UN SDG Action Campaign

Celebrating 1.6 Million MY World Votes from Mexico City

By Di Cao – Global Youth Advocate at the UN Millennium Campaign

Answering the United Nations Secretary-General’s call, MY World was developed with one clear goal in mind —to reach out to people all over the world— and ask them: “What would make your life better?” As an integral part of the UN’s “global conversation” initiative, MY World gave people across the world a platform and the tools to raise their voices and tell the United Nations what is important to them. By engaging 8.5 million people in the global survey, MY World has proven that people want to be involved in defining their government’s priorities, and they are already actively working to make change in their communities. It has also proven that governments are interested in what their people prioritize and are willing to integrate their opinions into their public planning.

(MY World Youth Ambassadors in Mexico City)

Mexico was responsible for 23% of the 8.5 million votes collected globally. The great success came from the massive mobilization of youth across the country, and in Mexico City in particular with the Mexico City Youth Institute. Mexico City had the highest number of people participate out of any city with 1.6 million votes. The city-wide initiative not only helped the government see priorities at the local government, setting the stage for the implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but it also had a positive impact on the local policy making and funding decisions made by the Mexico City government.

(Mayor of Mexico City Dr. Miguel Ángel Mancera at the launch event of MY World Survey)

“The MY World survey recovers that democratic spirit of listening and taking into account the perspectives of young people who with their perseverance, talent and creativity have contributed to make of our city. The survey results allowed us to approach the priorities of 1.6 million people, it represents the most important youth public opinion consultation that has been realized in the country.”

——Miguel Ángel, Mayor of Mexico City
“MY World Mexico City Executive Report”

Recognizing this significant achievement, the UN Millennium Campaign and INJUVE DF launched the “MY World Mexico City Executive Report” on November 9th, 2015 at the UN Headquarters. INJUVE DF presented the report to the UN as well as the general public through live streaming. Maria Fernanda Olvera Cabrera, Director of INJUVE DF, shared the agency’s experiences in inspiring 3,000 youth ambassadors to collect millions of votes:

“Local, common people are receiving services from the government, therefore the government needs to know people’s priorities,” she said. “We inspired 3,000 youth ambassadors and created an educational program to teach them how to collect the votes; furthermore, we provided young ambassadors with small scholarships, which supported them to be completely devoted to the MY World survey for 3 months.”

(Maria Fernanda Olvera Cabrera, Mexico City Executive Report in UN Headquarters)

1.6 million voices had a great impact on the local policymaking. Although Mexico City offers universal healthcare, the result of MY World survey highlighted the need for greater mental health services for young people, causing INJUVE to investigate with a more robust survey, focusing on emotions. In response, the government now offers free services for emotional health care and risk reduction for young people. “It is a long lasting experience and inspiration of empowering youth for the future,” said Mitchell Toomey, the Director of the UNMC.

(Youth Ambassadors were collecting votes in Mexico City)

H.E. Mr. Zinsou, the Ambassador of Benin to the United Nations, joined the Executive report to celebrate 1.6 million Mexican voices. Ravi Karkara, the World We Want Policy Strategy Group Co-chair, praised the survey of Mexico City as “an great example of how to ensure inclusiveness for people-centered policy”.

(L-R: Director of INJUVE DF Maria Fernanda Olvera Cabrera, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Benin to the United Nations H.E.Mr. Jean-Francis R. Zinsou, Director of the UNMC Mitchell Toomey,World We Want Policy Strategy Group Co-chair Ravi Karkara)

Phasing in the new SDGs, the upcoming MY World 2030 survey will move forward to a more customized and localized platform with continued monitoring of SDG progress. INJUVE DF proposed a specific survey for young people to provide empirical evidence to inform youth-related policies in capital cities across the world.

Visually explore MY World data with Popily

Humans of the world can now visually explore the data from the MY World global survey in new ways. Popily – a data science and visualization company — has uploaded the open data from the survey onto their site, allowing users to further investigate, discuss and understand the survey via thousands of data visualizations. The site allows for easy social sharing, allowing users to collect, comment and share the data. Popily will also partner with the UN Millennium Campaign to analyze and curate this data, providing new insight ahead of the UN General Assembly in September 2015. See Popily site

