Meeting/Event: 2026 Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony
Date: 29 October 2026
Categories: Meetings & Events

[Auto-generated transcript: may contain errors]

And just like magic, here we are!
Hello everyone.
Thank you to the incredible dancers of Art Village Academy for opening our show, hello to our audience here in Rome, to our finalists live in the theater, and wherever you are watching from.
Welcome to Heroes of Tomorrow: The UN SDG Action Awards 2026!

I'm Rajesh Murchandani, and I am delighted to be your storyteller tonight, because this evening is full of stories—powerful, inspiring stories of changemakers standing up against injustice and inequality.
They're changing their story and their community's story, and they're building a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world for us all.
And tonight, the UN SDG Action Awards honors just some of them, in three categories: resilience, creativity, and the Changemaker Award.
And you know, this year there were a record 7,115 entries from 190 countries and territories.

Isn't that incredible?
The small but mighty team took those 7,000-plus stories of hope and chose 9 finalists.
Individuals and organizations doing incredible work around the world, we're going to hear about their stories throughout the show.
But I'm delighted that they're here with us in Rome tonight.

Let's take a quick look at the finalists on the front row.
Let's say hello to you, finalists.
It's terrific to see you.
From all over the world, because tonight is truly global, we're broadcasting in English on UN Web TV, we have sign language interpretation, and here in Italy we are live on Rai Play with commentary from a much-loved radio personality who I think you'll recognize.

It's Sara Zambotti, and we can speak with Sara now.
Sara, wherever you are, welcome.
How are you?
Hi, hi Rajesh.

Thank you.
It's an honor to be here tonight with you.
I'm very close to you, actually, just behind.
Oh, wow.

Okay.
I like Big Brother.
Now, Sara, when you think about Heroes of Tomorrow, who or what do you think of?
I may think of people who turn their ideas into action and believe that they can make a difference, and that's something that we should learn, and that we can all do better if together.

Wow.
Okay.
Well, Sara, you'll be one of our heroes of tonight.
Did you see what I did there?

Thank you, Sara.
Speak to you soon.
Have a great show.
You can take part too, use the hashtags #SDGAwards and #HeroesOfTomorrow, and tag us @SDGAction.

Tell us what gives you hope.
Who are your Heroes of Tomorrow?
Right now, let's meet someone very special to the Heroes of Tomorrow Awards, the director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, Marina Ponti.
Marina, welcome.

Thank you.
Wonderful show already.
Good evening, everyone.
You know, people all over the world connect with the Heroes of Tomorrow.

This year it's bigger than ever.
How do you and your team manage with all of that, and what do you think of all of that?
Rajesh, it's very simple.
Simple.

We don't do it alone.
Next to us stand Rai, and they are every edition bringing fresh ideas, a new format, including the wonderful dancing opening and Sara Zambotti doing the commentary for Rai Play.
And also, let me use the opportunity to thank the Italian and the German government for believing, first of all, in the changemaker and in their power, but also for believing in what we do to amplify their voice and their impact.
And thank you, Stefano Gatti, for your support and also for being a judge for us.

We're going to be hearing from Stefano very soon.
Very soon.
But Marina, what I love about Heroes of Tomorrow, you know, is, you know, as you said, it's truly a culmination of so many people working together, but of course it's all the inspiring people we meet along the way, isn't it?
Yes.

That's right.
And tonight we celebrate 9 remarkable finalists, our honorable mention, and very soon 3 Heroes of Tomorrow that are needed more than ever today.
I want to leave you, all of you, also those watching online, with one simple message: do not give up.
When someone tells you that a more just and peaceful world is impossible, do not believe them.

When they tell you that one person cannot make a difference, prove them wrong.
When the challenges seem too big, start anyway.
Listen to your heart, but also listen to credible and verified information.
Listen to nature.

Listen to wisdom of those who came before us, and to the voices of generations still to come.
Because what you do matters.
Change has always begun with people who refuse to accept that the world could not be different.
So be courageous.

Actually, continue to be courageous, because you are courageous.
Be persistent.
Be the change.
The future is not something we simply inherit.

It is something we create, together.
Thank you.
Thank you, Marina.
Now, every year, as you know, we ask global experts to help us go from the thousands of entries to 3 winners.

It's not an easy task.
But let's meet the judges who took on that challenge now.
Thank you, judges.
What a task you had.

