TEHRAN, Sep.15 (MNA) – ‘Together for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),’ a campaign launched in Tehran on Tuesday 13 September by renowned Iranian artists, seeks to introduce the newly-adopted SDGs to Iranian public.


The SDGs are a set of goals which were adopted by 193 UN Member States a year ago and are aimed to ensure that the world as a whole changes course to embrace development approaches that are sustainable.  The SDGs are universal and apply to all countries regardless of their level of development.  There is strong recognition that now all countries, including Iran, must do their part.

The UN Information Center in Iran is currently enlisting popular celebrities to reframe the 17 official-sounding SDGs into language which tells a story and which is both personal and emotional.  This was the purpose of the campaign launch. Popular writer, theater and movie star Bahareh Rahnama, actor Kourosh Tahami and actress Kamand Amirsoleimani launched the campaign at a press conference held in the presence of UN Resident Coordinator Gary Lewis and UNIC Director Maria Dotsenko in the UN building in Tehran. The campaign includes video clips of renowned Iranian movie, theater and music stars who will promote 17 SDGs, using social networks and traditional media, spreading SDGs messages among their fans and general public.

Link to all three videos of celebrities and teaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCgbC004D48 (Teaser)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctPRfKXYE3U (Celebrity Bahareh Rahnama)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD3PuhX7XOg (Celebrity Dr. Mahmood Azizi)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QYnkLR9gc (Celebrity Kourosh Tahami)

Lewis first addressed the meeting; “SDGs are very relevant to Iran.  National priorities – including the draft 6th Five-Year National Development Plan currently being reviewed in the Majlis – are being set in order to address major issues including poverty eradication, sustainable management of water and sanitation, renewable energy resources, combating desertification, deforestation and dust storms, energy efficiency improvement.  All these are in line with what Agenda 2030 hopes to address.  We have noted that 20 articles in the NDP are directly linked to the SDGs” he said.

“Data is key to successfully implementing the SDGs. For this to happen, there is a need to harmonize data definitions, methodologies, and sources and to publish data in common, open, and electronic formats. The UN is willing to support the government and the Statistical Center in obtaining relevant and useful data to monitor the SDGs.”

Dr. Mahmoud Azizi also was a participant in the campaign, whose video was screened along with the other artists’ clips. Maria Dotsenko said that the campaign was a tremendous initiative and a joint effort of a group of enthusiastic and dedicated professionals, who work on pro-bono basis, since they truly believed in UN Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals.   “We really appreciate generosity of these busy people,” she added.

She said these Goals sought to make the planet better and safer to live for humans and future generations, exactly as the UN Secretary General said:  "there can be no Plan B, because there is no Planet B."

“Together for SDGs” campaign is supported by the UN Information Center in Tehran and the UN Resident Coordinator.  It was initiated and is managed by the journalist Mahyar Javadifar who is being supported by UNIC Consultant Sepideh Asgari.  Cameraman Farhad Javid as well as video-editors Davood Najibi and Tannaz Parvan are working on the clips for the campaign.

17 Goals have 169 targets covering a broad range of sustainable development issues including ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, making cities more sustainable, combating climate change, and protecting oceans and forests.

By Mehr News Agency