Global Goals campaign aims to reach 7 billion people in seven days
Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:
Well-known filmmaker Richard Curtis launched a campaign here Thursday in hope of telling 7 billion people about the UN's new Global Goals for sustainable development in just seven days.
"We are going to try and reach 7 billion people in 7 days," said Curtis who is known for creating films including Love Actually and Notting Hill.
Curtis, speaking at a press conference here, admitted that reaching 7 billion people was an ambitious target, that this would be helped through star power.
For example on Sept. 26, Liverpool Football Club will wear shirts with the Global Goals logo.
"When we say we're going to reach 7 billion people sometimes we blush -- but then I was told that 1.6 billion in somewhere or other watch every single Liverpool football match -- so that's half the job done really," said Curtis.
The campaign will also use other methods to reach more people, including radio, which has the furthest reach of any form of communication.
"Our plan has been to work at every pillar of modern communication, from schools, to churches, to radio, to TV, to online," he said.
Curtis said that it was important to tell as many people as possible about the goals -- officially known as the Sustainable Development Goals -- so that governments would live up to their ambition plans to meet them.
"We came to the idea that we would try and make these goals as famous as we possibly could because you can't fight for your rights if you don't know what your rights are," said Curtis.
The 193 UN member states will adopt the 17 Sustainable Development Goals at a summit to be held here from Sept. 25-27.
The new goals are a comprehensive approach to sustainable development addressing a broad range of issues ranging from peace, climate change, to ending poverty and hunger.
Curtis said that the broad reach of the goals was what made them worth fighting for.
"I think the great thing is that these goals do take in climate as well as corruption and corporate taxes," he said. "They are actually much more comprehensive and they are actually worth fighting for." Endit