Light up the World: Be a Champion

Light up the World: Be a Champion

By Norah Matovu Winyi,

Human Rights Lawyer, Advocate and Governance Expert

 Norah Matovu

On the 25^th of September 2015 world leaders at the historic United Nations Summit adopted 17 Goals. These goals are part of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim is to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. The summary of the seventies Goals appears at the end of this article. For each of the 17 goals to be attained, every person has a part to play. Though governments have the primary responsibility for the fulfilment of these goals, we the citizens of the world as the principle beneficiaries must play our part to make them a reality.

Do you want to be one of the game changers in your community, or country? Would you want to light up your world? I invite you to join me to become one of the Champions of Change by promoting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

To be effective in this task you have to review and get familiar with the Goals and their set targets. The United Nations website is the most accessible source of information on all the 17 Goals. Determine to popularize the goals starting with your immediate circles of influence – your family, colleagues at work, the faith-based communities and through the media. The ICT revolution has made it possible and affordable to communicate and influence large numbers of people in a very short space of time.

It is absolutely essential that you choose one of the goals and resolve to be a self- professed Champion for that goal in your family, community and/or country. I witnessed this in action when I attended a Fashion Show and Charity Event one evening in July 2016 at the Lugogo show grounds in Kampala. The young lady who spearheaded this event has chosen to champion Goal 10 on Reduced Inequalities in the World. She is working with 10 top Ugandan fashion designers and 10 models to promote adoptable fashions and outfits suitable for persons living with disabilities. This has not been done before anywhere else in Africa. The 10 models at the fashion show were all persons living with different forms of disabilities. They painstakingly cat walked several times onto the stage to display with elegance, poise and confidence the different outfits stitched by our own Ugandan designers.

The Champion of the 10/10/10 initiative (Goal 10, 10 designers and 10 models living with disabilities) is definitely very inspiring young lady. She is not only transforming how the models perceive themselves as they light up their world, the ten top Ugandan fashion designers are exploring new horizons for generating business as they make their contribution to reducing inequalities in the world. We were entertained, ecstatic and earnestly cheered the models and designers on as they changed our perspective on the abilities of persons with disabilities.

I left the fashion show event re-energized and determined to be a self-appointed Champion for one of the SDGs. Surprisingly, I was officially appointed to be a Champion of Goal 5 – Achieving Gender Equality through lobbying for the adoption of the East African Gender and Development Bill. This happened two day before I delivered this speech at the 54^th Meeting of Kampala Toastmasters Club held in July 2016 at Protea Hotel. As a Champion for Goal 5 it is imperative that I remind you of the need to work for gender equality and inclusive development on a daily basis if the world is to achieve sustainable development. This means that women and men, boys and girls must equally participate in development processes and equitably enjoy the benefits of development. The achievement of the targets set under this goal has the potential to improve governance in Uganda and Africa as a whole.

To be named as a Champion of Goal 5, I believe stems from the experience accumulated through my expeditions as a champion in Africa of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 5 years during the period 2008 – 2012. I walk down memory lane with nostalgia on how negligible actions we implemented in different parts of the continent transformed people’s lives and communities. I have received messages from several beneficiaries of our regional exchange and placement program on how the enhancement of their skills, knowledge and exposure galvanized them to start and sustain transformative development initiatives in their own communities. They had the courage to light up the world by becoming Champions of Change. What I treasure most today is the network of connectors across the globe with whom we continue to translate global agendas into concrete actions at local and national level that impact people’s daily living. These footprints are a constant reminder of how a small mustard seed can become a big oak tree of considerable value to many.

How can you become a self-professed Champion of one of the 17 Global sustainable development goals?  I urge you today to spin the stories that you will relate to your children and children’s children before you respond to God’s final call by being a communicator of the sustainable development goals within your circles of influence.

Seek inspiration from the actions of those that have embarked on this journey before you. You cannot afford to miss the opportunity to light up your world. Choose to champion one goal that resonates with your experience, education, and exposure. As the Secretary – General of the United Nations said at the launch of the 17 Global Sustainable development goals in 2015, “Be the Change that you want to witness in the world by 2030.” Light up the world. Be a Champion of change.