By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME MINISTER of Barbados Mia Mottley has been selected to serve alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau co-chairing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates group.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made the announcement on Wednesday.
In a release, Guterres said, “The Sustainable Development Goals are the world’s blueprint to build a healthier, greener and sustainable future by 2030. With the clock ticking and multiple crises driving us further off track, we must do everything in our power to deliver the SDGs.I’m pleased that Prime Minister Mottley and Prime Minister Trudeau will help lead advocacy to do just that.”
Mottley, in her maiden statement as co-chair, said, “Let us seize the moment to move forward, together, to ensure the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the end of the Decade of Action and Delivery on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Mottley has campaigned extensively for climate action and debt sustainability in middle-income countries and small states. In 2021, she was awarded the Champions of the Earth Award for her leadership.
Trudeau said, “To build a better future for people and the planet, we must all place the values of inclusion and sustainability at the heart of everything we do. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals aim to create a world that is fair, equal, and peaceful, with clean air and clean water for everyone. As Co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group, I look forward to rallying countries, governments, the private sector, and others, to come together to accelerate our progress and continue to raise our voices – and our ambition – on the path to 2030.”
Trudeau has been a strong advocate for climate action and nature protection, the empowerment of women and girls around the world, and ensuring an inclusive and resilient recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the release stated.
The SDG Advocates are influential leaders who support the Secretary-General in raising global ambition and action to keep the promise of the SDGs.
The previous co-chairs, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg have led the group since 2016 and 2014, respectively. The Secretary-General thanked them for putting the SDGs on the global political agenda.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Prime Minister Erna Solberg will continue to stay engaged as Co-Chairs of the SDG Advocates Emeritus Group, a group of alumni Advocates who continue to support the achievement of the SDGs, the UN stated.
The list of present SDG advocates includes:
- Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians;
- His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, 14th Emir of Kano;
- Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar;
- BLACKPINK, K-pop Girl Group;
- Richard Curtis, Screenwriter, Producer and Film Director;
- Hindou Ibrahim, Activist for Climate Action and Indigenous Rights;
- Graça Machel, Founder and Chair of the Board, Graça Machel Trust;
- Dia Mirza, Actor, UN Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador;
- Valentina Muñoz Rabanal, STEM Activist;
- Edward Ndopu, Public Intellectual, Humanitarian and Founder of A BILLION REASONS;
- Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute at Colombia University;
- Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate, Founder of Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation;
- Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Corporation; and
- Forest Whitaker, Founder and CEO, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation
