19 January 2016: Queen Mathilde of Belgium, the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Shakira, Jeffrey Sachs, and Messi are among the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Advocates appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help generate momentum and commitment to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Advocates’ tasks, according to Ban’s announcement on 19 January 2016, include promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, raising awareness of the integrated nature of the SDGs, and fostering the engagement of new stakeholders in implementing the SDGs.

John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana, and Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, will co-chair the group of 17 SDG Advocates. Its members are Heads of State and Government, business and political leaders, prominent academia, and renowned artists who have shown leadership in their fields.

The Advocates include: Richard Curtis, screenwriter, producer and film director; Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, UN World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty Foundation; Leymah Gbowee, Director, Gbowee Peace Foundation; Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group; Graça Machel, President, Foundation for Community Development; Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar; Alaa Murabit, Founder, The Voice of Libyan Women; Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever; Forest Whitaker, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation; and Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank. [UN Press Release] [Secretary-General Announcement] [SDG Advocates Webpage] [Sweden Press Release] [Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative Press Release] [Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Development Cooperation Press Release] [Permanent Mission of Norway Press Release] [Voice of Libyan Women Press Release]