From left to right: Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman, PVBLIC Foundation, Laurence Kalinsky, Laurence Kalinsky, Private Partnerships, PVBLIC Foundation, Kerry Bannigan, President of the Board, PVBLIC Foundation, Stephen Keppel, President, PVBLIC Foundation, Matthew Tranchin, Senior Advisor, PVBLIC Foundation
As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the incredible strides we've made together in advancing the 2030 Sustainable Agenda to promote prosperity, protect the planet, and ensure peace. In the face of some significant global challenges, we’ve accelerated the impact of our core programs including the SDG Data Alliance, the SDG Media Zone and Family Offices for Sustainable Development (FOSD), in addition to supporting UN partners working to end violence against women, empower island nations, and inspire climate action.
A Global Reach
Our work this year has reached from the Americas, to Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Our approach to global development is innovative and collaborative, with a focus on disruptive engagement which helps us stand out and create an impact even in difficult situations.
Support our Campaign
To support our programs and expand our impact, we've launched a campaign (see below) to raise $3M. Your contribution will play a crucial role in driving our mission to leverage media, data, and technology for good.
Notable Achievements of 2023:
SDG Media Zone
From left to right: Natalie Portman, Actress and Activist and Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Department of Global Communications, United Nations at the SDG Media Zone during UNGA 78.
In 2023, the SDG Media Zone made a remarkable comeback after a hiatus of three and a half years from in-person events. Over the course of the year, the SDG Media Zone hosted three high-level United Nations events spanning from Doha to New York City, each of which contributed significantly to the global dialogue on sustainable development. These events brought together over 295 inspiring speakers who shared their insights and experiences. In total, the Zone hosted 100 sessions, which included powerful discussions on a range of topics.
Our first event, LDC 5, was hosted from March 5- 9 in Doha, Qatar. The second was U.N. Water, held from March 22 to 24 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. We concluded the year with the highly anticipated annual event at the United Nations 78th General Assembly from September 17 to the 22nd at the U.N. H.Q. in New York City. Each of these events was memorable in its own way, with unique themes that resonated with attendees.
SDG Data Alliance
From left to right: Stephen Keppel, President of PVBLIC Foundation, Greg Scott, Inter-Regional Advisor, UN-GGIM, United Nations Statistics Division and Alix Cantave, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, at the Family Offices for Sustainable Development Summit at UNGA 78.
In 2023 the SDG Data Alliance expanded its reach to 20 countries, representing a population of more than 700 million. New data hubs have been launched on www.sdg.org and 10 new hubs are in the works and set to go live in 2024. In March two SDG Data Alliance country participants received Rising Star Awards at the Geospatial World Forum in Rotterdam while PVBLIC Foundation received an award for “Development Organization of the Year” in part for its work managing the Data Alliance.
This summer PVBLIC and Data Alliance partners hosted a series of workshops in Cape Town, South Africa attended by 25 countries. Burkina Faso launched the technical version of their SDG Data Hub, becoming the first country on the African continent to build, complete and present an SDG Data Hub. The Alliance was present and active throughout the UN General Assembly in late September participating in events at the UN, sharing progress, insights and expertise as world leaders convened to discuss how to accelerate achievement of the SDGs.
Partnership with Small Island Developing States
From left to right: H.E. Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa’olelei Luteru, Chair of AOSIS, Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations, Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman, PVBLIC Foundation and Audrey Webson, Ambassador to the United Nations for Antigua and Barbuda during the MOU Signing at the FOSD Summit, 2023.
Islands nations are on the front lines of climate change and at the UN General Assembly in September PVBLIC signed a historic tripartite agreement with the government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) to collaborate on the creation of a SIDS Global Data Hub to help build out the digital backbone for developing countries in support of the blue economy. This includes introducing new technologies for 39 small island developing states (SIDS) adding an additional 65 million people to the coverage of the SDG Data Alliance.
In October, PVBLIC helped organize the annual UN Day Concert in the UN General Assembly Hall which was hosted by the Kingdom of Tonga and focused on the plight of small islands with a strong call to climate action. In November, PVBLIC Foundation Executive Chairman, Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, and the Hon. Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda signed a Partnership Framework Agreement to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Center of Excellence and Global Data Hub for SIDS. PVBLIC Foundation’s executive leadership team was in Antigua and Barbuda for the signing and high-level meetings in preparation for the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) taking place May 27-30 in 2024.
Cumbre de Impacto Iberoamericano (Iberoamerican Impact Summit)
Keynote speaker José W. Fernandez, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment of the United States Department of State at the Cumbre de Impacto Iberoamericano 2023
On September 22nd, the Cumbre de Impacto Iberoamericano (CII) 2023 was organized by PVBLIC Foundation at the UN headquarters during the UN General Assembly week. During this long-awaited convening, multiple United Nations agency heads, as well as influential figures from social, political, corporate, climate, technological and cultural sectors met to discuss key areas of action and implementation to accelerate progress, mobilize means, data and technologies across the Iberoamerican region. The event featured high-level remarks from leaders from the U. S. Department of State, CEPAL, UNCTAD, UNDP, and UN Women and hosted 8 panel conversations. The Cumbre featured 100 invited VIP guests and was capped off by an evening reception at the UN Delegates Dining Room with Artist Domingo Zapata, winning the inaugural Premio de Impacto Iberoamericano.
