United Nations calls for collective action in special 2020 broadcast

A new 30-minute film – Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times – sets out the action needed to build a better world, as COVID-19 threatens decade of global progress 

Saturday 19 September 

09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT (30 minutes)

www.youtube.com/unitednations

The United Nations, Project Everyone and 72 Films today announce the upcoming release of “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times,” a first of its kind film to be broadcast globally, premiering on the UN YouTube channel on 19 September at 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT.  

“Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” sets out what must be done to tackle the world’s biggest issues, from COVID to poverty, inequality, gender discrimination, climate change, justice and human rights. The broadcast will also mark the UN’s 75th anniversary, as well as the 5th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Amidst a global crisis, “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” will take audiences on a dynamic exploration of the times we live in, the multiple tipping points our planet faces, and the interventions that could transform our world over the next ten years. The film is produced by 72 Films and writer, director and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate Richard Curtis. It features:

• Leading activists such as education advocate and UN Messenger of Peace, Malala Yousafzai
• UN Goodwill Ambassadors Don Cheadle (UNEP) and Michelle Yeoh (UNDP)
• Sustainable Development Goals Advocate and UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace, Forest Whitaker, and actor and women’s rights activist Thandie Newton OBE
• Professor of Educational Technology, Sugata Mitra
• An exclusive performance from Grammy nominated singer Burna Boy, and a new version of a previous UN performance by multi-Grammy award winning artist, Beyoncé
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed
• Julia Roberts will host a radio broadcast and podcast version of the show, in addition.

In the midst of a pandemic radically transforming our world, “Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” is set apart from other stories in its focus on facts and solutions, recognizing the need for specific evidence-based action which will create real change. From debt relief, to cutting fossil fuel subsidies, to universal access to healthcare, quality education and digital financial empowerment - the broadcast will present the decisive and immediate action needed to build a better world.

“Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times” will be broadcast on YouTube, as well as global broadcast channels and radio stations on 19 September - 09:00 ET / 13:00 GMT: www.youtube.com/unitednations