society organisations and UN agencies to discuss the role of youth in building sustainable and resilient urban and rural communities.

The Forum presented the UN SDG Action Campaign with the opportunity to bring the SDGs to the forefront of the discussions, to re-connect with some of our longstanding partners, as well as to inspire young leaders to #Act4SDGs and to foster new partnerships.

Highlights

Campaign workshop for Youth Leaders from Northern Africa & Arab States:

A workshop was organized to inform and train twenty young change-makers from the UNDP Youth Leadership Program on SDG Action campaigning. Stories from the Humans of MY World Campaign (now in Nigeria!) were shared, MY World 2030 was introduced as both a data collection and advocacy tool, and a brainstorm took place about possible activities to be carried out during the Global Day of Action.


Youth Leaders from Northern Africa and Arab States explain how to #Act4SDGs during the ECOSOC Youth Forum. #Youth2030

Side-event on the importance of mainstreaming the SDGs in Education:

Organized by UN Youth Delegates and hosted at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, a discussion took place on how to better integrate the SDGs in our education systems. Rosario Gravito shared best practices from the Millennials Movement in Peru, while other campaigns and toolkits such as the World Largest Lesson (Project Everyone), MY World 2030 and MY Campus (UN SDG Action Campaign) were shared.
More information can be found here!

UN Virtual Reality (UNVR) experience during DPI NGO Youth Representatives Event

During DPI’s youth event Virtual Reality Screening was used to transport viewers into real life crisis situations in both urban and rural areas.  The concept has proven it’s impact, and also this time around youth leaders were both touched and inspired by the immersive storytelling portfolio of UNVR.

Important: Youth Leaders, Civil Society organisations, and others, can still register for the Global Festival of Action on Sustainable Development taking place in Bonn on 21-23 March. Register here!

All questions related to our youth engagement portfolio may be directed to jilt.vanschayik@sdgactioncampaign.org

SDGs, UNVR @ EDIT Toronto

From 28 September – 8 October, an abandoned ware house was transformed into a space for 35,000 visitors to learn about the latest the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the world-changing ideas that contribute to their achievement at the Expo for Design, Innovation & Technology  in Toronto.

The conference included 75 design projects, 125 speakers, 530 volunteers,  5500 student visitors, and 4 United Nations VR films produced by the UN SDG Action Campaign with a variety of partners. These films – Clouds Over Sidra, Waves of Grace, My Mother’s Wing, Nepal Earthquake Recovery — were integrated into Bruce Mau’s exhibition, Prosperity for All.

EDIT 2017

German Sustainability Award connects governments, companies and civil society with the SDGs

Exemplary businesses, municipalities and research projects who are at the forefront of sustainability were celebrated last Friday as the winners of the 10th German Sustainability Award in Düsseldorf, Germany. SDG Advocate, Queen Mathilde of Belgium received this years’ honorary prize in the event, which also offered participants a multitude of experiences to connect with the sustainable development goals in the “SDG Hub”.

The SDG Hub was created in partnership with the German service for development initiatives Engagement Global.

On the first day of the prize, the Next Economy Award was presented to start-ups whose business models are oriented towards a green economy and overcoming social challenges. The winners were the producer of wooden T-shirts wijld, the telemedical care company DITG, the solution for basic optic care EinDollarBrille and Enerthing, the developer of a solar film that can replace disposable batteries. Some of the winning initiatives and nominees, such as the developer of ecological toilets Goldeimer, were at the SDG Hub to share which SDGs are of most importance to them – in their case, “Clean Water and Sanitation” took the podium.

On the second day, the German Sustainability Award recognized top achievements in ecological and social commitment in different areas, celebrating stakeholders that are striving for the best sustainable solutions in line with the SDGs. Deutsche Telekom was awarded as Germany’s most sustainable large company, while Hanover won the prize for the most sustainable city.

In the Award Ceremony, Queen Mathilde was honoured for her commitment to the SDGs and her contribution to improving the situation of disadvantaged young people since 2000 with the Queen Mathilde Fund. Her Majesty also supports several organizations such as UNICEF, WHO and Child Focus.

Queen Mathilde underscored that businesses, governments, civil society and individuals must work together to achieve the SDGs. Photo: Dariusz Misztal

“To achieve sustainable development, governments, businesses, civil society and individuals must work together: each of us has a role to play at their own level towards realizing this ambitious, but achievable goals. Even small-scale projects and individual acts can contribute to changing lives for the better”, said Her Majesty.

