5 July 2016
Secretary-General Welcomes Creative Industries’ SDG Efforts
Photo Credit: Jakob Owens /Unsplash
story highlights

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on advertising and creative communication professionals to create the "biggest-ever campaign for humanity” by supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In remarks to the 63rd International Festival of Creativity, Ban announced the launch of the ‘Common Ground' initiative by the six largest communications businesses in the world, to support the SDGs and address poverty, inequality and justice.

United Nations24 June 2016: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on advertising and creative communication professionals to create the “biggest-ever campaign for humanity” by supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In remarks to the 63rd International Festival of Creativity, Ban announced the launch of the ‘Common Ground’ initiative by the six largest communications businesses in the world, to support the SDGs and address poverty, inequality and justice.

The International Festival of Creativity took place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, where Ban spoke on 24 June 2016.

Observing that advertising, marketing and innovative communications professionals “have tremendous power to shape opinions” and “are master storytellers,” Ban called on them to make sure the SDGs become the business of all businesses and the business of all people by inspiring everyone to contribute to achieving the SDGs. He called on creative professionals to transform a complex and abstract agenda into “a personal and emotional story about how we can build a better world.”

Communications companies Dentsu, Havas, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and WPP developed Common Ground to come together to address the SDGs, while also encouraging leaders in other industries find common ground with each other as well. The six companies will provide a development fund for each of the winning ideas in the Cannes Young Lions competition, which focused on the SDGs.

“The Common Ground initiative recognizes that the global issues the UN has identified transcend commercial rivalry. By working in partnership to support the SDGs, we want to demonstrate that even fierce competitors can set aside their differences in order to serve a wider common interest. We hope others in and beyond our own business decide to do the same,” said Tadashi Ishii, CEO and President, Dentsu; Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO, Havas; Michael Roth, Chairman and CEO, IPG; John Wren, President and CEO, Omnicom; Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO, Publicis Groupe; and Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO, WPP, in a joint statement. [UN Press Release] [UN Blog Post] [UN Secretary-General Statement] [Cannes Lions Website]

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