🏆 Meet the Finalists of the UN SDG Action Awards Class of 2022
In the challenging times we are facing, it is important to shine a spotlight of hope and inspiration on people choosing to make a difference around the world. The UN SDG Action Campaign remains hopeful that we can tackle current challenges together and flip division into togetherness, war into peace, and apathy into action.
In April, a call went out to the international SDG Action Community to seek initiatives and individuals that mobilize, inspire and connect towards a more just, peaceful and sustainable world — the call was answered with more than 3,000 submissions from all over the world.
It’s an honour to share the stories of the 2022 class of finalists, ahead of the winner announcements which will be revealed at the UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony on 27 September 2022.
Meet some of the most impactful initiatives and individuals of 2022 who are flipping the script and rethinking how we live and what progress and development look like.
MOBILIZE FINALISTS
A global movement to end plastic pollution
Plastic Free July is a global social movement turning the tide on plastic waste, one choice at a time. in 2021, participants reduced non-recoverable (landfill) waste by 1.2 billion and recyclable waste by 900 million kg, including plastic consumption by 0.3 million tons.
Empowering sexual abuse survivors
The Ecuador Dice No Más campaign changed the story of sexual abuse survivors and has reached 11 million Ecuadorians and mobilized hundreds of thousands of survivors to speak up and put the issue in the public arena to uncover thousands of cases of sexual abuse.
INSPIRE FINALISTS
Youth fighting deforestation by bringing back forgotten watersheds
Youth formed coalitions to transform the Masungi Georeserve in the Philippines into one of the largest collaborative reforestation efforts in the country using self-generated funds from geotourism and rescuing over 2,000 hectares of land.
Shifting citizen-perceptions on the climate crisis
The Natural History Museum in London established the “Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It” (OBP) program, featuring an exhibition and multimedia hub, to address the state of the planet and inspire solutions looking at the present and into the future.
CONNECT FINALISTS
Bringing youth voices to the forefront of decision-making
YOUNGO, which is created as a youth constituency to address goals related to climate and the environment, is entirely run by volunteers, youth and young adults, and represents generations of champions across the climate, energy, ocean, and nature spaces.
A novel approach to peacebuilding
CyprusInno, a non-profit startup social venture and think tank, has challenged the status quo of division in Cyprus by developing a bi-zonal, inter-communal business ecosystem where entrepreneurs can cooperate, grow, succeed, and build trust.
CHANGEMAKER FINALISTS
A trailblazer of SDG dialogue
Aya Chebbi has single handedly transformed the youth participation space across Africa and created various online and offline platforms with a holistic focus on youth and women leadership that has impacted over 1 million young people.
Transforming a rural town into a sustainable city
Under Mayor Bernard Faustino Dy’s leadership, the town of Cauayan in the Philippines became the country’s first smart city in 2015 and is a leading example for advancing SDGs at the local level.
Confronting gender-based violence
Srishti Bakshi, a marketer-turned-women’s-rights-activist, embarked on an on-foot pilgrimage of 3,800 km in India to empower women and reveal stories of resilience by conducting over 100 workshops focused on women’s safety, along with digital and financial literacy.
HONOURABLE MENTION
Supporting civilians in Ukraine
Since the war started in Ukraine in 2022, Let’s Do It Ukraine has brought together a network of volunteers, organizations, departments, municipalities, donors, philanthropists, and opinion leaders to distribute more than 320 tons of humanitarian aid to over 390,000 civilians throughout Ukraine.
Meet the UN SDG Action Awards Class of 2022
JUDGING PANEL
The UN SDG Action Awards winners will be selected by a new cohort of esteemed judges for 2022. Stay tuned as we’ll be announcing the judges soon!
UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony: 27 September 2022
Tune in for the live broadcast of the UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony, an evening of celebration and performances, on 27 September 2022 at 17:30 CET where finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced at a live ceremony in Bonn, Germany.
