It has been 15 years since the United Nations was founded and yet, despite all the work that the United Nations has done, the world has never had to face such a set of challenges as they do now. But by working together, these challenges can be overcome. As the UN-Secretary-General António Guterres says: “We need to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.”

It is a myth that individuals cannot change the world. As Nelson Mandela says: “It always seems impossible until it’s done” (Mandela, 2001). The world is gripped by the global pandemic, which is creating a new and different world. However, this pandemic has created a new appetite for change. COVID-19, a microscopic virus, has brought the world to its knees and has highlighted the fragility of our world, showing our need to be humble. COVID-19 has been “likened to an x-ray, exposing the fractures in the skeleton of our society that we have built”. COVID-19 has exposed a world that is full of inequality, inequality that must be corrected. The response of humans to COVID -19 has shown how humans have the capacity to change.

On the 25th of September 2015, all United Nations member states signed the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals, also known as Global Goals, are described as a universal call to action, by all countries (poor, rich and middle-class) “to promote prosperity while protecting the planet”. These 17 goals provide a blueprint to create a more sustainable and better future for all. These integrated goals address global challenges such as poverty, inequality climate change, environmental degradation, peace and I justice.

Living Legends firmly believes in these Sustainable Development Goals. Our objectives align with a number of UN sustainable goals, including: reduced inequalities, health and wellbeing, quality education, work and economy, no poverty, gender equality and life on land. We believe that everyone can be a change maker. We encourage our children to believe in themselves and that everyone has a part to play. There is power in each and every decision and choice we make. The world’s most urgent problems can only be solved through unity and solidarity.

By Megan Cunningham
5 May 2021