United Nations: With just under eight years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas said “a just, safe and healthy world” is the right of every individual which can become a reality with global solidarity. During her appearance at the 2022 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment opening remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, the “Quantico” star weighed in on some of the world’s most pressing issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis and poverty.
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In a speech shared by the UN via YouTube on Monday, Priyanka said,
We meet today at a critical point in our world, at a time when global solidarity is more important than ever. As countries continue to struggle from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the climate crisis appends lives and livelihoods, as conflicts rage, and as poverty displacement, hunger and inequalities destroy the very foundation of the more just world that we have fought for such a long time.
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The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador said, “all is not well with our world”.
These crises did not happen by chance but they can be fixed with a plan. We have that plan, the UN sustainable development goals – a to-do list for the world. These goals were created hand in hand with people around the world in 2015; together we have an extraordinary opportunity to change the world that we live in, she added.
According to the UN, the SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.
Stressing that the deadline to achieve the SDGs is fast approaching, Priyanka said the present and the future of the world rest “in our hands”.
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We owe it to our people, we owe it to our planet. We all deserve a just, safe and healthy world to live in. But time is running out. We are nearly halfway to the 2030 deadline to achieve these goals.
The 40-year-old actor said,
In this room of our representatives of the very who signed up those goals in 2015, leaders who can make that plan a reality, in partnership with all of us. So, today is about action, it’s about ambition, but it is also about hope. It is about what we must do together to make the SDGs a reality.
The SDG Moment serves to place an annual spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goals. It takes place as the world faces a deepening cost-of-living crisis that carries huge implications for the advancement of the SDGs, especially in developing countries.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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