She celebrated the fact that awareness of the need for sustainable development is growing in Belgium, Germany and all over the world. Yet, she reminded that there is no room for complacency, since there are areas in the planet where poverty is increasing and even affluent societies have not yet completely eradicated inequality.

British primatologist and campaigner for environmental and wildlife conservation Jane Goodall, who was present at the SDG Hub, encouraged particularly young people to take action and not to lose hope. “We have to fight to live sustainably before it’s too late”, she affirmed.

The founder of the German Sustainability Award Stefan Schulze-Hausmann and singer Annie Lennox. Photo: Ralf Rühmeier

Annie Lennox, activist and singer of the famous hit of the 80’s “Sweet Dreams”, performed on stage, where she also delivered a message of hope. “My sweet dream is a better world for all”, she said.

Experiencing the SDGs

By diving in immersive storytelling provided by United Nations Virtual Reality, visitors of the SDG Hub could see life through the eyes of a refugee or learn what it is like to be a survivor of Ebola. Many expressed the feeling that virtual reality can play an important role in connecting people emotionally to each other and foster cooperation to implement the SDGs.

Participants were also able to take the MY World 2030 survey, which allowed them to make their voices heard about which goals they consider more relevant for their lives and to explore their personal relationship with the SDGs.

All in all, entrepreneurs, government representatives and individuals had the opportunity to experience how the SDGs provide a framework to all sustainable development efforts worldwide, including those celebrated in the German Sustainability Award.

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Watch Queen Mathilde’s speech:

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Relevant personalities, government officials, business CEOs, activists and young entrepreneurs passed by the SDG Hub and shared a common vision of how we need to better communicate and engage everyone to take action on the Sustainable Development Goals. Take a look:

Minister President of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, visits the SDG Hub

British primatologist Jane Goodall delivered a message of hope to young people at the event

Members of the green businesses association UnternehmensGrün celebrate their partnership

Participants at the SDG Hub

Participants at the SDG Hub

Participants at the SDG Hub

SDG icons

Participants at the SDG Hub

SDGs clearly present at World Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar

Doha, Qatar: 14-16 November, 2017

The SDGs were a key focus for global education actors when they gathered at the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha.

Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation and one of seventeen United Nations Secretary-General SDG Advocates, hosted and attended the Summit where world leaders called for urgent action to help young refugees and internally displaced youths. With more than 260 million children and young people out of school today, and only one per cent of young refugees able to access higher education, there were warnings that the SDGs will not be achieved if young people are denied quality education.

The EAA Foundation signed several new partnerships at the event, part of its commitment to address the global education crisis and enroll 10 million out-of-school children.

© WISE/ NigelDownes –
HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana

During the high-level plenary (watch here), the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is Co-Chair of SDG Advocates, told the WISE audience: “The spectre of tens and tens of millions of young refugees growing up without the needed skills to create a meaningful life for themselves is a dangerous one. What do we expect them to do? What opportunities are available to them? How competitive can they be in this global economy? These are questions that must elicit a concerted and calculated response from the world’s leaders.”

 

Mr. Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management said: “Tens of millions of children are deprived of education. We cannot afford lost generations. No single child should be left behind. It is our moral duty to do more.”

The SDGs were also visible at the UN SDG Action Campaign booth, located in the EAA Foundation exhibition space. Visitors could learn more about the Campaign’s work and could show their commitment to the SDGs by obtaining stickers and taking selfies with the goals. By taking the MY World 2030 survey, which polls top SDG priorities and citizen perceptions on implementation progress, they could consider the SDGs in relation to their own lives. Through the use of virtual reality, attendees of the Summit were also able to step into the shoes of children affected by emergencies, seeing first-hand the ways an interruption to education can stymie young people’s progress. The Campaign showed the 360’ films, Ground Beneath Her and Clouds Over Sidra, which showcase young girls affected by the earthquake in Nepal, and the Syrian Crisis respectively.

“MY World and UNVR are not only tools to use with young people in education settings to capture the realities of young people though data and storytelling, but also amazing tools for use in the classroom,” said Ms. Kristin Gutekunst, who represented the UN SDG Action Campaign at the forum. “MY World helps young people learn the language of the SDGs and understand how they manifest in their own lives. UNVR helps them understand the complex interaction of the SDGs in different settings, and also inspires a connection to people across the world, sponsoring a sense of global connection.”

