IPRA members invited to join UN initiatives on sustainability
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6 years, 8 months ago
Photo Caption: IPRA Board Member Jim McQueeney and Jeff Brez head of global communications for the UN's Department of Public Information
Six hundred representatives from 180 organizations and 45 countries participated in the Intergenerational Dialogues on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a day-long event held on 1 August at UN headquarters in New York. Before the end of the day, many of these NGOs made their commitments before an extraordinary gathering of youth and older persons. The Dialogues are intended to raise awareness of the high value that youth and older persons can bring to implementation of the SDGs.
As an NGO accredited by the UN, IPRA, the organisation, supports these UN goals with its on-going activities in New York and the annual Golden World UN award. IPRA’s members are invited to participate too.
What happened on the day?
Following a plenary session addressed by UN, Government and Civil Society leaders, including a video message from the UN Secretary General, lively interactive dialogue was enabled in six separate sessions, each conducted twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The event was co-sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) and the NGO/DPI Executive Committee.
Jim McQueeny and Barbara Burns, IPRA’s representatives to the UN participated in the planning and media committees for the event. One of the speakers introduced to the committee by McQueeny was Cornell William Brooks, former CEO of the US National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, who spoke on breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Throughout the day, perspectives from diverse regions and communities were represented.
What happens next?
All NGOs and interested parties are encouraged to make commitments to exchange ideas and to work together to meet the challenges of the SDGs. A commitment page, together with copies of many of the presentations, has been created on the NGO Dialogues website. IPRA members either as individuals or as regional groups are also invited to consider how they can participate with their own projects and communicate on them to this UN website as well as IPRA’s own UN projects website.
Background to IPRA
IPRA, the International Public Relations Association, is the leading global network for Public Relations professionals. Membership is individual not corporate. It aims to further the development of open communication and the ethical practice of public relations. IPRA fulfils this aim through networking opportunities, its code of conduct and intellectual leadership of the profession. IPRA is the organiser of the annual Golden World Awards for excellence – PR's global awards scheme. With 60 years of experience, IPRA, recognised by the United Nations, is now present throughout the world wherever public relations are practised. IPRA welcomes all those within the profession who share its aim and who wish to be part of the IPRA worldwide fellowship. For more information please visit: www.ipra.org
Background to the SDGs
The SDGs were adopted by the UN in September 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, ensure human rights and fulfilling lives for all. Topics for six dialogues are Poverty, Gender Equality, Employment, The Planet, Intergenerational Innovation and Healthy Living. The full list of the 17 SDGs can be found here.
Contact
International Public Relations Association Secretariat
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 (0) 1634 818308
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