Samsung Electronics Ltd. has announced that the company has reached a significant milestone in its journey to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or the Global Goals, with a contribution of more than USD10 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The funds were generated through the Samsung Global Goals app and will help UNDP promote resilience and accelerate progress around the world.
Established by the United Nations in 2015, the Global Goals provide a shared blueprint of ambitious milestones for a more equitable, just and sustainable world by 2030. The 17 Global Goals promote collaboration and collective action to address inequality, climate change, ecosystem degradation, education and other pressing global challenges. Samsung embarked on delivering innovative solutions in support of the Global Goals and in 2019 by partnering with UNDP to launch the Samsung Global Goals app. The company’s global Galaxy community has since joined the movement by leveraging the app as a simple yet meaningful tool to make a difference in their daily lives.
Taking Collective Action for the Goals
“At Samsung, we know technology plays a crucial role in solving some of the biggest challenges the world is facing right now,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “Through our partnership with UNDP and the Samsung Global Goals app, the Galaxy community has been instrumental in advancing the Global Goals. We want to extend our gratitude to our users for making this incredible milestone possible.”
Actions taken on the Samsung Global Goals app support UNDP’s impactful work. This includes meaningfully engaging youth to achieve the SDGs. UNDP implements policies, advances programs, champions youth initiatives in over 100 countries and supports over 900 youth partnerships.
“As we approach the halfway point of the 2030 deadline, this coming year is crucial in our pursuit to advance the Global Goals,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “While the world has faced recent setbacks, we are energized by the progress made through this partnership. Together with Samsung, we must reinvigorate our combined efforts to achieve the Goals and inspire the next generation to take action with us.”
Scaling Our Impact
The Samsung Global Goals app is installed on nearly 300 million Galaxy devices worldwide, including smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. Through the app, Samsung raises awareness for Global Goals while also empowering users to take small actions that amount to big change. The Samsung Global Goals app enables users to donate directly, use wallpapers to increase ad-earnings, or generate funding by watching advertisements in the app. To maximize impact, Samsung matches all proceeds through in-app advertisements.
“We are dedicated to empowering our communities through our global and we recognize that the global challenges we face today are too great to be solved by any single entity. That’s why we are dedicated to working in collaboration with other businesses, and organizations to create a more sustainable future. Ultimately, our goal is to create a better world for generations to come” said the Director of Mobile Experience East Africa, Mr Charles Kimari
Since launching the Samsung Global Goals app in 2019, Samsung has expanded its partnership with UNDP with Generation17, an initiative that elevates the voices of 14 young leaders making meaningful impacts in their communities around the world. The Generation17 Young Leaders play an essential role in inspiring people to deliver impact for Global Goals.
Samsung also strives to support the Global Goals through its business operations. The company has aligned its corporate ESG strategy with the Global Goals to identify business priorities and communicate performance according to the Goals. The company is also a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, an initiative that encourages businesses to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies.
To learn more about the Global Goals and take action, visit the Samsung Global Goals app here. To view Samsung’s sustainability progress, check out the 2022 Sustainability Report.