Sustainable Development Goals

WPDI’S SUPPORT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

In 2015, the leaders of the world came together and unanimously declared their commitment to achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for ambitious global action ranging from eradicating poverty to ensuring universal education to combating climate change to building more peaceful and inclusive societies. Achieving the SDGs will require the collaboration not only of world governments, but also that of non-governmental organizations, civil society, and ordinary citizens.

 

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WPDI Founder and CEO Forest Whitaker is a member of the UN Secretary-General’s SDG Advocacy Group, which works to raise awareness of these goals around the world and to promote the spirit of cooperation that inspired them. Through its programs on the ground, WPDI seeks to make substantive contributions to many of the SDGs.


SDG 1: NO POVERTY

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Poverty is one of the greatest barriers to fostering global peace. Through our programs, WPDI seeks to empower young people to develop income-generating and community-building projects that break entrenched cycles of poverty and violence.


SDG 2: ZERO HUNGER

End hunger, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

Nutritious, healthy, and affordable food is scarce in many of the communities in which we work. Several of our youth peacemakers are developing community projects to promote inclusive, sustainable farming practices and agricultural businesses that provide affordable and healthy food to their communities.


SDG 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

WPDI takes a holistic approach to peacebuilding, assuming that healthy bodies and minds are integral to genuine peace and that health and well-being are central to empowered lives. We maintain in particular trauma healing programs in a number of places, notably for child soldiers and forcibly displaced persons. That is because the consequences of living in places affected by long-term conflict and violence are not only found in casualty figures and physical destructions, but also in the enduring traumas that stifle the capacity for rehabilitation. In addition, WPDI regularly participates in specific projects with specialized organizations to help its beneficiaries have healthier lives, including through information campaigns to prevent the spread of diseases.


SDG 4: QUALITY EDUCATION

Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning

Learning is the first step to resilience, empowerment, and autonomy. Education is the bedrock of our work: we want our beneficiaries to develop skills that they can use on their own. This is paramount for our youth peacemakers, whose ability to learn from WPDI trainers, from their peers, and from their own experiences is central to their success as leaders. This is true also for all the youths and adults who come to our Community Learning Centers to acquire skills in Conflict Resolution Education, Information and Communications Technology,  or Business and Entrepreneurship as well as for the children who enroll in our Conflict Resolution Education in Schools program in Mexico, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and the United States.


SDG 5: GENDER EQUALITY

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Empowering women and achieving gender balance in WPDI’s programs is one of our top priorities. We believe in a society that presents opportunities for all, where the potential of each person is understood as an asset for everyone. In South Sudan, we work with partners like UN Women to ensure that our youth peacemakers understand how they can work with community members to break down gender stereotypes.


SDG 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all

Peace is sustainable only when people enjoy economic opportunities. Young people in particular want decent jobs that will provide them income and recognition. This must be an overarching concern when working to promote reconciliation in places that have been plagued by decades of conflict and violence. In those places in particular, unemployed and disenfranchised youths are easy prey to armed groups who will enroll them as foot soldiers in wars of their own. Our programs are geared towards helping young people break these cycles. We offer, at our Community Learning Centers, vocational trainings that empower them with skills that can increase their employability in the job market. Through our Business Bootcamp initiative, we provide young entrepreneurs with access to incubators that help them transform their entrepreneurial dreams into sustainable and profitable businesses.


SDG 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation

Through the Youth Peacemaker Network and its network of Community Learning Centers, WPDI and its partners seek to increase Internet access among vulnerable populations in remote or underserviced places in an effort to strengthen connectivity and spark creative development. Information & Communications Technology lessons are an important aspect of all our programs and trainings.


SDG 10: REDUCE INEQUALITIES

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Our programs, both in the United States and around the world, are deployed in low-income communities where young people often do not have the same educational and employment opportunities as their higher-income counterparts. We consider ourselves part of a global effort to level the playing field and give low-income youths the tools they need to succeed.


SDG 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

There is a deeper connection between peaceful communities and healthy environments. Both call on us to have the future in sight. We believe, therefore, that peacebuilding and ecological action can and must reinforce each other. In this spirit, we try to impart to our youth peacemakers how they can contribute to responsible and sustainable development. Several of our peacemakers’ community-building projects raise awareness of how citizens can do their part to protect the environment.


SDG 16: PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies

Our fundamental goal is to empower new generations of peacemakers to lead their communities and countries on the path towards peace and resilience. We have confidence in their capacity to launch a movement that will help build dynamic, fair, and inclusive societies all over the world. Helping our youth leaders build peace in their communities is at the heart of what we do.


SDG 17: PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

WPDI believes that humanity is at its strongest when we work together. At every stage of our programs, from conception to implementation, we seek out a variety of governmental, private-sector, and non-profit partners who believe, like we do, in the promise of youths to promote peace and development.