18 November 2016: UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Peter Thomson launched a campaign to teach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in schools, as part of his strategic plan, ‘A Universal Push to Transform our World.’ Also focusing on raising public awareness, the UN University (UNU) introduced its Jargon Buster App to help participants understand the specialized language used by UN agencies and others on the SDGs and facilitate a wider understanding of both the SDGs and the UN’s work.

Thomson highlighted the campaign in a meeting with UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Irina Bokova. They also reviewed opportunities to mobilize the global education system to increase public awareness of the SDGs, and underscored the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), and the New Urban Agenda as opportunities for collective action to build momentum and deliver on commitments.

Bokova highlighted the role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Education for Global Citizenship as opportunities to ensure that “each and every person” is aware of their rights and responsibilities, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda. She called for pursuing a “systemic and sustainable approach to reach beyond single projects and involving institutions and individuals alike.” Thomson and Bokova also discussed opportunities for collaborating with education ministries around the world, including to develop school curricula on the SDGs.

Thomson also discussed opportunities for raising awareness and implementation of SDG 14, ahead of the June 2017 UN conference, in meetings with Prince Albert II of Monaco, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO). As the custodian agency for two SDG 14 targets, IOC-UNESCO collects and harmonizes data from global, regional and national sources and contributes to annual SDG reports and review processes.

The UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) celebrated World Science Day for Peace and Development at ‘Pop Up Muse,’ an event that aimed to mobilize innovative thinking around the SDGs and highlight the role of science in daily life. As part of the event, on 10 November, the UNU introduced the Jargon Buster App, which contains a glossary of hundreds of economic, political and social terms to help both experts and the general public to understand official discussions on the SDGs. Participants considered how to better understand, visualize and tell the story of the SDGs through sessions on understanding storytelling, envisioning and materializing the story of the SDGs. The event took place on 10 November. [UNESCO Press Release] [IOC-UNESCO Press Release] [UNESCO ESD Website] [UN Press Release on UNGA President Meetings] [UNU Press Release] [UNU-FLORES Press Release] [UNU Website on Jargon Buster App] [UNGA President Website] [IISD RS Sources]