MY World is the UN Global Survey for a better world, conducted between 2013 and 2015 across the globe. The 7.7 million responses have been collected mostly from person to person paper based methods, as well as online and through SMS. Although this data is all open source, the current data visualizations allow for disaggregation by country, age, gender, income level and method of collection. Popily will now allow people to further explore the data with new ways of comparison, diving deeper into the database. Each visualization is a potential insight into the priorities, needs, and voices of the citizens that have spoken up to help guide the new UN development agenda. Continue reading “Visually explore MY World data with Popily”

UNMC screens sneak preview of new Virtual Reality film: Waves of Grace

The United Nations Millennium Campaign screened a sneak preview of their latest Virtual Reality film, Waves of Grace on Friday 10 July at the United Nations. Its premier was planned in conjunction with the United Nations Secretary-General’s International Ebola Recovery Conference, hosted to ensure affected countries receive the support they need to end the epidemic and continue countries on the path to recovery. Waves of Grace follows a young woman’s struggle for life amid the Ebola epidemic. The movie is the result of collaboration between the UN Millennium Campaign, Vrse.works and Vice Media, and was created to call attention to the obstacles faced by Ebola survivors. The movie transports viewers to West Point, Liberia and follows the experience of Decontee Davis, an Ebola survivor who uses her immunity to help others affected by the disease. The VR experience captures the Liberian tragedy from illness to recovery, mourning to perseverance. It is part of a larger initiative of the United Nations Millennium Campaign to fight donor fatigue on the world’s most pressing challenges.

UNMC Colleagues Kristin & Alice with actor Jeffrey Wright

“Development achievements can be quickly reversed due to crises such as the Ebola epidemic” said Mitchell Toomey, Director of the UN Millennium Campaign. “If the world does not focus on helping the most vulnerable and building resiliency in recovering communities, development goals and targets will not be met. Thus it is hoped that this film may aid the United Nations’ efforts to draw attention to the lasting impact of the Ebola crisis, as well as the need for continued support for those affected by the disease.”

“The Ebola crisis has captivated the world in its devastating effects over the last year and a half. However, the individual stories behind the numbers are often not told. Decontee’s story captures the strife and spirit of the communities across West Africa in the wake of the Ebola epidemic. It is hoped that this second VR experience will promote greater understanding of the socio-economic impact of the disease and empathy for those who continue to overcome it.” said Gabo Arora, co-creator of the film and Senior Advisor for the UN Millennium Campaign.

The film will be formally launched soon on the VRSE App. To sign up for more information on the Virtual Reality please visit: www.vr4dev.org. Stay tuned! Continue reading “UNMC screens sneak preview of new Virtual Reality film: Waves of Grace”

'我的世界'关注留守儿童－UMUNC Takes MY World Survey to “Left-Behind Children” in China

By UMUNC China Serene Lian

“优梦中国”在My World招募志愿者活动取得巨大成果之后，我们的团队进而开始思索：我们的调查结果真的能让世界知道中国真的需要什么吗？是否我们的调查能够真正覆盖多样化的中国青少年群体？我们怎样才能让处在更复杂环境中的人有机会表达自己的需求呢？

UMUNC China has worked towards made great strides in gaining support from volunteers to promote MY World in China. Our team was concerned with how to really use our data to let the world know what China really needs. Can our data really illustrate the multi-dimensions of China’s youth? How do we help those who are living in difficult situations have more opportunity to express their needs?

我们意识到这是我们的使命——优梦中国应该帮助更多需要被关注的人表达意愿，这也是这一代青年的使命。

We realized that this is our mission – for UMUNC to serve the most marginalized, bringing their voices to the forefront of development, this is also the mission of our generation of young people.

2015年3月，我们正式授命西南地区项目官员——来自重庆南开中学的周骏驰。她的到来，给了团队新的灵感。

March 2015, we are pleased to introduce the Project Officer for South Western China – her name is Junchi Zhou and she is a middle school student from Chongqing Nankai Middle School. Her arrival has brought new inspiration to the team.

在我们的身边，有这么一个群体，他们的父母为了生存，外出打工，用他们的勤劳和智慧努力改变自己和家里的命运。他们曾为社会经济的发展和稳定做出了贡献，然而他们却将自己的子女留在农村，而这些本应还是父母掌上明珠的儿童，集中起来，就组成了一个特殊的弱势群体——留守儿童。

There is a marginalized community living right beside us. Their parents have to migrate away from home to find work. For survival, these parents use their wisdom and strength to try to change the fate of their families for the better. They have also sacrificed so much to promote the sustainable and harmonious development of China’s economy and society. Yet, their sons and daughters stay behind in the village, and they have become a very unique marginalized community, called “left-behind children.”

