by Christina Bakoyannis

Why Are Personal Commitments To The UN SDGs Important?

by Christina Bakoyannis, Middle School Faculty and UN Day Advisor

On October 24th every year, Middle School students commemorate the work of the United Nations and explore a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal within their advisory. The aim is for students to understand the targets and importance of the Global Goal assigned to them and then commit to take action.

This year, due to COVID restrictions, actions in our community were limited, so instead students were encouraged to commit to a personal action that supports their Global Goal. Through the Moodle shell (Fig. 1) created, students were able to investigate their assigned goal and then use the discussion forum to post and share with other students their commitment (Fig. 2). Students wrote about the reason for choosing their action and how this action will make a difference.

Students were able to pick an action that they can incorporate in their daily lives from the “170 daily actions to transform our world”, a brochure from the perception change project at the United Nations Office in Geneva (Fig. 3). Our actions now affect the future and we can all be responsible to be part of the change. The message from the brochure was also posted on Moodle and guided the process: “If you care about the future, be the change. Help to end poverty, reduce inequalities and to tackle climate change. Together we can transform the world” (Fig. 4).

Included are some highlights from students’ personal commitments, where they also aim to inform the community that every single action counts and we are all part of the change.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger “My action is to not waste any food. According to studies, 37% of citizens in Greece are wasting food at least 1-2 times a month.”

Goal 4: Quality Education “I chose teaching my grandparents technology as they need help and I have the skills needed. My grandparents will not feel left out of the modern technological world.”

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation “I chose to turn off the tap when it is not necessary. I chose this goal because it is easy to start, and it is something I am doing already, but I can do more. Water is a limited resource on Earth.”

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy “Cover the pan with a lid. It reduces the amount of energy required to boil water by 75%. I picked it because I love cooking and when people cook they do not always put the lid on. It will use less energy as the water will boil faster.”

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities “The action I chose is to sponsor a child so they can go to school. I picked this action because it improves the life of the less fortunate.”

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities “The action that I chose was the use of public transportation, city bikes and other modes of environmentally friendly transportation. It is important to reduce pollution and to keep our city’s air clean.”

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production “Actions”:

Use you own reusable bag when shopping instead of using plastic shopping bags

◉ Dry your hair naturally when wet, instead of using drying machines to avoid using energy

◉ Take short showers instead of long baths, to not waste water

Goal 13: Climate Action “I will close the lights every time I go past a room, class or any other kind of room.”

The Middle School UN Day Moodle shell

The message from the “170 daily actions to transform our world” brochure which was also posted on the Moodle shell Moodle resources for every UN SDG. Each advisory focuses on one UN SDG

The brochure “170 daily actions to transform our world” from the UNOG and the perception change project