Family Offices for Sustainable Development (FOSD)
Fireside chat with Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, moderated by Fulbright Scholar and FOSD partner, Christine Keung, at the inaugural FOSD Summit during the 78th United Nations General Assembly.
This year the Family Offices for Sustainable Development (FOSD) program brought together family offices, Ambassadors, Prime Ministers, Representatives of the United Nations, and Former Heads of State to several high-level events, including the Scale Global Summit, the inaugural FOSD Summit and Reception at the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, hosting the United Nations Day Concert in the General Assembly Hall, and various convenings during COP28 in Dubai.
FOSD has been a trailblazer program for the advancement of the SDG Data Alliance and the development of Small Island Developing States through these events with key partnerships signed, and initiatives launched, ahead of the SIDS4 next year. The FOSD program and its Partners for the Goals will be front and center for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals for the Small Island States. The partnerships through FOSD have catalyzed momentum for new initiatives and international programs offering nations a true opportunity to access the knowledge, technology, and finances needed to develop their economies and communities for the future.
UN Women
From left to right: Sergio Fernández de Córdova, Executive Chairman for PVBLIC Foundation; Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief, Ending Violence against Women and Girls Section at UN Women and Kerry Bannigan, President of the Board for PVBLIC Foundation at the special screening of the UNSILENCED Docuseries.
Recognizing the urgency to combat violence against women (EVAW) globally, this year PVBLIC announced the launch of a strategic partnership with UN Women. Starting with a screening event in New York City for the Docuseries UNSILENCED and continuing with support for the UN Women UNiTE ‘Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’ Summit at the UN in November and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, UNiTE, we are setting the foundations for a new year of events, activations, leadership, and partnerships to take action and deliver positive impact and transformation to our communities.
UNDP - Don’t Choose Extinction and the SDG Lounge
Frankie the Dino, the main character of the Don't Choose Extinction Campaign visits Chingaza National Park, Bogota, Colombia.
PVBLIC Foundation joined forces with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the launch of the Don’t Choose Extinction campaign in 2021, in which Frankie The Dino, the key character of this initiative, urged for climate action. In 2023 Frankie continued his mission to encourage action on climate change and end fossil fuel subsidies. This summer Frankie made an unforgettable journey to Colombia to spread his message of climate action and conservation across the country. As a program manager for the campaign PVBLIC Foundation was proud to support the United Nations Development Programme and bring Frankie to South America for the first time.
Following its successful launch in 2022, the SDG Lounge made its return to the prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June. This year, the UNDP, PVBLIC, and Deloitte Digital joined forces to tackle the world's most pressing issues and create a lasting impact. Frankie also made a well-time visit encouraging Cannes Lions attendees to step up their efforts to promote climate action.
UN Road Safety Fund
Credits: © UNRSF
This year, PVBLIC created a partnership with the UN Road Safety Fund to launch the first data-driven brand that changes according to its effectiveness. 24Seconds is an ever-changing brand that keeps us updated on the current global road safety situation. In 2023, we engaged with McCann Barcelona to create the brand visuals and guidelines which will be used as a roadmap for how brands and outside stakeholders can participate with the initiative. We also launched a landing page at www.24seconds.one, began development of a full website, started reaching out to brand partners, and identified a launch event for 2024.
CCE Hubs Latin America
From left to right: Laurence Kalinsky, Private Partnerships, PVBLIC Foundation, Dorothy McAuliffe, Special Representative for Global Partnerships, US Department of State, Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Executive Chairman, PVBLIC Foundation, Stephen Keppel, President, PVBLIC Foundation at COP28 in Dubai.
At COP28 in Dubai the U.S. Department of State and PVBLIC Foundation, in collaboration with CleantechHUB, announced the launch of CCE Hubs Latin America. The program aims to address pressing climate challenges in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, with a vision to expand its impact throughout South America and the Caribbean. This project is a part of the U.S. Department of State’s Coalition for Climate Entrepreneurship (CCE), a public-private partnership that aims to address the climate crisis and contribute to economic empowerment in developing countries by nurturing entrepreneurship focused on climate solutions.
In collaboration with partner universities—Universidad Externado de Colombia, Centro de Emprendimiento Externadista, Universidad Véritas de Costa Rica, and Universidad Rafael Landivar—the Program will establish dedicated in-country on-campus ClimateHubs. These hubs will provide entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners with the necessary support to translate ideas into businesses that tackle climate change, fostering bottom-up innovation, green scale-ups, and job creation.
The Road Ahead: A Call to Action for 2024
We believe in the power of collaboration to address global challenges, and we're reaching out to invite you to join us in making an even greater impact in the year ahead. 2024 holds immense potential for positive change, but we can't do it alone. We're looking to raise $3M from our network to support these programs and expand our impact. Partner support is instrumental in driving our mission to leverage media, data and technology for good.
If you believe in our work and would like to support us, we invite you to consider a tax-deductible donation to PVBLIC Foundation before the end of the year.
If you would like to engage directly and support one of these initiatives specifically please send an email to stephen@pvblic.org.
Your support will not only help us close out the year on a strong note but will also set the stage for a year of impactful initiatives and partnerships in 2024.
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