Friday, September 12th, 2008 – at the United Nations the launch of the Millennium Development Goals Awards and it’s twin event the Humanitad Global Impact Forum took place. Designed to recognize global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals while galvanizing a groundswell of support for their achievement by the international public and governments alike, these platforms represent a milestone as public-private partnership between UN agencies and civil society. The inaugural Awards agenda will take place February 26, 2009 at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York City.
During the Press Conference in recognition of his support for the MDGs and public-private partnerships and his efforts to rally enhanced undertakings from all stakeholders to achieve the MDGs, President of the General Assembly Srjan Kerim received a Special Recognition Award. The award was presented by UN Goodwill Ambassador, actor and director: Danny Glover along with Ambassador Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy and Ambassador Francis Lorenzo. Special Guests MTV host and hit-producer Sol Guy and award-winning platinum selling hip-hop artist Akon attended the prestigious event as key speakers and proponents of the Millennium Development Goals. Both stars announced their participation in the 26th, February 2009 event at the Assembly Hall.
Moderated by Amir Dossal: UN Executive Director for Partnerships, the event included teleconferenced messages of support from H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan along with luminaries and Nobel Peace Laureates from the Point of Peace meeting in (European Culture Capital of the Year) Stavanger, Norway.
The dedicated messages from Kjell Magne Bondevik (Former Prime Minister of Norway & Founder of Oslo Peace Centre): Kim Dae-Jung, (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2000, Former President of South Korea), Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1977) and Rajendra Pachauri (Chair: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) were beamed in from the Point of Peace meeting in Stavanger, Norway. They were presented by Jonathan Glenn-Granoff (President: Global Security Institute) and augured the birth of an annual interactive forum between Nobel Peace Laureates, international luminaries and United Nations Leaders via the ‘Humanitad: Global Impact Forum’, an annual EcoSoc housed event to be twinned with the MDG Awards and launching in 2009.
Ambassador Francis Lorenzo stated:
“The message from the Nobel Laureates was loud and clear. It is not just a call for action but a call for the reorientation of our very understanding of the word actionâ€.
Ambassadors Zina Andrianarivelo-Razafy observed:
“The message is on point. If we are to achieve the goals we must move beyond the conference table to the work table. We applaud the messages of todays speakers and luminaries for reaching out in the true spirit of partnership and welcome their inclusion in the Global Impact Forum as it seeks to galvanize the planetary dialogue around the MDGsâ€.Â
Hollywood Actor-Director Danny Glover alluded during the proceedings to the message of Dr. Martin Luther King:
“The MDGs were the dream of the United Nations and all people must march in unison to achieve that dreamâ€.
Heartfelt petitions from both Akon and Sol Guy sealed the event as a serious rally-call to all people and all nations of the world to rise above the common lot of humankind and seize on sovereignty of united purpose in these divided times.
The UN hosted special event included the preview and announcement of two ground-breaking internet based collaboration platforms powered by Humanitad Foundation and The People’s World:
- The Millennium Alliances Portal where NGOs, corporations and governments can share data in a secure environment that will match MDG related opportunities with resources – taking into account not only corporate social responsibility but also a corporation’s need to make a return on investment, and;
- The MDG-Network establishing as a global democratic highway and social and organizational networking portal where people and organizations from across the globe can collaborate, coordinate and communicate efforts for rapid positive change.
The audience of almost 200 VIP guests also included Georg Kell, Chief Executive of Global Compact, Executive Directors of CARE and CARE International, senior representatives of the UN Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development, Carnegie, Rupani Foundation, Humanitad Foundation, World of Hope, and Brasil Federation Foundations, senior representatives of Oracle, HBO, BidGive International, HSBC as well as agencies from the UN including UNDP, UNICEF and ECOSOC. UN Missions from Australia, Japan, Canada, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Cape Verde and Ghana were also present.
In closing the event, the Committee’s Executive Director – Michael Jacobson singled out for recognition the efforts of Humanitad Foundation (Executive Producer of the MDG Awards and Global Impact Forum) as
“a true exemplar of active engagement in positive change by moving beyond the organizational comfort-zone and daring to dream the greater dreamâ€.
Dr. Dezso Benedek (Humanitad), Mr Katagiri (Team Japan), Bremley Lyngdoh (Humanitad) , Akon,
Sacha Stone (Humanitad), Sol Guy (4REAL), Chris Wangro & Toshi San (Team Japan)
Akon, Sacha Stone & Sol Guy
Heidi Walters and friend, Sacha Stone, William Ho, Michael Jacobson & Hal Uplinger
