The UN SDG Action Campaign joins committed individuals, organizations and growing SDG networks to channel the power of people to act on the Goals – and inspire others to do the same. The UN SDG Action Awards celebrate the most innovative, impactful SDG campaigners around the world. By recognizing and widely sharing outstanding achievements, the awards galvanize the growing network of SDG changemakers. Award winners show how individual people and organizations can drive transformation, and offer a beacon of hope and empowerment. The Youth Climate Report led by Dahdaleh Institute Research Fellow Mark Terry, has been selected as an honourable mention in this years awards, highlighting the impact of the project to mobilize young people across the world to report on climate research, impact and solutions within their communities through the power of film.

Young people across the world are capturing the attention of policymakers and shining a light on the power of youth as contributors to climate research and solutions. Through the Global Youth Video Competition, organized by the UNFCCC and Television for the Environment, and the Planetary Health Film Lab (organized by the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research) participants submit their films which are added to a GIS map, serving as an interactive digital platform for the Youth Climate Report initiative and bringing under-represented perspectives to UN Events.

From Greta Thunberg to activists from around the world, the Youth Climate Report showcases more than 450 videos produced by young people, representing 191 countries across all seven continents. Each year, approximately 60 videos produced by young people are screened at the COP. Additionally, the Planetary Health Film Lab provides training programmes to equip youth around the world with the skills to produce films, while teaching them how to create similar Geo-Doc projects.

Participants take this training back to their home countries and teach their peers, thereby extending the network of Youth Climate Reporters and replicating the project around the world. Through this approach to mobilizing youth as reporters, Youth Climate Reporters continuously produces visible evidence of SDG research giving under-represented youth cohorts – from remote indigenous communities to those living in extreme poverty – a voice at UN climate summits.

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