Beirut, 20 April 2018 (United Nations Information Centre)– In its endeavor to promote the Sustainable Development Goals and Lebanon’s role as a key contributor to their implementation at the local level, the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Beirut collaborated with Exicon International Group, and prominent media figure Ghada Ballout, producer of a talk show on economic development, to organize a series of media forums in various Lebanese regions. ExiCon International Group organizes scientific and economic conferences.
The forums, entitled “Together to transform youth energies into development power…for sustainable development”, will engage government officials, representatives of UN agencies working in Lebanon and municipalities, as well as economists, academics, media and others, with the aim of introducing the SDGs, and the projects carried out by various sectors in Lebanon to implement the Goals. They will be recorded as part of the “Economic Dialogue” TV program byBallout, and will be broadcasted via UNIC Beirut’s YouTube channel and social media platforms.
UNIC Beirut’s Acting Director, Margo Helou, said the SDGs have been at the core of the Centre’s daily work since their launch in early 2016. “We aim to reach out to the largest audience to raise awareness about the SDGs, and encourage people to contribute to their implementation,” she added.
Helou added that what characterizes these Goals is the fact that they directly affect all people on this planet withoutdistinction, because everyone is concerned with the Earth’s sustainability and preservation of its natural resources. She pointed out that UNIC Beirut is giving its umbrella to the “Economic Dialogue” program, and is collaborating with Ballout to widely spread the Forums because “we believe that media is a key means to motivate people to adopt a cause, or work towards achieving a goal.”
Helou concluded by saying, “we must all makeyear 2030 – the date of achieving the SDGs – a turning point where we shall witness a clear progress at all levels towards building a better future for mankind.”
For her part, Ballout said that this partnership comes in line with the Lebanese Government’s commitment tointegrate the SDGs into its development plan, entitled “Sustainable Development Goals in Lebanon: The 2030 Agenda.” She added that cooperation with UNIC Beirut in this regard aims to raise awareness about these goals, given that the Centre is active in implementing activities, awareness programs and workshops to this end. She pointed out that through these Forums, she will try to convey an image of the “field work” of all economic and social sectors in the context of implementing the SDGs, and how they complement activities of the United Nations organizations operating in Lebanon.