2012年9月，教育部公布义务教育随迁子女超1260万，义务教育阶段留守儿童2200万。如此庞大的数字背后正是城镇化后城乡经济发展巨大差异的矛盾。

In September, 2012, the Ministry of Education announced the number of school-age children who migrated with their families to be over 12.6 million while the number of school-age children who are left behind is over 22 million. Behind this enormous number lies a tension that is a symptom of economic growth and the dramatic difference between urban-rural developments.

这是典型的中国式矛盾。This is a typical Chinese style tension.

项目官员周骏驰和孩子们）UMUNC team visiting children in rural areas

父母外出打工，把孩子留在乡村，这实在是一种痛苦和无奈的现实选择，即便被父母带入城市的孩子，在森严的城乡壁垒面前，也不得不面对与城市融合的困境。Parents work in the cities while children are left behind in the villages. This is really a painful decision for parents to improve the lives of their children for the future. The issue of adapting to life in the city also comes to mind when looking into whether rural children can quickly adapt to the pace of life in urban areas.

另外，面对连篇累牍的报道，有关部门虽然加强了农村留守儿童的保障措施，甚至成立了众多的专项基金，然而，对于这些孤独地像荒草一样生长的孩子，他们缺乏的，恐怕不单是物质的保障。

“我们近距离的走入农村，走到他们中间。很难想象他们有些人甚至几乎与我们同龄。”他们面临的可能将会是无法继续的学业、早婚甚至更容易受到人身侵害。这不光需要法律的保障，更多需要的是观念的转变及政策的侧重。这才是My World与优梦中国青年发展计划合作之初的信念，我们可以用自己的双手改变世界。

“As we go into the field, joining ‘left-behind’ children and learning form them, it is hard to imagine they are the same age as us but our future looks very different.” Left-behind children have a higher probability of entering the work force or getting married at an early age. Through MY World, UMUNC would like to work with multi-stakeholders to improve this situation and to deepen the impact young people have on the world, through the action from our own two hands.

所以，我们去做了。

This is our resolve.

也许有些残酷，但是问题的背后需要不是更多的同情、指责，需要的是关注和解决。这正是我们要做的。这也是为什么“MY WORLD 改变世界” 携手优梦中国青年发展计划为下一个联合国千年发展目标制定议题的意义。因为我们可以用我们的诉求，将世界改造成我们需要的样子，让这个世界真正与我有关。

Reality is difficult to face, but there is no need for criticism and kindness, what is needed is empathy and working toward finding solutions. This is what we must do, and what we would like to do by working on MY World, to find meaning that fits our needs in the next development agenda.

Advocating for 'Action Taken On Climate Change' at COP 20

UNDP Administrator, Helen Clarke, with MYWorld Youth Advocate at the 2014 Global Landscape Forum

Countries came together last month at COP 20, the annual UN Climate Change Conference, to negotiate and shape the contribution they will give to vastly reduce their carbon emissions, before a commitment in Paris.

Peru hosted the conference that drew over 15,000 people to Lima. Peru will be one of the countries most affected by climate change impacts. Responsible for only 0.1% of emissions, Peru will see the greatest temperature rise due to climate change in South America. The 18,000 Peruvians who have voted on the MY World survey prioritizes ‘Action taken on Climate Change’ much higher than the global average at 11^th place and ‘Protecting Forests, Rivers and Oceans’ at 4^th place.

10429434_10102059950150250_5222786408269954618_n — Ceremonial Opening of the Youth Conference. Panelists included UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiane Figueres, COP 20 President, Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal and UN Millennium Campaign representative, Holly Borday

Ahead of COP 20, 1,000 young people from around the world championed solutions to climate change at the annual Youth Conference on Climate.

COP 20 President, Mr. Manuel Pulgar Vidal, opened the Youth conference telling youth:

“You are a climate change solutions generation. Young people are characterized by their enthusiasm, leadership and passion. All these elements are fundamental for addressing climate change and moving the intergovernmental negotiation process forward. I encourage you to continue implementing climate solutions, enhancing access to information, promoting public awareness, raising ambition and mobilizing action.”

UN Millennium Campaign representative, Holly Borday with MY World Youth Advocates Rosario Garavito and Carlo Andre collecting votes at the Youth Conference

Indigenous groups attended the UN Climate Conference to make their experiences and insights to the climate crisis known to the world. Among the youth participants were MY World Youth Advocates who collected hundreds of votes during the conference including the recipient of the MY World’s 2014 Annual Volunteerism Award, The Millennials Movement and the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society.

