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The 99th Peace Boat Voyage departs from Yokohama to take the SDGs around the globe
Today, hundreds of people gathered at the port of Yokohama to say goodbye to the Peace Boat's 99th Global Voyage, the first to sail in collaboration with the UN SDG Action Campaign. The ship is departing from Japan with the purpose of inspiring and mobilizing people to take action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In collaboration with the UN SDG Action Campaign, Peace Boat's Global Voyages will conduct education, advocacy, capacity building and awareness raising for the SDGs.
"Inspiring and engaging everyone to take action is the only way the SDGs will be achieved. Combining the expertise, tools, and creativity of the UN SDG Action Campaign with the reach and the innovative approach of the Peace Boat, will allow us to mobilize more individuals to step forward and join the global movement taking action for the SDGs." said the Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, Mitchell Toomey.
Peace Boat Director and Founder, Yoshioka Tatsuya said "Peace Boat and the UN SDG Action Campaign share common goals. Working together, we will be able to engage more people to achieve the 2030 Agenda".
At the departure ceremony in Yokohama, Peace Boat organized a press conference and symbolic action to celebrate the new partnership. Various related events will be held during the voyage, including an event together with the UNDP in Male, the capital of the Maldives, on September 17 and actions as part of the mass mobilization day for the SDGs anniversary, the Global Day to #Act4SDGs on 25 September.
Both entities will join forces in the development of Peace Boat's educational programming, including Global University and SDG Youth Programmes, through guest educators from the Campaign and partner networks, the global citizen platform MY World and the MY World photo and video stories. Furthermore, the UN SDG Action Campaign and Peace Boat will collaborate to develop SDG educational and visual content, events and exhibitions to make the SDGs part of the Peace Boat's Ecoship which will sail as the Flagship for the SDGs and be the platform for Peace Boat's future voyages.
In an effort to strengthen the inclusivity and reach of their respective activities, Peace Boat and the UN SDG Action Campaign will continue to work together around the UN SDG Action Campaign flagship initiatives such as the Global day to Act for SDGs on September 25th, the SDG Action Awards, and the Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development, and onboard Peace Boat's ship and in ports visited on the voyages.
The United Nations SDG Action Campaign and Peace Boat announced their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, in July.