In September 2018, the United Nations launched the SDG Media Compact, an initiative marking a new drive to advance awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs). The SDG Media Compact began with 31 founding media and entertainment companies and has grown into a powerful alliance of over 200 members around the world, spanning 160 countries on five continents, with a combined audience of about 2 billion people worldwide.
The SDG Media Compact seeks to inspire news and entertainment organizations to leverage their resources and talent to amplify and accelerate progress towards achieving the Goals
The Compact provides a gateway to the UN for industry leaders and innovators interested in deepening their commitment to supporting the achievement of the SDGs.
From large broadcasters, entertainment companies and established print media, to news agencies, radio stations and digital publishers, the SDG Media Compact has become a powerful driver for advocacy and action on the SDGs.
SDG Media Compact members receive regular opportunities for engagement with UN experts on key issues relating to the SDGs as well as regular updates, relevant content and insights on UN priorities issues.
Members of the SDG Media Compact remain independent and free to define for themselves how to take action under the Compact, with guidance and expertise from the UN on thematic and substantive issues, when needed. While the Compact does not prescribe any specific action from participants, members are expected to commit to engaging on the SDGs by leveraging their creative talent and resources to develop content focussed on SDG related issues and/or scaling up their sustainability practices.
IN FOCUS
What our members are saying about the SDG Media Compact
Latest News
SDG ZONE at TOKYO
To coincide with the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, the United Nations Department of Global Communications, United Nations Information Centre Tokyo and the Asahi Shimbun Company teamed up to hold an online event, the “SDG ZONE at TOKYO” to discuss ideas and approaches to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the power of sport.
Media Dialogue: “Covering the Ocean: Challenges and Opportunities”
Ahead of World Oceans Day, the United Nations SDG Media Compact held a media dialogue with a dynamic group of media professionals who shared their successes and obstacles in covering the ocean.
A healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis and to sustaining human life and supporting millions of livelihoods. Now more than ever, the media has a key role to play in raising awareness of the growing threats to the ocean, mobilizing global action to protect it, and countering misinformation.
Richard Vevers, one of the panelists and the founder and CEO of The Ocean Agency, believes that communicators have the responsibility to make sure the information they provide is credible and scientifically correct.
SDGs in Action Film Festival 2021
The SDGs in Action Film Festival, coordinated by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, is an initiative to mobilize the creative community around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is convened as a Special Event in connection with the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs.
The Festival offers grass-root filmmakers around the globe the chance to submit animated or live-action films up to 20 minutes long that showcase a person or project working on tangible solutions to the world’s biggest threats and making the Goals our reality.
Entries were accepted in the following categories for 2021:
- Rebuilding communities from COVID-19;
- Protecting our planet; and
- Advancing gender equality.
All films in the official selection have been made available online. Click here to view the films.
Award winners were recognized at a virtual Award Ceremony on 12 July 2021. Click here to watch the recording of the Award Ceremony.
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Member Benefits
By joining the Media Compact, members are given priority access to senior UN leadership, content experts and other specialised events and initiatives that seek to deepen member’s knowledge and engagement,
- A gateway to the UN: Networking opportunities and access to UN decision makers and thought leaders, including the opportunity to participate in an annual high-profile Media Forum hosted by senior UN leadership.
- Access to inspiring human-interest stories and subject experts: Content creation will be inspired and supported through ongoing access to a wide range of powerful human-interest stories and substantive experts across the UN system. Compact members can tap into a deep knowledge base to help guide messaging, inform editorial and original content, ensure authenticity and gain insights.
- Keynote and headline appearances by senior UN leaders at SDG-related industry events and knowledge-building: Where appropriate, senior UN leaders and content experts can be made available for thought-leadership events hosted by members as well as for briefings on key issues around sustainability, such as gender equality and climate change, among other topics.
- Recognition of member engagement: Best practices amplified through UN platforms and events and through industry platforms and events.
How can SDG Media Compact Members support the Goals?
