Renowned actor, producer, and UN Secretary-General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, Dia Mirza, delivered a stirring address at the prestigious International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2023. With the perspective of a compassionate mother, she eloquently highlighted the dire ramifications of environmental challenges like climate change, air pollution and biodiversity loss. She emphasised that there is still hope for a better future by embracing the principles and objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The actress shared on the stage, "The SDGs offer a comprehensive roadmap to protect the planet, combat poverty, achieve gender equality, and enhance the well-being of people worldwide. If every citizen, leader, policymaker, and stakeholder plays an active role in championing at least one Goal, transformational progress can be made."
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Underscoring the importance of collaboration, she praised the partnership between the United Nations in India and IIFA telling how the power of creativity and arts could inspire collective action on the SDGs. “There are many people out there that don’t know what are sustainable development goals. I believe that this is going to be a powerful partnership to help spread that awareness,” she said.
Additionally, she illuminated inspiring instances of transformation, discussing entities that champion education with gender equality, individuals who creatively repurpose plastic waste, and businesses that pioneer sustainable solutions.
She notably stressed that every person holds the capacity to contribute in their own way. Echoing United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres' words, she said, "Humanity has a choice cooperate or perish. It is time to envision and create a sustainable, safe, harmonious and happy planet for all our children. And we must act now because as I read somewhere, the future would either be green or not exist at all."
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