Multi-sector partnerships and concrete actions are needed to achieve the SDGs

“SDGs is about people, this is about leaving no one behind, about creating a world for our current generations, for our future generations.”It has to be about having a new vision, a new paradigm with implementation from all sectors. We want Europe to be leading from the front and Belgium is in a strong position to be a champion of change.” Barbara Pesce-Monteiro, United Nations Representative in Belgium urged to innovative thinking, stronger partnerships and more ambition in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Combating inequality matters and our lifestyles matter to meeting the sustainable development goals. We need a whole of society approach and the center of gravity for political innovation lies within cities and people. We have an impressive set of initiatives run by associations in Belgium that provide civic platforms between people and the government.” Olivier De Schutter, former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food,  highlighted that we must all start changing the way we live.

On 23 November, representatives from private sector, local governments, civil society organisations and  students took part in a one-day inter-ministerial conference to tackle how Belgium can implement the Agenda 2030 and oversee a truly transformative multi-stakeholder approach.

The UN SDG Action Campaign, along with the UN and UNDP in Brussels, organized an SDG Action Zone, occupying a central space to engage visitors on the Sustainable Development Goals, bring the voices of children, men a women from around the world and their needs to the center of the discussions.

Take a look!

SDG Event Belgium
View album

Want to know more? Keep reading

SDG Action Campaign @ Media for Social Impact Summit

The UN SDG Action Campaign is excited to participate in the Media for Social Impact Summit, 14 September 2017 at the UNHQ in NY. Our Global Director, Mitchell Toomey will give a keynote address regarding Action for the SDGs, and Kristin Gutekunst, Executive Producer of the UNVR project, will moderate an exciting panel: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Virtually Reporting the Realities of the SDGs.

The Media For Social Impact Summit is an annual event that unites representatives of leading media companies, advertising firms and creative agencies with high-level United Nations representatives and communication experts to highlight the power of media to drive social change and strategize campaigns around pressing global issues. Organized by the United Nations Office for Partnerships & PVBLIC Foundation, the summit showcases innovative social campaigns and movements through keynotes, interviews, case studies and roundtables and provides a unique opportunity for delegates to network and learn from the brightest minds in media and build lasting partnerships that further social progress.

We’ll be presenting with the following:

 

(3:30-3:40) How can the media support action on SDGs?

Mitchell Toomey, Global Director of UN SDG Action Campaign (Keynote Address)

(5.40-6.10) Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Virtually Reporting the Realities of the SDGs

VR, AR & MR are set to be mediums that effectively transform our world in the coming years. This panel will introduce VR as an impactful new tool for media. It will deep dive into the results of a successful UN integrative VR campaign and discuss how VR can democratize citizen journalism and access to training to spur activism for the SDGs through advocacy, education and training programs.

  • Kristin Gutekunst, Executive Producer, UN VR, New Media & Immersive Content, UN SDG Action Campaign (Moderator)
  • Frank Smyth, Executive Director, Global Journalist Security
  • Dimitri Moore, Video Producer & Digital Storytelling Coach, Digital Promise Global
  • Rachel Henderson, Communications Manager, Under the Net, UN Foundation
  • Jessica Lauretti, Head of RYOT Studio
  • Phoenix Eyre, Chief Executive Officer The Genesis Development Collaborative, Inc.

Innovation and People’s Actions at the heart of the 72nd UN General Assembly

High-Level events, interactive discussions, data showcases, the latest immersive experiences, UNVR screenings and specially thousands of people and over 500 organisations around the world mobilising action to #ACT4SDGs… we are looking back on a successful UN General Assembly and first Global mobilisation to celebrate the SDGs Anniversary.

At the 72 UN General Assembly the UN SDG Action Campaign provided forums to experience cutting-edge technologies and to explore new ways to scale those innovations, to transfer skills and provide the necessary tools for individuals to be able to own and take action for the SDGs from across the globe, and to celebrate the actions and innovations that are already happening. Here are some of the highlights:

SDG Interactive Exhibition 

 

Hundreds of visitors came by the SDG Interactive Exhibition, curated by the UN SDG Action Campaign, to take part in a multitude of immersive experiences and participatory activations that support the UN system in communicating and advocating for the advancement of the SDGs. The experiences provided a voice to people around the world and a peek into how the SDGs manifest in their daily lives, giving delegates at the 72nd General Assembly the chance to understand their realities at this important annual political forum.

Visitors experienced how today’s available and low cost technology can address tomorrows  constraints on industry and life through today’s available, through the SIMTAINER. Light, a first-of-its-kind live-synced VR experience created by Mae allowed visitors to reveal the underlying fabric of our shared humanity and invite a posture of humility in the face of the radical collaboration required by all of us to accomplish the SDGs.

