The SDGs: A Bright Future for the World's Children

“I have been to Expo 2020 and the UN Hub more than 30 times. I learned that the SDGs can give us a better and sustainable future.” Mohammad Jaroun, a 7-year-old kid who can recite all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with the indicators for each goal.

Mohammad was excited to learn more about the SDGs during every single visit that he made to the UN Hub. On the other hand, Amir Ali, an 8-year-old child of determination from Iran, who lives in the UAE, is also following Mohammed’s steps, and did not hesitate to show the UN team how keen he is in knowing every single goal and sharing with his peers. In fact, the UNCT in UAE learned a lot from Mohammed, Amir, and the dozens of children and youth who visited the UN Hub at Expo 2020 Dubai and engaged in different activities and games.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich, and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development embodies the highest aspirations for a bright future for the world's children, and the SDGs are a crucial opportunity to realize their rights in all countries.

In this decade of action for the SDGs, we need to harness the power of children and leverage their activism to push the implementation of the SDGs. Activism opens the children’s minds, positions them for leadership, and teaches them collaboration, while providing adults with new perspectives.

UN Hub at Expo 2020: SDGs Knowledge Games

Throughout the 6 months of Expo 2020, the UN Hub was determined to convey the objectives and importance of the SDGs to visitors of all ages. SDGs card sets were designed and given to students visiting the hub and an SDGs wheel game was set to engage students, visitors of all ages, and volunteers in a game that tests their knowledge of the SDGs, provoking them to learn more. Furthermore, numerous visits from different schools in UAE were received at the UN Hub, during which students learned about the SDGs and left home with memorable SDG card sets.

Throughout the six months of Expo 2020, multiple UN agencies also worked on engaging children with the SDGs using different forms of art, for instance UNICEF and UNESCO organized workshops at the UN Hub with children to express their voices.

Children and Music for SDGs and Inclusion

As part of UNDP's efforts to engage with young people through “Youth Arts and Music Initiative (AYAMI)” , raising awareness among children and young people on the 2030 Global Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. AYAMI places art and music at its core and emphasizes the use of the Arabic language as it helps to localize the SDGs and anchor them in the mindsets and consciousness of future adults while being accessible to them in every school and home across the region, ensuring that no one is left behind. In this regard, AYAMI launched a song in Arabic on the SDGs in 2020 that helps listing and describing each of the 17 goals. During Expo 2020, UNDP AYAMI hosted an SDG concert with young talents from the Arab region.

The United Nations in UAE is committed to leveraging the capacities and energy of children and youth, enhancing their knowledge, and continuing to provide them with opportunities to empower their role in advocating for the SDGs. Taking action for SDGs simply starts by learning about the goals.

Talk to your children about the SDGs and ask them to pick their favorite goals, it could be the start of a mind-boggling experience. Kids are changing the world!