Data For Social Good Takes Center Stage At The United Nations During Media For Social Impact Summit

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The Media for Social Impact Summit, organized by the United Nations Office for Partnerships & PVBLIC Foundation, gathered leading executives, high-level UN representatives, and communication experts, to discuss the power of media to drive social change and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the fifth annual Media for Social Impact Summit, hosted at the stunning Trusteeship room, leaders in the media and technology industry shared how they are using their platforms, companies and campaign development skills to devise solutions to accelerate progress and engagement with  the SDGs.

At last year's event, the SDG Cannes Lions awards were launched and this year's event showcased the top ten campaigns, in particular honoring the President of Palau for the Palau Pledge. Described as "of, for, and by Palau's children", the revolutionary campaign succeeded in changing Palau's immigration laws for the cause of environmental protection. Tourists are now required to sign a passport pledge to act in an ecologically responsible manner on the island. Visitors must follow Palau's sustainable tourism checklist, which includes action items such as "Do not collect marine life souvenirs." and "Do not litter." The Palau Pledge was praised for its mission as well as its execution.

In attendance of this revolutionary gathering, was Ndaba Mandela, Grandson of Nelson Mandela, who spoke at the "Black Is Beautiful ? Reclaiming the Crown" panel. He announced the launch of Mandela100 at the United Nations, a program identifying  the next "100 Mandelas" on the 100 year anniversary of Nelson Mandela. World leaders committed to reviving the movement "Black is Beautiful" took the stage to promote  a message of love that not only celebrates the legacy of Nelson Mandela but also bring forward the power of unity and love of one humanity.

Mistress of ceremonies Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder, We Are All Human Foundation inspired the audience with hopeful declarations. "We will be the first generation to eliminate poverty, level the playing field, combat climate change," she said. Her affirmations were supported by data: "66% of millennials in the U.S. are buying with their beliefs.". We feel consumers' preferences shifting into a new direction of meaning."Purpose is the way to go," she concluded, reiterating the need for business with purpose and principles. "We need to ask the next generation what they think. Without them, we will go nowhere," stated, Roland Schatz, CEO and Founder, Media Tenor International.  

Maher Nasser, Officer-In-Charge, UN Department of Public Information, attributed this principle purposeful profits to climate change: "Green business is good business. Every dollar spent in reforestation returns $30 in economic value." Keynote speaker Mark Drewell, Senior Partner, The ForeSight Group, spoke about "The Rise of the Meaningful Economy," based off of the work he did for his book which shares that title.  He underscored,  "Our ability to thrive and flourish depends on the ability to find a purpose." He sees purpose as deeply connected to time, raising again the need to bring millenials to the table.

At the Data for Good: Gender Equity panel, Lili Gil Valletta, Co-founder & CEO, CulturIntel and CIEN+ reiterated the importance of data for social good: "We feel consciously in-tune in rooms like this, but unless we have measurements that represent the voice of everyday citizens, we will continue just talking to ourselves. Data means nothing unless we translate it into an actionable insight for good."

As visible intolerance continues to rise, so does do bold voices and leaders working to change the behavior. Data for social impact and purpose zeroes-in truths that help understand humans and bridge the empathy gap.  "Leaders know we are in trouble, but they got to the top conforming to the game we already have established and now they don't know how to be courageous ? we need to create not safe spaces, but bold spaces," Halla Tomasdottir, CEO, B team.

"For this year's Media for Social Impact Summit, we made a conscientious decision to focus on Data for Good and Data for Impact. We have the power to change the narrative." said Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Chairman of the PVBLIC Foundation, in his opening keynote. "During these five years hosting the media summit at the United Nations, we have seen some of the world's greatest campaigns developed from partnerships that started here. However, we must focus on education, engagement, and mobilization of global audiences. This is why we decided it was time to bring Data for Impact to the forefront ? as it is now the most influential currency in the world."

A full broadcast of the session can be found at the UN's Web TV Channel.

About Pvblic Foundation

PVBLIC Foundation is an innovative nonprofit media organization that harnesses the power of media to drive social change. An aggregator of media across all platforms, PVBLIC works strategically to pair media space with key nonprofits at the local, national and global levels. We utilize existing and emerging technologies to increase issue awareness around important causes and help nonprofits amplify their message. At PVBLIC, we believe that media and technology are the new currencies for sustainable development. Visit www.pvblic.org.

Media Contact: Marlena Fitzpatrick, Pvblic Foundation, 917-565-6983, [email protected]

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SOURCE PVBLIC Foundation