🏆 United Nations SDG Action Campaign Launches Call for 2024 Awards
14 May 2024, ROME, ITALY — Today at the C7 Summit in Rome, the UN SDG Action Campaign launched the call for applications for the 2024 UN SDG Action Awards, which will be open for submissions until 30 June 2024. The Awards recognize initiatives and committed individuals who are wielding the power of creativity and innovation to bring us closer to a more sustainable, equitable and peaceful world.
“We all have a role in shaping a world that works — where justice and rights prevail for people and planet. Our imagination has great power. What we can imagine, we can create together. The UN SDG Action Awards are a testament to the extraordinary work being done to turn these hopes into reality,” said Marina Ponti, Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, during a plenary session at the C7 Summit, the Civil Society Organizations’ official engagement group of the G7.
Each year, a high-level Panel of Judges and a technical review team consider over 5,000 applications and nominations from 190 countries and territories to select the Winners and Finalists.
The 2024 UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony will take place in October in Rome, Italy, featuring inspiring SDG leaders and performances by international artists, with a one-day Induction Programme that offers workshops and networking opportunities for the Finalists. One representative from each finalist initiative will be invited to attend the Ceremony in person with travel and accommodation expenses covered. The Ceremony will be broadcast on UN WebTV and Rai, Italy’s national broadcaster and media partner of the Ceremony, reaching audiences worldwide.
The 2024 UN SDG Action Award Categories are:
- Creativity Award: Recognizes extraordinary campaigns that use creativity to drive SDG action, achieving measurable results by changing public perceptions, influencing policies, and shifting budgets toward more sustainable, equitable, and peaceful societies. Examples include “A White Dress Doesn’t Cover the Rape,” which led to legal reforms in Lebanon, and the “Fight Forever Chemicals Campaign,” which inspired environmental legislation.
- Impact Award: Recognizes outstanding initiatives that have achieved significant measurable economic, sociocultural, institutional, environmental and/or technological impact in improving people’s lives and accelerating progress toward the SDGs, like “The Masungi Story” which stopped deforestation efforts efforts in the Philippines, and “Follow the Money,” a Nigerian project that increased public spending accountability.
- Changemaker Award: Celebrates exceptional individuals making a difference in their communities and leading movements for equality, justice and human rights, such as Srishti Bakshi, who walked 3,800 km across India to raise awareness about violence against women, and Nery Santaella, who empowers Venezuelan migrants. Changemakers are identified through nominations or self-nominations.
To apply for the Creativity or Impact Award, or to (self-)nominate for the Changemaker Award, visit http://sdgactionawards.org. Applications close on Sunday, 30 June 2024 at 23:59 EST.
The UN SDG Action Awards program is made possible by the financial support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
About the UN SDG Action Campaign
The UN SDG Action Campaign is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General hosted by the Executive Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and based in Bonn, Germany. The Campaign is mandated to CONVENE, CAMPAIGN and CATALYZE CHANGE by accelerating SDG action.
The Campaign’s advocacy for change approach inspires hope and champions actions to achieve the SDGs. It calls for rethinking, recalibrating and reimagining economies and societies so that they serve people and the planet.
For more information and interview opportunities:
UN SDG Action Campaign | comms@sdgactioncampaign.org