So let's get straight to an award, shall we?
Resilience.
That's our first category tonight.
What do you think of when I say resilience?

Maybe it's someone who doesn't let challenges hold them back, or an athlete who trains every day to be the best.
The UN SDG Action Resilience Award honors work that demonstrates adaptability, perseverance, and tangible results.
We're going to meet our three finalists in a moment, but first, let's meet two of the people who helped judge this category.
Please welcome Umut Boyna and Naomi Akatpol.

Umut, Naomi, thank you so much for being with us and for judging this category.
Umut, let me ask you a quick question.
You and your husband run the Boyna Group, which is the largest retail group in Türkiye, and I see you're wearing the Türkiye flag colors because today is actually Republic Day as well.
Yes.

So we're very grateful that you're able to spend the evening with us, but I really want to know, you know, as a business leader, you have to be resilient, but you need your teams to be resilient as well.
So when you were judging this category, what were you looking for when it comes to resilience?
Thank you, Rajesh.
Actually, resilience is the power to turn adversity into opportunity.

And I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate Atatürk's vision to create a more democratic, equal, modern society.
It's the resilience that this vision gave women like me to have a voice in today's Türkiye.
As a business leader, I give much more value to the social impact that we can create in our societies.
And when we were assessing the three projects that were immensely, all of them were valuable and that they contributed so much to their societies, they were equally very challenging.

It was equally very challenging to pick one.
So no matter who wins today, I congratulate all three of them for the resilience that they showed to reach their goals, part of their goals in the projects that they realized.
So congratulations.
Okay.

Very nice message there.
Reminds us that all our finalists are winners.
So remember that.
And Naomi, you're an Olympic athlete.

That is the definition of resilience, I think.
But what do you do every day that shows resilience?
What does it mean to you?
To me, resilience is not about standing up whatever the cost.

It's okay to drop, it's okay to fall, as long as you keep your heads up.
As a hurdler, obstacles are literally a part of my race, so I can't avoid them.
I have to face them, to adapt my rate, moving toward what's on the other side.
So this is the meaning beyond my mantra, beyond limits, to see the obstacles but see after that.

And as an UN SDG ambassador, I believe resilience is also something we build together with our wealth and to giving people the opportunities and the support they need to thrive.
And to conclude, if I have something to say to the Heroes of Tomorrow, it's that you hurdlers do not define yourself and do not define your limits.
So just see toward them, see what is important to you, and never give up.
And if you can, take the others with you and make the change.

So.
From an Olympic hurdler, your hurdles do not define you.
I love that.
I love that.

Now, we have three finalists in the resilience category.
Let's meet them one by one.
First, let's hear about the Women's Justice Initiative from Guatemala.
And there's Viviana Patel from Women's Justice Initiative with us here from Guatemala.

Bienvenida.
Now let's hear about a programme in Zambia.
This is the Young Emerging Farmers Initiative.
In Zambia, climate change is causing farming to be more difficult, with unpredictable weather, declining soil health, and rising costs for many smallholder farmers.

Through the Young Emerging Farmers Initiative's No-Agro-Chem project, we are helping farmers adopt agroecology, producing organic manures and natural pesticides while restoring soil health and connecting their products to markets and finance, with young people and women at the centre.
To date, over 1,000 farmers have been trained, with participants recording healthier soils, lower input costs, and income rises of over 25%.
Environmental restoration and economic resilience can grow together.
I am proud to be one of the Heroes of Tomorrow at the UN SDG Action Awards.

And there is Richard Kachungu from Zambia in the studio.
Great to see you.
Finally, in this category is Solar Bright Future from Cameroon.
Now, sadly, they can't be with us tonight, but we're still going to learn a little bit about their work.

Take a look.
I am proud to be a resilient finalist in the UN SDG Action Award in Cameroon's northwest and southwest regions.
Years of crisis have disrupted livelihoods and left many communities without reliable electricity.
For young people, this has meant fewer opportunities for work, and for rural communities, it has affected essential services, including maternal health care, where we train, displace, and locate young people in solar system design, installation, and maintenance, giving practical skills for green jobs and bringing clean energy solutions to their communities.

