SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals

We have come a long way since Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty. Have you read all the books related to the 16 previous goals? If so, knowing how to save the oceans, protect animals, use clean energy, or promote peace come easily to you. Now that you know all the steps you can take to make our planet a better place, you are probably asking yourself: “now what?” Well, now is time to take action together! The 17 goals can only be realized with strong partnerships and cooperation. What does this mean? Imagine you are playing soccer with your friends. To score a goal, you have to work together as a team and develop tactics together. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires the same mentality. The entire world needs to team up to achieve its common goal: ensuring a better future for everybody on earth.

The COVID-19 pandemic made everyone realize how crucial solidarity is. No country can fight the pandemic alone, international cooperation is our only option. Some regions don’t have the necessary equipment to offer services to their people, which means other countries need to provide help and support. This can be the case for providing health care, quality education or nutritious food.

What can you do to help? You can join or create a group at your school dedicated to taking action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. For example, make sure your class recycles all the papers you use to write down your great ideas! Our new reading list for SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals will inspire you to partner with your friends, family, and classmates. And for more ideas, go back to any of the previous Goals- there are endless opportunities for all of us to make the world a better place.

Reading list

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Can We Help?

In this after-school programme, middle-school students mentor and tutor younger children. Via a special partnership, school children help professionals train assistance dogs for people with disabilities. At a community farm, families plant, grow, and harvest produce for soup kitchens and charities. This vibrantly photographed chronicle by George Ancona shows how real kids can make a real difference in their communities.

AuthorGeorge Ancona | ISBN:9780763673673 | Publisher: Candlewick Press

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What Do You Do with a Problem?

This is the story of a persistent problem and of a child who isn’t quite so sure what to make of it. The longer he avoids the problem, the bigger it seems to get. But when the child finally musters up the courage to face it, the problem turns out to be something quite different indeed.

Author: Kobi Yamada | Illustrator: Mae Besom | ISBN: 9781943200009 | Publisher: Compendium Inc.

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The Youngest Marcher

Meet the youngest known child to be arrested for a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, in this moving picture book that proves you’re never too little to make a difference. Nine-year-old Audrey Faye Hendricks intended to go places and do things like anybody else. So, when she heard grown-ups talk about wiping out Birmingham’s segregation laws, she spoke up. Audrey was confident and bold and brave as can be, and hers is the remarkable and inspiring story of one child’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Author: Cynthia Levison and Vanessa Brantley-Newton | ISBN: 9781481400701| Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

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Each Kindness

A moving picture book about kindness that demonstrates in an emotional and painful way how individual actions can make a difference. The deceptively simple language of Jacqueline Woodson, the US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and the engaging realistic illustrations of E. B. Lewis make this a book that can be used widely to discuss issues of caring for others and empathy.

Author: Jacqueline Woodson | Illustrator: E.B. Lewis | ISBN: 9780399246524| Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

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To Change a Planet

With calm, truthfulness, and beauty, this book demonstrates the importance of caring for our planet. Eye popping explosions of colour on every page create a stunning visual narrative that invites readers to find and follow the same characters through their daily lives and ultimately to a climate march on Washington D.C., where their storylines converge.

Author: Christina Soontornvat | Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell | ISBN: 9781338628616| Publisher: Scholastic

Reading is a great way to better understand what people from across the globe struggle with in their everyday lives, and it helps us reflect on our own situation. But reading is just the first step: now it’s time to share your book club experiences and how you plan to take action. Each month, we will feature a couple of book clubs on our blog, so get ready to share your story through social media, by using #SDGBookClub and tagging @UNPublications.

Resources

We know it can be difficult to stay at home to protect ourselves and our loved ones from COVID-19. This is why we created a new guide on how to organize your own SDG Book Club online to connect with your friends and family while sharing the joy of reading. We look forward to hearing about your experience on social media using #SDGBookClub.

 

Help us spread the word by downloading our promotional materials. You will find a horizontal banner, bookmark, placard and easy-to-print sign-up sheet for your friends, family and community to join the SDG Book Club!

