Dia Mirza at UN General Assembly: Time to personalise the Sustainable Development Goals

Dia Mirza at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) - SDG Summit

Actress Dia Mirza, who is also a producer, eco-investor and the UN Secretary-General's Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, has joined a convening of policymakers and leaders from around the world at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) - SDG Summit in New York.

While attending the high-level convening, Dia says, "It is time to personalise the Sustainable Development Goals, which means to help individuals understand that the SDGs are not just for Govts, policymakers and industries to make their own. The SDGs have to become personal to each of us. Individuals have the extraordinary power to fulfil the promise of a healthy, progressive and peaceful world for everyone, everywhere. What is missing in achieving the Sustainable Development goals is the political will and what enables that is civil society and industries. We need to demand accountability from our political class. The intervention needed is to ensure that we make the SDGs central to the understanding that if a political representative in any part of India or the world is not aligned and committed to the SDGs and making it a part of their manifesto then don't vote for that person."

On this global platform, the UNEP Goodwill Ambassador has in the past highlighted India's LiFE Campaign which was also centered around bringing individual behaviours at the forefront of the global climate action narrative as well as other key commitments that India has made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Dia, on her arrival earlier, spoke about bringing with her the reaffirming G20 message of 'One Earth, One Family, and One Future' which has an overarching global relevance because it underlines the importance of living together in harmony with the ecosystem.

The recently concluded G20 Summit in India has been crucial to furthering the key SDG commitments made by the Global South, most importantly, India.

Dia also hopes to highlight some positive tidings from India and says, "We need big shifts at the policy level but we also need individual initiatives to combat climate change because environmental anomalies disproportionately affect the most vulnerable amongst us, including women and children. I am also highlighting the beautiful stories of Indian change makers who are cleaning up beaches, turning trash into products of great beauty, carrying out reforestation projects single-handedly, and standing up for wildlife habitats. I feel proud to represent a country where so many citizens are working towards a sustainable and inclusive future."