Akshay, Hrithik, AR Rahman join global campaign on UN goals

(From left) Actor Akshay Kumar, Actor Hrithik Roshan, Music composer A.R. Rahman. File Photos.

Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan and Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman have joined an ambitious global campaign, that aims to spread awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals, which will be adopted later this month at a high-level UN summit.

The Indian film stars join a ground-breaking collaboration of campaigners, public figures, companies and civil society groups, including Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, Bill and Melinda Gates, Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep and Professor Stephen Hawking to tell seven billion people in seven days that “it’s time to change the world.”

The Global Goals campaign, founded by filmmaker Richard Curtis, was announced as aiming to make the 17 UN Goals famous and to push for their full implementation worldwide.

Described as an “unprecedented effort”, the campaign is supported by a variety of other social movements including action-2015, a coalition of over 2000 organisations and Global Citizen, a community of ordinary people that help fight extreme poverty.

By joining the campaign, people can add their voice to a global cast including AkshayKumar, Hrithik Roshan, A.R. Rahman, actor Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Lawrence, UN Messenger of Peace Lang Lang and Ms. Yousafzai.

In India, the campaign is supported by players from Indian Super League teams Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City.

Organisations such as Reliance Group, eBay India, CII, are supporting the activity.

The campaign has been launched in the wake of the UN General Assembly, approving this week a resolution sending the draft ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ to Member States for adoption at the high-level summit later this month, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with over 100 other heads of state and government.

Mr. Curtis, the filmmaker behind major international hits such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Mr.Bean, presented ‘Project Everyone’ at a press briefing yesterday, the mission of which is to get a “short, dynamic and snappy” explanation of the Global Goals to all of the planet’s citizens.

Speaking about the “ground-breaking” collaboration, he said, the Millennium Development Goals halved extreme poverty across the world.

“The new Global Goals for Sustainable Development give us the opportunity to end it for good. There’s no point in going half way,” he said.

The British scriptwriter began working with the UN, on a campaign that would be “fun, bright, entertaining, and interesting,” to attract attention, especially of youngsters.

The Agenda, its 17 proposed Goals and 169 targets aim to be a charter for people and the planet in the twenty-first century. They will stimulate action over the next 15 years, in areas of critical importance towards building a more equitable and sustainable world for all.