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Photo credit: ONE Campaign

Something big happened yesterday: More than 21,000 people from over 80 countries came together to push for action in 2015 to create a better future for people and the planet.

This year, world leaders are working with the United Nations on two agreements that will profoundly affect our future: a climate change agreement and the next set of global goals to tackle poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, and other pressing challenges.

These agreements provide a historic opportunity to put our world on the path to a sustainable future with dignity and opportunity for all people. To make that world a reality, we need world leaders to commit to a bold agenda this year.

That’s why people around the world spoke out yesterday as part of the launch of action/2015, a global movement to press for ambitious goals and ambitious actions this year. Here are five key takeaways we heard during the course of the conversation:

  1. No one left behind: The next set of global goals need to reach everyone, especially people who have been left out of global progress and are living in vulnerable communities. A key part of making sure everyone benefits is making sure everyone’s voice is heard as we create and implement the goals. This has been a priority for the UN, which has reached out to individuals, businesses, civil society, and governments as part of the process of creating the next of global goals.
  1. It’s about people and the planet: We can’t separate people from the planet. To end poverty and create a world where every person can thrive, we need a healthy planet and healthy communities. That’s why we need to address issues that impact the environment at the same time that we address education, jobs, health care, and other issues. With climate change top of mind this year, it is clear to see how important – and interconnected – these issues are for our future.
  1. Data, data, and data: Data will be key to achieving our goals – guiding programs and policies, measuring what is and is not working, allowing us to share best practices, and providing a foundation for innovators to develop new solutions. To make sure everyone benefits though, all people need to be included in the data, not just some.
  1. Sustained commitment to implementation: Creating ambitious agreements is just the beginning – we also need to continue to rally to implement the goals in coming years. We need to focus now on how we will implement the agenda tomorrow.
  1. Young people will be leading the way: Young people will be the ones to live and own the problems – and the solutions – of the coming decades. We need their engagement and leadership to translate the agreements of 2015 into lasting change. The good news: They’ve already started leading and are using their creativity and commitment to make a difference on a range of challenges.

Yesterday was the beginning – not the end – of the conversation. We hope you will join us in pushing for action in 2015. Visit action2015.org and continue to follow the UN Foundation on Twitter at @unfoundation and Facebook at facebook.com/unitednationsfoundation.

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Photo credit: C.C. Chapman