Festival mobilises stakeholders from around the world to take action on the SDGs

WHAT: On 25 and 26 March, the fifth SDG Global Festival of Action, powered by the UN SDG Action Campaign, will convene over 300 speakers from 80+ countries on six different stages, connecting leaders, changemakers, activists, creatives and more. Over the course of two days, plenary sessions, lightning talks, performances, interactive workshops, and exhibits will be held on a dynamic virtual platform. In addition, the first regional spin-off – the SDG Global Festival of Action from Japan –  curated by UN agencies based in Japan, in collaboration with multi-sectoral partners will be featured. For full access, please register: bit.ly/JoinGlobalFest2021.

 

WHERE: Visit live.globalfestivalofaction.org during the event days to experience the full Festival program on the virtual platform. The main stages will be in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, as well as International Sign Language. The Main Stage and Japan Stage programs will also be streamed live in English only on UN WebTV, and UN YouTube.

 

WHY NOW: Now is the time to make 2021 a turning point for people and planet! The Festival will center around four themes that will determine the pace of progress: we must #TurnItAround for climate action, gender equality, poverty and inequalities, and inclusive systems and sustainable finance.

 

Featured speakers – For a complete list of speakers and times, see our online Program
Amina J. Mohammed

Deputy Secretary-General
of the UN

Thursday, March 25

15:30 – 15:45 CET

In conversation

Achim Steiner
Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
Thursday, March 25

12:30 – 14:00

High-level Opening | Big Picture plenary session | Deep Dive Discussion
(26 March)

Misako Konno

Goodwill Ambassador, UNDP

Thursday, March 25

10:00 – 10:15

Lightning Talk

Maria Flachsbarth, Parliamentary Secretary of State Thursday, March 25

12:30 – 13:00

High-level Opening

Jutta Urpilainen

European Commissioner for International Partnerships

Thursday, March 25

12:30 – 13:00

High-level Opening

Eddie Ndopu

SDG Advocate

Thursday, March 25

12:30 – 13:00

High-level Opening

Meera Dasgupta 

United States

Youth Poet Laureate

Thursday, March 25

13:00-13:05

Performance

Danny Sriskandarajah
CEO of Oxfam
Great Britain
Thursday, March 25

14:10-14:20

In Conversation

Mitzi Jonelle Tan 

Convenor, Youth Advocate for Climate Action Philippines

Thursday, March 25

14:20-14:30

Lightning Talk

Siya Kolisi

UN Global Advocate, Spotlight Initiative, the Kolisi Foundation

Thursday, March 25

16:30-16:45

In Conversation

Delphine O

Secretary General, Generation Equality Forum

Thursday, March 25

16:45 — 16:55

In Conversation

Yemi Alade

Nigerian Afropop singer, actress and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

Thursday, March 25

17:00-17:15

In Conversation

MIYAVI

Musician,
UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

Friday, March 26

09:00-09:15

Lightning Talk

Izumi Nakamitsu

UN High Representative For Disarmament Affairs, UN Office For Disarmament Affairs

Friday, March 26

14:00 – 14:45

Knowledge Sharing

Patricia Espinosa

Executive Secretary
of UNFCCC

Friday, March 26

14:00-15:15

Co-creation Workshop

Kash Siddiqi

Co-founder of Football for Peace and Football Diplomat

Friday, March 26

16:30-16:40

Turning Point Dialogue

Trisha Shetty 

CEO, SheSays

Friday, March 26

16:45 – 17:00

Turning Point Dialogue

Kumi Naidoo

Professor of Practice, Thunderbird Arizona State University

Friday, March 26

19:15 – 19:25

Turning Point Dialogue

Lysa John

Secretary General, CIVICUS

Friday, March 26

19:30-20:15

Big Picture Plenary

Stefano Boeri

President,
Triennale Milano

Friday, March 26

19:30-20:15

Big Picture Plenary

With performances by Yoko Ono • Patti Smith • Bomba Estéreo • Ben Harper • Tenzin Choegyal • Anaiis • And more

 

PROGRAM: A full list of events can be found on our website: globalfestivalofaction.org.  On 25 March, the UN SDG ACTION AWARDS CEREMONY will recognize and celebrate the achievements of UN SDG Action Awards Finalists and Honourable Mentions.