Throughout the UN Climate Change Conference, voters raised their voices on ‘Action Taken on Climate’ and many other linked issues through the MY World Survey. MY World votes came from the Indigenous peoples pavilion which was featured at the Voices for Climate and showcased initiatives and knowledge from indigenous communities that contribute to curbing climate change.

At the Global Landscape Forum , UNDP Administrator Helen Clarke voiced her priority on ‘Action taken on Climate’ and spoke of the linkage between deforestation and climate change during the Forum’s closing speech.

Peruvian UN Volunteers and MY World partners such as The Millennials Movement, the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society as well as global MY World partners like YOUTHINK and IAAI/GloCha Action Network were part the success of bringing voices into the post-2015 development agenda from the international climate change community.

10845769_10205798115331501_1543809549103203033_o — COP20 Side event on Youth Climate Action featuring representatives from the UN Millennium Campaign Anand Kantaria and Holly Borday with MYWorld Partners, YOUTHINK and IAAI/GloCha Action Network.

COP20 was a key moment to work together and bring ‘Action Taken on Climate Change’ to the attention of leaders who develop policy priorities and engage the broader population in action related to international climate policy.

Useful Links:

Stay updated via the UNFCCC Newsroom
See UNFCCC press release for COP20 outcomes
Learn more about the Youth Conference on Climate Change (COY10)

Compiled by Holly Borday, MY Green World Project Associate

MY World reaches 5 MILLION votes – The Celebration!

September 25, 2014, NEW YORK

Blog by Caya Johnson, Global Youth Advocate

THANKS A (FIVE) MILLION TO ALL MY WORLD PARTNERS!

If you were unable to attend, please enjoy the web-stream and picture album of the celebration

The evening of 25th of September during the UN General Assembly week brought together MY World friends from far and near, in person and via live web-stream – and these MY World friends had 5 million reasons to celebrate!

The hard work of dedicated MY World partners brought the voices of 5 MILLION PEOPLE from 194 countries into the United Nations. MY World has had very extensive support from a range of partners, over 700 organizations, including NGOs, heads of state, faith groups and youth movements who are still currently participating in its roll out and this collective achievement provides the perfect backdrop for a MY World Partner Recognition Event and MY World Award Ceremony which took place in New York during the UN General Assembly week.

This global survey, thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of all is now the largest survey of its kind ever undertaken.

Continue reading “MY World reaches 5 MILLION votes – The Celebration!”

Call for Nominations for MY World Partner Recognition Awards!

Dear MY World Partner,

We are delighted to announce the Call for Nominations for the 2014 MY World Partner Recognition Awards. This year $)A !/ s awards aim to symbolically recognise the critical contribution of partners to the success of MY World (based on activities undertaken from September 2013 onward). Awards will be granted to a selection of partners who have stood out for their performance in the promotion of MY World.

The MY World Partner Recognition Awards will include a total of 5 awards distributed across the following categories:

MY World Volunteerism Award
MY World Innovation Award
MY World Outreach Award
MY World Communications Award
MY World Outstanding Contribution Award

Send us your nomination!

To submit a nomination for the MY World Partner Recognition Awards, please:

Send the nomination form to awards@myworld2015.org indicating $)A !0 Nomination MY World Award !1 in the subject line. The deadline for submissions is 17 August 2014.

We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Thank you,
MY World Team

Children International Gives Children and Youth a Say at the UN

“The most important issue for me is equality between men and women.” – Shabag

For the first time, the UN is allowing people to have a direct say in shaping a better world – and Children International Is helping young people around the world take advantage of this opportunity

Kansas City, MO (August 6, 2014) For the first time, the United Nations is allowing people to have a direct say in shaping a better world, and Children International is helping the nearly 340,000 impoverished children and youth it serves take advantage of this opportunity.

The UN has created two platforms – “MY World” and “The World We Want 2015” – with a specific version of the latter for children under 18 called “The World Children Want.” These platforms allow people to voice their opinions about what should be a priority for the global development process starting in 2015, at which point the UN’s Millennium Development Goals will expire. The UN has been working with governments everywhere to define the next global agenda to address extreme poverty and preserve the planet. The quantitative data from “MY World” and the qualitative data from “The World We Want 2015” will continue to inform these processes and be used by decision-makers around the world.

“I want this to be the most inclusive global development process the world has ever known,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a video about creating the post-2015 agenda.