Members of the SDG Media Compact remain independent and free to define for themselves how to take action under the Compact. While the Compact does not prescribe any specific action from participants, members are expected to commit to engaging on the SDGs, either through content and/or sustainability practices, which is confirmed in a letter of intent. There are three key areas where the media and entertainment industry can significantly drive impact and seize the opportunity to create meaningful change:
- Create and disseminate powerful content: The media and entertainment industry are uniquely placed to leverage their expansive pool of talent and creative resources to develop, produce and disseminate content that spotlights the SDGs and the urgent challenges these Goals seek to solve.
- Promote Sustainable Industry Practices: Promote industry-wide engagement to motivate and embed sustainable business practices.
- Drive and grow industry engagement to maximise impact: Members of the media and entertainment industry are encouraged to convene their networks of industry leaders and innovators to champion the SDGs, and in doing so, raise awareness and drive engagement and industry-led action in support of the SDGs.
Membership Criteria
- Membership is open to television and radio broadcasters, print and digital media, entertainment companies, trade associations, content producers as well as organizers of major media events.
- Members must demonstrate a commitment to promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, whether through their editorial content or through corporate initiatives that align with the SDGs.
- Members must either produce original content or aggregate, manage or distribute original content from media and entertainment sources.
- Organizers of major events geared towards bringing together companies that produce content for information and entertainment purposes are invited to join.
- Audience reach is very important. Circulation numbers will be considered as part of membership review.
- Membership is also extended to media and entertainment organizations that have launched corporate initiatives on the SDGs within their organizations or on their corporate platforms.
The Compact is an initiative of the United Nations, launched with the support of FleishmanHillard and the UN Foundation.
If you are a media or entertainment company interested in joining, or need more information, please click “Contact Us” below, writing SDG MEDIA COMPACT in all caps in the subject line.
Resources
Quarterly Newsletter: An easily consumed newsletter for members only, featuring news and insights, upcoming events and informative interviews with UN subject experts, Ambassadors and other SDG Compact members. The newsletter also provides a bespoke platform for Compact members to share and showcase their initiatives and actions in support of the SDGs.
Goal of the Month: Every month, in the context of upcoming events and thematic priorities, we highlight one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and provide an editorial package containing the latest news and resources, expert interviews, reports, and stories of impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
The SDG Media Compact is a dynamic and growing network of media organizations and entertainment companies committed to raising awareness of the importance of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Launched in 2018, the Compact — an alliance of broadcasters, established print media, news agencies, radio stations, original content producers and digital publishers — now reaches a combined audience of more than 2 billion people in 160 countries across five continents.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted unanimously by world leaders in 2015 and serve as a blueprint for a more sustainable, equal and prosperous world. The Decade of Action launched in 2020 calls for accelerated action to ensure the Goals are achieved by 2030.
Media and entertainment companies play a critical role in raising awareness and influencing public opinion. As the international community scales up efforts to drive progress on the SDGs, the media represents a great resource for mobilization.
To join the SDG Media Compact, entities must either be a media organization or an entertainment company that demonstrate commitment to the SDGs. Members must either produce original content or aggregate, manage or distribute original content from media sources.
To become a member, an entity must first meet the criteria. When membership is approved, the entity is required to sign a Letter of Intent. The letter of intent signals the company’s commitment to align their business and outputs with the SDGS in support of the vision of a better future for all people and for our planet.
There is no payment required to join the Compact.
As an SDG Media Compact member, a media organization or entertainment company still has their editorial independence. Membership in the SDG Media compact will in no way compromise an organization’s editorial freedom.
Members must demonstrate a commitment to promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, whether through their editorial content or through corporate initiatives that align with the SDGs. Members are also encouraged to engage in the activities of the UN, particularly around the SDGs.
While members are encouraged to share the work they do around the SDGs — editorial content or sustainability initiatives — annual reporting is not a requirement.
There is no set term for membership.
Members participate in briefings and dialogues hosted by the UN. Members are also provided with valuable content on the SDGs through a monthly editorial package and a number of media-related assets. Members get priority when requesting interviews with UN officials in New York and other parts of the world, and are the first to receive advanced notice of upcoming virtual events and launches.
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