Promoting the effective implementation of the #SDGs together by fostering global citizenship and change agents.
Vienna, Austria, October 20, 2022 – “Young changemakers make a difference for the Sustainable Development Goals worldwide”, DI Andreas Knapp, Secretary General of Caritas Austria. “We are dedicated to facilitating a better understanding of global connectedness by enabling international volunteer work. We aim to further the concept of global citizenship, generating change agents, and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals by organizing social and peace missions by volunteers from Austria in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.” Martin Frick, CEO of Internationale Freiwilligeneinsätze, Caritas Austria’s international volunteering division. Interested candidates for the upcoming year can still contact office@internationaler-freiwilligeneinsatz.at until 20th November 2022 to become part of the newest cohort of changemakers.”
“Young changemakers make a difference for the Sustainable Development Goals worldwide”, DI Andreas Knapp, Secretary General of Caritas Austria. “We are dedicated to facilitating a better understanding of global connectedness by enabling international volunteer work. We aim to further the concept of global citizenship, generating change agents, and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals by organizing social and peace missions by volunteers from Austria in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.” Martin Frick, CEO of Internationale Freiwilligeneinsätze, Caritas Austria’s international volunteering division. Interested candidates for the upcoming year can still contact office@internationaler-freiwilligeneinsatz.at until 20th November 2022 to become part of the newest cohort of changemakers.
Similarly the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC), headquartered in Vienna fosters leadership for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement by inspiring current decision makers and empowering the next generation of changemakers. Working with governments, civil society, academia, and international organizations the BKMC reaches more than 700,000 young people around the world. “We are living in a time of complex crises and global challenges, including climate change, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and its severe consequences, heightened food insecurity and an energy crisis. These challenges can only be tackled together – with the engagement of everyone with the SDGs in mind. Young people are at the forefront of action”, Ban Ki-moon Centre CEO Monika Froehler. “We work with young inspiring change makers from all over the world to implement SDG micro-projects in their own communities in Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We hav e witnessed incredible projects originating from our fellows ranging from awareness-raising campaigns to recycling projects, from reforestation to menstruation education programs, peace initiatives and much more. Caritas and the BKMC can learn from each other, can co-inspire the changemakers and find synergies.“
The Ban Ki-moon Centre and the CARITAS Internationale Freiwilligeneinsätze, therefore, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, during a ceremony in the BKMC office in Vienna on 20 October 2022 to elevate cooperation on various initiatives, programmes and projects.
“We are positive that, combining the knowledge base and resources of the IFE with the expertise and extensive network of the BKMC with regards to implementing the SDGs and working towards more education for sustainable development, will lead to a multiplication of the benefits of our work,” Heinz Fischer, Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens.
The official partnership comes at the right time, following the second annual Austrian SDG Dialogue Forum, which was offering in-depth discussions of concrete and specific partnerships for promoting the concept of sustainability, sustainable development, and social equity to foster implementing partnerships in relevant areas in Austria and beyond. Access high-quality images here.
