Microsoft at the United Nations General Assembly 2023
September 18th 2023, 10:30 am ET: It’s been an inspiring and purposeful start to High Level Week at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly here in New York City.
Microsoft has a physical project in the SDG pavilion visualizing the progress made on six Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the last twenty years by SDG regions and countries. Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and UNIO partnered with the UN, ETH Zürich and Project Everyone to analyze and visualize UN data globally.
The visualization is on a Surface Hub in the entrance to the Pavilion. The six goals visualized include: Goal 1 Poverty and development, Goal 2 Nutrition and food systems, Goal 3 Health and wellbeing, Goal 4 Youth and education, Goal 5 Gender equality and Goal 15 Climate and nature.
Creating brighter futures for the world’s children and young people was a focus on Sunday, during a weekend of action to accelerate progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of #SDGActionWeekend, the UN children’s charity UNICEF delivered an update on the Learning Passport, an initiative launched with Microsoft’s support to ensure displaced children and young people can continue their education.
Posting from #UNGA78, Justin Spelhaug, Microsoft’s VP of Tech for Social Impact, Microsoft Philanthropies shared these stats, showing how millions of students are benefiting from the Learning Passport program, including these children in Nigeria.
On Monday, #UNGA78 will focus on the potential of AI to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
Progress on meeting many of the global goals the UN has set is way behind schedule, and we are now halfway to the deadline of 2030 for achieving them.
Microsoft is strongly committed to supporting the United Nations in achieving the SDG’s and we believe AI and technology can significantly accelerate progress.
Microsoft launched our SDG Report in the lead up to high level week, with a call for renewed multi stakeholder action and a recognition that the use of responsible AI has the potential to help to tackle the deep-rooted global challenges that the SDGs seek to solve.
As a committed supporter of the United Nations, we’ll be here in New York City throughout High Level Week of #UNGA78. Keep checking back here for updates as world leaders deliver their vision for a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Sept. 17, 2023, 11:30 am ET: Welcome to UNGA 78 – or to use the official title – the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
There’s a lot going on here on the banks of the East River in New York City where the General Assembly of the UN is headquartered. And we’ll be keeping you up to date all week long.
Why is Microsoft at UNGA 78?
Microsoft has long been committed to supporting the UN’s mission on environmental, humanitarian, development and security issues. In January 2020, we established an office in New York City, which works to deepen partnerships with the UN and explore how technology can help overcome some of the world’s greatest challenges.
A progress report on the Sustainable Development Goals
Microsoft is committed to supporting the achievement of all of the SDGs, with a particular focus on four of the goals where we believe technology can have a major impact:
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Goal 4 – Quality Education.
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Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
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Goal 13 – Climate Action
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Goal 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
You can read more about the ways Microsoft supports the SDGs in our SDG report here.
We’ll have a lively drumbeat of updates from UNGA 78 on issues including responsible AI, creating inclusive and sustainable growth and ways we can all work together to protect democracy and our fundamental rights.
Keep checking back here for all the latest news from Microsoft. Also, follow the United Nations LinkedIn page for their updates.