Children International is making sure that the hundreds of thousands of young people living in the impoverished communities it serves are able to have their voices heard by the UN through the “MY World” and “The World Children Want” surveys. Children International computer labs are available in 10 countries for children to fill out the surveys online, and Children International staff and volunteers are also assisting children and youth with paper ballots. Several of Children International’s locations will have the children and youth fill out the surveys as part of their International Youth Day activities on August 12.

Somnath, a Children International sponsored youth from India who recently completed the “MY World” survey, said, “It means a lot to fill in this survey. I am so overjoyed and excited …It’s an opportunity for me to make myself heard and my opinion matter.”

Rukshar, a Children International sponsored youth also from India, said, “It is important to listen to the voices of children and youth because the policies being made for the future concern us, and it is sensible to take into consideration our opinions and concerns to get a holistic view.”

Anyone can add their voice to the “MY World” survey, and children between the ages of 8 and 18 can add their voice to “The World Children Want” survey. Join the “World We Want 2015” discussion!

See where Children International works to serve impoverished children and youth around the world.

About Children International

Children International prepares children and youth to escape the traps of poverty by supporting their critical needs, building resilience and engaging them in transformative activities. Children International accomplishes this by providing crucial benefits and compassionate care through easily accessible, modern community centers. Children International’s presence, programs and supporters have a positive impact on children, youth, families and communities; provide protection; encourage self-sufficiency; and serve as catalysts for change.

For more information about Children International, visit www.children.org.

Follow Children International on Facebook and Twitter.

Tweet It!!

.@Children_Intl gives children a voice at @UN via @myworld2015 & @WorldWeWant2015 #post2015

For more information please contact:

Christy Howard, Corporate Communications, Children International, Direct: (816) 943-3730, Email: choward@children.org
Brittany Gelbach, Public Relations, Children International, Direct: (816) 943-3832, Email: bgelbach@children.org

Youth Diary from Pune, India – By Mr. Aakash Shah, Global Youth Advocate

Aakash with Ms. Neelam Gorhe (Member of Legislative Assembly , Maharashtra , India) who gave her commitment to supporting MY World 2015 & the World We Want 2015 and Beijing +20

Today, I would like to talk about the person who changed my dream of working for development on a global level into reality. He is the person tp whom I give all the credit. He has been a strong pillar to support me in my initiatives and has helped me implement them as planned. He’s the sole reason of the fruit of my efforts. I owe my success in the MY World 2015 and the World We Want 2015 campaigns entirely to this great mentor. He’s the one who also made me realise that women and youth should be involved in this project in order to get the desired outcome. He is none other than Mr. Ravi Karkara Ji. Even a hundred words would be less to express my gratitude towards this great personality. Thanks a million Ravi ji.

‘A youth is the nation’s blood and the architect of tomorrow’s world’.

I indeed feel honoured and privileged to work as a Global Youth Advocate for the My World 2015, and World We Want 2015 campaigns. This came about through my inspiring meeting with Ravi Ji. To live up to the responsibility envisaged upon me as a Global Youth Advocate, I have concentrated my entire focus on involving people from different strata of the society, as well as other initiatives to mobilise and strengthen the campaign. For the same, I have collaborated with Radio Channels, Technical Book Publishers, over 50 educational institutes, hospitals, Private Sectors, NGO’s , political representatives especially women and youth , government schools from rural areas etc. for the promotion of the campaign and thereby motivate people to bring about the change through My World 2015 and World We Want 2015 Campaigns .

Continue reading “Youth Diary from Pune, India – By Mr. Aakash Shah, Global Youth Advocate”

Deaf Children in Ebolowa, Cameroon Expect MY World Will Bring Change

Deaf children in Ebolowa, expect MY World will bring change — Deaf children in Ebolowa, Cameroon expect MY World will bring change

By Ntiokam Divine, Global Youth Digital Advocate Post 2015 and MY World 2015 and Bernice Atabong from CRTV South Region

“The marginalized grassroots are crying that nothing is being done to ameliorate their living conditions,” Father Jude Thaddeus laments as the MY World survey team visits his school to tell him about the survey project. Father Thaddeus is the director of the Pere Monti Centre in Ebolowa, Cameroon.

The center has a boarding primary school which educates children with disabilities. Recently, the MY World volunteers went to this school of 89 pupils, in an effort to get the children to vote for their priorities and contributing to sustainable development goals.

Continue reading “Deaf Children in Ebolowa, Cameroon Expect MY World Will Bring Change”