The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates released an open letter urging everyone to co-own the responsibility of achieving the Goals.
The letter, released during the high-level week of the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA), states that the 17 SDGs have the potential to make the current generation: the first to put an end to extreme poverty; the most determined to fight inequality; and the last to be threatened by the effects of climate change.
Nine of the 17 SDG Advocates signed the letter.
22 September 2016: The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates released an open letter urging everyone to co-own the responsibility of achieving the Goals. The letter, released during the high-level week of the 71st UN General Assembly (UNGA), states that the 17 SDGs have the potential to make the current generation: the first to put an end to extreme poverty; the most determined to fight inequality; and the last to be threatened by the effects of climate change. Nine of the 17 SDG Advocates signed the letter.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed the SDG Advocates in January 2016 to champion the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and foster the engagement of new stakeholders in implementing of the SDGs. In the open letter, released on 22 September 2016, the Advocates urge everyone to “take the substantial and specific actions required to create a better world for all.” They make specific requests of world leaders, government officials, business leaders, investors, civil society, and citizens.
They ask world leaders to translate political will by using the SDGs to nationally implement a road map towards a world with zero poverty, zero hunger, and zero net emissions. They call on government officials to make SDG delivery an explicit part of ministerial briefs and accountability, with clearly defined timelines for delivery. They urge business leaders to identify the specific SDGs to which business will contribute, and communicate and report contributions. To investors, the Advocates request them to align their portfolios to invest in sustainable business and make it a priority for any investment decision. They call on civil society to embrace partnerships with countries, business and other stakeholders to accelerate national implementation and hold partners accountable to their commitments. Finally, they ask citizens to learn more about the SDGs and how they can contribute through simple actions in daily life.
The letter is signed by: Richard Curtis, writer, director and co-founder of Comic Relief; Paul Polman, Unilever CEO; Leymah Gbowee, Gbowee Peace Foundation Director; Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Columbia University; Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty (ST-EP) Foundation; Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative; Shakira Mebarak, artist, advocate and founder of Pies Descalzos Foundation, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador; and Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group.
The other SDG Advocates are: John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana; Alaa Murabit, The Voice of Libyan Women; Graça Machel, President, Foundation of Community Development, and UNESCO National Commission in Mozambique; Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar; Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank; Queen Mathilde of Belgium; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; and Leo Messi, footballer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
In June 2016, 11 of the SDGs Advocates issued a call to Fortune 500 companies to make commitments to responsible business and principles of sustainability, underpinned by human rights, and outlined five steps for companies to align with the SDGs. [UN Press Release] [SDG Advocates Open Letter, 22 September] [IISD RS Story on SDG Advocates 22 June Letter]