We have trained 300 young people, electrified 41 health centre maternities, benefiting over 100,000 women and children in our work each year.
And I want to say that when young people are given a skill to power their communities, they can also power their future.
Congratulations to all the finalists.
Let's find out who's going to take home the trophy.

Umut, if I could ask you to open the envelope and tell us who is the winner of the Resilience Award.
Of all the three wonderful projects, the winner is Women's Justice Initiative.
Felicidades.
Congratulations.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Viviana.

Oh, I am nervous.
I am excited.
I'm going to tell you a little bit about what Viviana said in case you don't speak Spanish.
Viviana said she's honored to accept this award for all the Maya cachiquel women and girls in Guatemala who are leading change in their communities.

Her vision, she said, is a world where women and girls live free from violence and have the tools and opportunities to lead change in their communities.
I think we all agree with that.
And she ended up by inviting us all to join in this movement and stand with the women and girls, building a more just future for themselves and their families.
We stand with you, Viviana.

Congratulations.
Judges, great job.
Thank you so much.
What a great start to the show, yeah?

Now, each year, as part of the awards, we also get to honor family.
And that means looking within the UN for initiatives and campaigns that demonstrate the best in striving to make change, even in difficult times.
For our next honoree, change starts with women.
Women working every day to prevent violence, to support survivors, and to demand a safer, more equal world.

To present this award, I want you to meet someone who is also working to prevent violence against women and girls.
Her work began because her sister didn't survive, and her work earned her a place as a finalist in our awards two years ago.
And she's now part of the award's alumni family and has been working with the finalists this year.
So please welcome Peti Mamud.

Peti, thank you so much for joining us and sharing some of your story and some of your knowledge with the finalists this year.
Now, you saw firsthand how violence affects women, their families, and their communities, and that made you an activist.
I want to know from you, why do you think it's so important that we lift up the voices of survivors and women leading local solutions, working to end such violence?
Well, firstly, thank you so much, Rajesh.

It's such a pleasure to be back with the UN SDG family, and I've had the honor of working with a finalist this year, and I'm so proud of all of you.
And to answer your question, as you said, I have seen firsthand and I felt the impact, the devastating impact of violence against women and girls.
But what I've also seen is the sustainable changes and solutions that survivors like myself and women from affected communities can offer.
But we can only offer those solutions if we're given the platform, the space, and the meaningful collaboration.

And to me, this is honestly one of the perfect examples.
As you said, I was a finalist two years ago, and I'm back this year working with a finalist.
So that is collaboration and meaningful collaboration.
Survivors need to be resourced.

We need the space for leadership because we are the ones closest to the problems, so we have the solutions with us.
Wonderful, Peti.
Thank you.
Thank you.

Thank you for being with us tonight.
Thank you for the work that you do.
So who's the honoree?
Well, for 30 years, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls has backed women's leadership with direct, long-term, flexible funding that helps locally-led solutions take root, grow, and endure.

Let's learn a little more about them now.
In a world where violence against women and girls has been, and still is, the most pervasive form of human rights violation, the work in ending it looks like this.
The UN Trust Fund is deeply committed to listening, learning, and empowering women's rights and civil society organizations in their cause to be louder, stronger together.
Join us in making sure women and girls live a life free from violence.

This is what it looks like to put resources behind the courage and leadership of women's rights and local solutions.
The 2026 Heroes of Tomorrow honorable mention goes to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
And to accept the award, please welcome its chief, Abigail Erickson, and president of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, Jannat Al-Ghaisi.
Thank you so much for this honor.

For 30 years, the UN Trust Fund has invested in organizations ending violence against women and girls, organizations like many here, keeping shelters open, helping survivors access justice, and mobilizing communities to prevent violence.
Today, more than ever, women's rights organizations need protection and funding they can count on.
Let this recognition renew our commitment to support their leadership and stand with them for as long as it takes.
And let's remember that this recognition belongs to them and to women's human rights defenders all over the world who continue this work at great personal risk.

Among them was our dear friend, Yanar Mohamed, who was assassinated earlier this year.
Yanar founded the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq.
Their organization was a former UN Trust Fund grantee partner.
And I'm honored to stand alongside Jeanette Al-Ghaisi, OFI's new president, to honor and never forget Yanar's incredible legacy and to support those carrying her work forward.

Good evening.
This year, we lost our founder, feminist activist Yanar Mohamed.
She was killed for defending women's freedom and standing up for the right to life free from violence.
Today, women in Iraq and across the world still face violence, unfair laws, and many threats to their freedom and safety.