Moving from empathy to action, visitors could also discover and share citizen perceptions on the SDGs with real time SDG data visualizations, sharing their views on SDG progress through the MY World 2030 survey, and the social media commitment capsules at the #Act4SDGs corner.


High-Level Event on Innovation and Technology: SDG Innovation

On Monday 18 September, the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (UN Global Pulse) and the SDG Action Campaign convened governments, CEOs of major technology leading companies and innovators at the High-Level Event on SDG Innovation during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly.

This unique event exposed governments to breakthrough ideas and innovations available, and leading tech innovators to the concrete problematics and challenges of countries in advancing the Agenda 2030. H.E. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd General Assembly opened the event. Among the group of participants were: H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia and H.E. Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of United Arab Emirates, Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, Marc Benioff, Founder and CEO of Salesforce, Ashish Thakkar, Founder of Mara Group and Chair of the UN Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council.

“To achieve the SDGs, governments, NGOs and the private sector must all work together to unleash a massive wave of entrepreneurship that generates the breakthrough companies at a record pace. That is how we will create greener power, distribute more food and create hundreds thousands of new jobs for the growing middleclass”
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn 

This unique event exposed governments to breakthrough ideas and innovations available, and leading tech innovators to the concrete problematics and challenges of countries in advancing the Agenda 2030. Read the whole post and watch the videos

SDG Action Campaign at the SDG Media Zone

The SDG Media Zone aims to engage people all over the world in the important conversations happening during this high-level week of the UN General Assembly and to strengthen the commitment of the international community in support of the 2030 Agenda.

The Campaign programmed and participated in 2 sessions:

Data tells the story on the SDGs

Mitchell Toomey, Director SDG Action Campaign with Robert​ ​Kirkpatrick,​ ​Director, UN​ ​Global​ ​Pulse Moderated by​ ​Emily​ ​Courey​ ​Pryor, Executive​ ​Director​ ​Data2X 

The Future We Want in Virtual Reality

Moderated by Kristin Gutekunst,Executive Producer, UN SDG Action Campaign, featuring Monique Marian, BU Architect, Grimshaw Architects
and Marina Gorbis, Executive Director, Institute for the Future.

The UN SDG Action Campaign also participated in the Media for Social Impact Summit, our Global Director, Mitchell Toomey gave a keynote address regarding Action for the SDGs, and Kristin Gutekunst, Executive Producer of the UNVR project, moderated the exciting panel: Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Virtually Reporting the Realities of the SDGs. Find out more

Data Playground: Celebrating data, innovation and technology for the SDGs

The UN SDG Action Campaign, UN Global Pulse, and Microsoft organised the fourth annual Data Playground, an interactive event showcasing data and technological innovations for the SDGs.  Innovators across the UN and private and public sector joined for an evening to discuss and explore opportunities for accelerating sustainable development solutions. Read full post

The Global People’s Summit

The UN SDG Action Campaign participated in the first ever Global People’s Summit for Sustainable Development to facilitate a series of activations and calls to action. 84 MILLION people were reached in 160 COUNTRIES

 

Launch of the ASEAN MY World 2030 survey

The ASEAN MY World survey was officially launched by the UNDP Administrator and all Foreign Ministers from the ASEAN region.

“Multi-stakeholder participation and inclusion are recognized as key drivers of success; however there is still a need to increase public awareness and ownership. The ASEAN MY World survey will increase public awareness and capture priorities and perceptions of progress on the agendas.”
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UNDP 

The ASEAN MY World survey will increase public awareness and capture priorities and perceptions of progress on the agendas, interpret peoples’ aspirations towards the ASEAN Community Vision and the SDGs at the national and regional level, and subsequently help shape policy recommendations and plans of action for ASEAN Member States to achieve the agenda/vision in a timely manner.

Read the complete speech  or go to the ASEAN My World 2030 Survey: asean.myworld2030.org

Global Day of Action for SDGs  – We the People #Act4SDGs

On 25 September, 2017 – the second anniversary of the ratification of the SDGs. The UN SDG Action Campaign, together with the World We Want 2030, local chapters of the Global Campaign Against Poverty (GCAP), and Action for Sustainable Development, joined forces to invite people around the world to take action and send a strong signal to leaders about the importance of the SDGs.

The result? Thousands of volunteers and citizens around the world, celebrities, journalists and thought leaders joined to inspire people to collectively achieve the SDGs: 

500 organisations
1000 actions
116 countries and 380 cities
11,000 tweets
84 million people reached globally  

Explore the actions and join us: www.Act4SDGs.org