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Frequently Asked Questions

The SDG Book Club aims to use books as a tool to encourage children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a curated reading list ofbooks from around the world related to each of the 17 SDGs in all six official UN languages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

A selection committee works together to make the final selection for each of the 17 SDGs, in all six official UN languages —Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The selection committee consists of members from the United Nations, International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Federation of Librarian Associations (IFLA), European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBA), International Authors Forum (IAF), and International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

Fiction, non-fiction, and other genres that our panel thinks will help educate children about SDGs will be considered.

The reading list is meant for children ages 6-12. However, we encourage parents, educators, and everyone who is interested to read the selected books and help children understand the importance of the SDGs.

The reading list will be published during the first week of every month for 17 months, starting with Goal 1: No Poverty in April 2019 and culminating with Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals in September 2020 for the 5th anniversary of the SDGs.

Yes. Sign up on our homepage to get a monthly email on news and updates. Your privacy is important to us so we would never share your information with third parties or spam your inbox.

No. We do not intend to sell or promote the sale of the books featured in the reading list. If you chose to, you can buy the books online, wherever books are sold, or get a copy at your local bookstore or library.

You can post your thoughts and images on social media using the hashtag #SDGBookClub. Please tag/follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, there are book club meetings taking place all over the world. Check back for a link to the list! (Coming soon)

People can host book club meetings around the world and share their photos via #SDGBookClub. If you would like to organize a public book club meeting, we recommend contacting your local book store, library or school and set it up with them. Please share the planned event on social media using #SDGBookClub and we will add it to the list of events.

You can post feedback on our Facebook page or write an email to: publications@un.org.

We sincerely appreciate your interest. However, we are not currently accepting recommendations.

There are actions that you can take beyond just reading the books.

A/ Help your kids to create a poster with a photo or drawing and interesting facts about their favourite character(s) of the book.

B/ Design a reading scavenger hunt for kids using drawings and pictures instead of questions and help them search for things mentioned in the book.

C/ Help your kids write a letter to the local government representative and tell them what you learned in the book and ask them what action(s) they are taking toward a specific Goal.

D/ Organize a parent-child facilitated book discussion for younger kids. Invite your child’s friends and their parents to discuss a book from the reading list at your local library or children’s book store.

E/ Spread the word on social media, using the hashtag #SDGBookClub. We’d love to feature your pictures/videos on our social media.

You can find plenty of Student Resources here. You will find other books aimed at children, as well as the SDG board game. The game aims to help teach children around the world about the Sustainable Development Goals in a child-friendly and straightforward way.

Read to a Child campaign: A global campaign on reading to children to encourage literacy and global citizenship, incorporating the priorities youth and quality education. It is planned to take place in September 2020. More information to come. Please sign up to stay informed.

Organizers

The International Publishers Association (IPA) is a federation of publishing associations from around the world. The main mandate of the IPA is to promote and defend copyright, support the freedom to publish, promote literacy and reading. IPA is an accredited NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN. IPA supports the SDGs and works particularly closely with WIPO and UNESCO.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. Founded in 1927 in Edinburgh, Scotland at an international conference, we celebrated our 90th birthday in 2017. We now have more than 1,300 Members in nearly 150 countries around the world. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971.

The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization that represents an international network of people from all over the  world who are committed to bringing books and children together. Today IBBY comprises 79 National Sections worldwide.

The European & International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) represents national booksellers associations in the European Union and beyond. EIBF Members in turn have in membership booksellers of all kinds: brick and mortar bookshops, online bookshops, independents, chains.

The Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) is the most important international trade fair of the children’s publishing industry. With over 50 years of experience, BCBF has succeeded in bringing together a unique and diverse global audience: the result is the world’s premium copyright business hub when it comes to publishing with an extra core that extends to all multi-media content for children.

SDG Book Club Chapters Around the World

Our SDG Book Club is expanding and we are excited to see SDG reading lists for children from around the world. In addition to the SDG Book Club in the UN’s six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) there are now chapters in other languages. Visit the SDG Book Club Chapters listed below.