Take Action. These are words to live by, and UN Geneva is working to transform the words into reality. The Organization has developed a number of tools to facilitate action and support the personal drive that exists in so many of us. Through numerous online and social media platforms, information is made available to help people around the world figure out how they can best contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable development takes time and effort by everyone. There are already many people making big changes in the world and others who want to help but don’t know how. Students, professionals, children and elders are working in different ways and contributing to make a difference for all of humanity.
Act now
The UN campaign for individual action
To preserve a livable climate, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced by half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050. Bold, fast, and wide-ranging action needs to be taken by governments and businesses. But the transition to a low-carbon world also requires the participation of citizens – especially in advanced economies.
Every one of us can help limit global warming and take care of our planet. By making choices that have less harmful effects on the environment, we can be part of the solution and influence change.
170 Actions
Starting making small (or big) changes in our lives, in the way we consume, we produce, we live, is our individual contribution to the achievement of the Global Goals and a necessary condition to build a better future for the generations to come. But, where do we start from?
If you want to start, or increase, the sustainable practices in your daily life, the series of booklet “170 actions” by the Perception Change Project of UN Geneva is the right place to begin. Whether it’s about reducing inequalities, combatting climate change, or embracing a sustainable consumption, this series of booklets lists 170 daily actions that everyone can take. Read the booklets, take action and share what you’re doing on social media, to inspire others to do the same.
Save the world from the comfort of your sofa
Freerice is an educational trivia game that helps you get smarter while making a difference for people around the world. Every question you answer correctly raises 10 grains of rice for the World Food Programme (WFP) to support its work saving and changing lives around the world.
There are 828 million hungry people in the world. But hunger is entirely solvable. Every day, people around the world are sharing their meal, and the United Nations World Food Programme is on the frontlines ensuring it reaches those most in need. With just CHF 0.80 and a few taps on your phone, you can share your meal with someone in need.
End extreme poverty. Fight inequality and injustice. Fix climate change. The Sustainable Development Goals are important, world-changing objectives that will require cooperation among governments, organizations and world leaders. It seems impossible that the average person can make an impact. Should you just give up? No! Change starts with you. Every human on earth is part of the solution.
Collaborate
Our world has limited resources – whether financial, natural or human – and as a society we must work together to optimize their use. The fundamental core of good partnerships is their ability to bring together a variety of resources in ways that can together achieve more: more impact, greater sustainability, increased value to all.
The importance of partnerships are fully recognized by the UN, businesses and all leading institutions in international development. The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals – the blueprint for global development – represent a fundamental shift in thinking, explicitly acknowledging the interconnectedness of peoples to ensure a thriving society and a healthy environment. Collaboration across groups, teams, cultures, communities, and organizations have proven to be one of the defining concepts of sustainable development in the 21st century.
Realizing the 2030 Agenda is something that neither national governments, the UN, nor individual companies or anyone else can ever hope to accomplish independently. We must work together to take action in order to tackle some of the greatest challenges humanity is facing. Together we can amplify our unique voices, use our collective knowledge and expertise to form new partnerships, innovations and experiments.
Innovate
UNICEF’s Innovation Fund invests in early stage, open-source, emerging technology digital public goods with the potential to impact children on a global scale. It also provides product and technology assistance, support with business growth, access to a network of experts and partners to allow for scale and growth.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator sources, supports, and scales high-impact innovations to achieve Zero Hunger. WFP provides its employees as well as external entrepreneurs and startups with funding, hands-on support and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation—such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain—and new business models to transform the way the organization serves vulnerable communities across the world.
Educate
Educating ourselves and others is essential to achieve all of the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals. Global issues – such as climate change – urgently require a shift in our lifestyles and a transformation of the way we think and act.
To achieve this change, we need new skills, values and attitudes that lead to more sustainable societies. We must respond to this pressing need by empowering learners, and urging institutions to include sustainability principles in their teachings.
Education is both a goal in itself and a means for attaining all the other SDGs. It is not only an integral part of sustainable development, but also a key enabler for it. That is why education represents an essential strategy in the pursuit of the SDGs.
With your help, we can help educate ourselves, and empower everyone to contribute to achieving our ambitious and crucial global agenda.