UN calls for applications for the 2023 UN SDG Action Awards

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter

The United Nations SDG Action Campaign is set to celebrate various initiatives and individuals who contributed immensely towards the achievement of Agenda 2030 through the 2023 UN SDG action awards.

The UN SDG action campaign is an initiative launched by the UN Secretary-General to galvanize global citizens around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a statement released by the UN SDG Action Campaign, the Global Director of the campaign Ms Marina Ponti said:

“2022 was a seminal year for the UN SDG Action Campaign as we defied all expectations and mobilized nearly 150 million people around the world to take action for the Sustainable Development Goals

“Now, we want to acknowledge and celebrate those very same people who made a difference on the ground flipping the script on the climate crisis, gender inequality, and food insecurity and laying the foundations for a more sustainable and equitable future for all,” said Ms Ponti.

The campaign has since called for applications and nominations for the 2023 UN SDG Action Awards. The awards mark transformative SDG initiatives that scale up sustainability and social justice efforts around the world.

“We are calling on all activists, mobilizers, and changemakers to submit their application today for a chance to become an Awards finalist and to join us in Rome for a celebration of their global sustainability actions and ongoing efforts in confronting global challenges and holding decision- makers to account,” said Ms Ponti.

The 2022 edition of the Awards was held in Bonn, Germany, and received over 3,000 high quality applications from 150 countries covering the full breadth of Agenda 2030. For its part, the 2023 ceremony will be conducted in Rome, Italy, on 24 July on the margins of the UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment, which will be hosted by the Government of Italy, and in partnership with the three Rome-based UN agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub and the wider UN system.