On 5 March 2013, the United Nations System in Ukraine launched its new information campaign “There are people in your life worth living for” aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among the Ukrainian population. This joint information campaign was mainly supported by UNDP, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNFPA, and WHO representative offices in Ukraine and coordinated by UNO Kyiv.

The campaign features selected health topics reflecting the current health status of Ukrainians and critical needs for its improvement, including: environment and ecology (healthy planet), healthy aging, reproductive health, vaccination, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and promotion of early testing for HIV.

The campaign theme and slogan – “There are people in your life worth living for”, and the playful campaign images attempt at creating a positive emotional connection between serious public health concerns, personal health and willingness to ensure the safety and happiness of our nearest and dearest. 

“The path to health for every community and every individual always requires effort or some changes. By leading a healthy lifestyle, in a  healthy environment and with access to quality health services, we can add years to our life and life to our years”, Ms. Dorit Nitsan, World Health Organization Representative in Ukraine stated at the campaign launch.

The nation-wide campaign will be rolled out to all regions of Ukraine throughout 2013 and will become visible not only in the city lights and billboards, but also in the mainstream media, social media and in special events organized in cooperation with partners for various target groups.  

The healthy lifestyles information campaign implemented jointly by the whole United Nations System in Ukraine builds on the priorities set for the Ukraine-United Nations Partnership Framework 2012-2016, outlining health-related issues as one of the Organization’s main areas of activities in Ukraine.

In an attempt to highlight the impact of global warming and to generate ideas on environment preservation, the UN Information Centre collaborated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), led by IEEE Joint Secretary (Delhi Section) Ravindra Joshi, to organize an awareness campaign at a popular mall in New Delhi.
 
‘My Earth, My Choice’, held at the DLF Promenade mall, drew an audience of nearly 1,000 visitors, many of whom also took part in quizzes and interacted with group of several dozen youth volunteers from Delhi colleges.
 
The volunteers – students of environmental and engineering studies from the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and the Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) – gave it their all, spending the entire day going up to mall visitors, handing out posters, cards and other material provided by UNIC on the United Nations and the environment, and talking to them about water pollution, greenhouse gases, global warming, recycling and new forms of energy. They also spoke to visitors about energy saving techniques and demonstrated the use of USB-powered LED lamps.
 
“I feel responsible; I should contribute to our society, especially the environment. By volunteering and educating the public I try to do my bit”, said NSIT student Kartikey Chamoli.
 
Also egging on the visitors and the volunteers was Simran, a radio jockey from a popular radio channel. “I am so pleased that I volunteered for this cause,” she said later.
 
Later in the evening, UNIC Director Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman gave away prizes to the quiz winners, including two children aged 8 and 11. Water wastage was a key concern for most of the participants, and tree-planting was seen as an important means of regenerating the environment. “Many ideas to combat global warming were collected from the visitors and these will be studied by a panel at the IEEE” said Mr. Joshi. “We will choose those ideas that can be implemented and we will provide the necessary support” he added.
 
In her remarks, Ms. Mehra-Kerpelman thanked the youth volunteers for their enthusiasm and commitment to the cause, and reminded everyone of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s exhortation: “There is only a Planet A, there is no Planet B, so let us get together to protect it fiercely.”
 
She also praised the volunteers for their commitment and energy. “Young people are the drivers of change and it gives me great pleasure to see you all in action here, doing just that,” she said.
 
“Keep it up,’ she added, “and don’t stop trying to change the world!

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Manila utilized Facebook to promote the Google+ Hangout on Sustainable Development in Action.

On 12 February, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’s (DESA) Social Media Focal Point John Romana hosted the first in a series of "Sustainable Development in Action (SDC)" Google+ Hangouts, which explored key outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference and discussed how to move forward post-2015.  

Panelists, DESA Director Nikhil Seth, Executive Coordinator for the Rio+20 Conference Elizabeth Thompson, Vice-President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services Kimo Goree and Director of global strategy and advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Jacob Scherr were asked to share what they considered to be the highlights and key outcomes of the Rio+20 Summit and how the UN system is following up on commitments.

Mr. Seth emphasized that youth should be engaged in the dialogue to define the SDGs right from the start because the future belongs to them and they will be the architects of the future we want.

For her part, Ms. Thompson pointed to the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy For All initiative that advocates for universal access to energy, which is important for Small Island Developing States while Mr. Gori noted that Rio+20 had demonstrated multilateralism by providing a platform in which solutions to global problems could be engaged.  

Mr. Scherr cited Cloud of Commitments, which NRDC set up at Rio+20 to aggregate and track specific assurances of actions toward a low-carbon green economy, as the real legacy of the Conference. In closing, all panelists shared messages with the Hangout audience that echoed the urgency of involving citizens globally to stimulate action to achieve the future we envision.

The discussion also responded to online questions posted via social media.

On 12 February, the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Mexico City hosted a regional event marking "25 years of the Montreal Protocol" and 20 years of the Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as its implementing agency.  

Through a roundtable discussion, panelists recounted the important achievements of Mexico, with the support of UNIDO, in putting into practice the Montreal Protocol, such as suppressing the production of chlorofluorocarbons, which used to be widely used in aerosols, refrigeration, air conditioning, polyurethane foams and drugs, four years before the target date establish by the Protocol. Significant progress was also made in reducing the use of methyl bromide in growing flowers and in eliminating carbon tetrachloride.  

Participants included the Secretary of Environment and NaturalResources of Mexico, former UNIDO Director-General and current Director of the Institute for Research on Sustainable Development and Social Equity of the  Universidad Iberoamerica na, the Technical Manager of Mexichem, the President of the Association of Greenhouse Vegetable Producers in Sonora, California, as well as representatives of academia, civil society and the media.  

The event was webcast  and attracted an interactive regional audience in more than 360 locations, including UNICs and other UN offices across Mexico as well as in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Uruguay.