Global Campaign to Engage Youth in the UN’s Summit of the Future Asks – “What If We Get It Right?”

Half of all people alive today are younger than 30, making the next generation the largest in history. Before this century ends, roughly 10 billion more people are expected to be born.

The United Nations Foundation today announced the launch of Once Upon a Future, a global campaign calling on young people to engage in the Summit of the Future and join the millions of people worldwide taking action for our common future. Headlined by a YouTube streaming event on September 22 featuring an eclectic cast of creators and influencers, the campaign launched today with a diverse network of global partners, including the Unlock Coalition, and in close collaboration with the UN.

Hosted by the United Nations on September 22 and 23, the first-of-its-kind Summit will bring decision-makers together with civil society and young people to reset and reboot global cooperation to better manage the risks and opportunities of the 21st century.

Once Upon a Future will highlight the stakes of the Summit for Gen Z and future generations, and will amplify their calls for leaders to agree on the Pact for the Future — a new agreement that would strengthen the multilateral system to better help countries think, plan, and act for the future. The Pact will address important issues ranging from peace and security to digital cooperation, to how we finance our development goals and better deliver for generations to come.

The Once Upon a Future campaign swaps doom and gloom for optimism and hope for a better future, by asking the simple, yet powerful question: “What if we get it right?” Developed in partnership with award-winning creative agency Droga5, Once Upon a Future goes beyond traditional tactics to create a compelling narrative designed specifically to engage a young, global audience. In addition to highlighting the voices and expectations of young people during the Summit of the Future, the campaign also encourages people to take small actions in their daily lives to help build a better future for all through the ActNow platform. The UN campaign invites everyone to join together and ActNow for our common future, with a goal of reaching 2 million actions by September 30.

Launched on September 12, Once Upon a Future utilizes a suite of eye-catching graphics, animations, and video content to drive awareness and understanding around the Summit and its outcomes. Once Upon a Future puts young people at the center, elevating their expectations and aspirations through user-generated content. In addition to these visual assets the campaign also includes the following activations.

Broadcast
To engage young people — especially Gen Z — in the Summit of the Future, the centerpiece of the campaign will be a youth-centric broadcast of the Summit developed in partnership with Droga 5 and produced by Tim Bierbaum and 1stAveMachine that will premiere on YouTube on September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The broadcast will unpack the Summit and Pact for the Future so that it is both educational and entertaining for a young audience by featuring creators and content they care about — meeting them where they are. Hosted by Lea’h Sampson and Hallie Haas, the Broadcast will also feature Heidi Becker, Felipe Neto, Dan Rosen, Pooja Tripathi, and Liah Yoo alongside other creators and UN experts.

Tower Viewer
An experiential activation developed by Earth4All, See Through Stories, and Superflux a custom tower viewer will depict two possible futures by visually altering the view of the midtown Manhattan skyline. Informed by Earth4All’s data and research analysis, the tower viewer shows two possible futures for New York in 2075. In one, New York City experiences severe climate impacts like extreme heat and floods, which exacerbate existing inequalities. In the other, we see what a thriving New York City could look like “if we “get it right” — a green, urban oasis with clean air and water, made possible by fundamental shifts to our economy, energy, and food systems. The tower viewer will be open to the public at Gantry State Park between September 13 and 17 before it is moved to UN Headquarters for the Summit of the Future.

Quotes
“The Summit of the Future may be taking place in New York, but everyone has a stake in this,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation. “When we imagine our world in 10, 50, or 100 years it’s clear: the future belongs to young people and the generations that follow. They have the biggest stake in this Summit and that is why we launched this campaign: to help bring the Summit to them.”

“In a world facing obstacles, it’s time for bold action,” said David Ohana, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer of the UN Foundation. “Working closely with the UN we are determined to not only raise awareness but also drive lasting change — through exciting, thought-provoking and unconventional approaches.”

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About the United Nations’ Summit of the Future
The Summit of the Future will take place on September 22 and 23, 2024 — ahead of UN General Assembly High-Level Week. The Summit seeks to forge new consensus around how our international system can evolve to better meet the needs of current and future generations. The Summit will produce an inter-governmentally negotiated, action-oriented Pact for the Future with chapters on Sustainable development and financing for development; International peace and security; Science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; Youth and future generations; and Transforming global governance. The Pact also includes a Declaration on Future Generations and a Global Digital Compact as annexes. Learn more at www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future.

About The UN Foundation
For over 25 years, the UN Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at  www.unfoundation.org.