But our work did not stop.
My team and I at OFI continue this work every day.
We support women, protect survivors, and help women find safety.
The journey that was started will continue together as we are still here, we are still working, and we will not give up.

Thank you.
Thank you for standing with us.
Thank you, Abi.
Whew.

It takes a lot to stand on this stage, especially if English is not your first language, and especially after what some people have gone through.
Wow, what a moment.
Wow.
Whew.

I told you, powerful stories and inspiring work.
Our next guest helps make all of this happen through his country's support for the SDG Action Campaign.
He's also a judge.
So I want to please welcome Director General for Development Cooperation at Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Stefano Gatti.

Stefano.
So good evening.
Good evening to everyone.
I'm glad to welcome you all here in Rome for Heroes of Tomorrow SDG Action Awards.

And we have just now seen what this means for all of us.
So a special welcome to all our change makers that are here today with us.
Thank you very much.
I'm happy to see that among these finalists, there are many of you that are working every day to advance food security and build more sustainable food systems.

This is one of Italy's highest priorities, starting from Africa.
In a world facing climate shocks, supply disruptions, you remind us that securing our food systems is the foundation for peace and human dignity.
Italy is at the forefront of this global mission.
We host here in Rome United Nations Agri-Food Agencies, LFAO, IFA, the World Food Programme, and through our partnerships with the private sector, institutions, universities, civil society organizations, we have placed food security at the center of our international development cooperation agenda.

But we know that food security does not stand alone.
And this is why events like the SDG Action Awards Marina, thank you very much for your work, are so important.
They bring all the 17 goals together, showing that progress on one depends on progress across all of them.
We cannot end hunger without empowering women.

Women are at the heart of the food production, family nutrition, resilient rural communities.
Yet, too many still lack equal access to land, to finance, technology, decision-making.
We cannot transform food systems without protecting nature.
We cannot support small farmers without strong institutions, transparent legal systems, and secure land rights so that those who work the land can own it, invest on it, and build a future from it.

We cannot transform food systems without youth and drivers of innovation.
Young people, like many of you, bring fresh perspective, innovative ideas, digital skills.
This is why Italy, Italian Development Cooperation, is investing in youth, youth-led enterprises, training centers, green jobs to ensure rural resilience and food security.
The global challenges of sustainable development require that we blend innovation and leadership, the kind of innovation leadership that we are celebrating today with you.

So my message to you, nine finalists, is very simple.
You are the heroes we have been waiting for.
Italy remains committed to fostering your talents.
By empowering the Heroes of Tomorrow, we are investing in a more resilient and sustainable global community.

So thank you, congratulations, and good luck to all of you.
Stefano Gatti, thank you very much.
Thank you for those words.
You are the heroes we've been waiting for.

Thank you for giving us an opportunity to refix our mascara as well, right?
Yeah, I know.
Now, as I said, as many of our guests have said, we believe all our finalists are winners.
And we love it when they come back to share more of their passion, their inspiration, and their art.

We saw that with Paisley just now.
And so it is with our next guest.
She's a music artist who was a finalist in the creativity category last year for her work to turn the sounds of nature into royalties for conservation.
Tonight, she's back performing on the Heroes of Tomorrow stage.

So please welcome Iminza.
Baby, when the sun sets, maybe we can go away, away.
Watch the moon come up while we dance and sway.
Or we can count the stars, come on, let's get away.

Take me there, take me there, with you anywhere.
Take me there, will you take me there?
Take me there, with you anywhere.
Anywhere will do, with you.

Thank you for listening.
Imenza, come over.
We're not going to do a duet, you'll be happy to know.
Oh, I'm so excited.

Look, thank you for that uplifting performance.
It reminds us there's always hope when we act together.
And talking of being together, you'll know this: all our finalists become part of the Heroes of Tomorrow alumni community, including you.
Yes.

What does it mean to be connected to other change makers all over the world?
You know, when you might think you're doing it all on your own, what does it feel like and mean to be connected?
Well, it feels like having community.
It feels like having a source of inspiration when you feel like you're alone, as I sang.

It means that you get to look out and you get to see people whose efforts individually are also laddering up to something bigger.
It's a source of light, in a way.
I love that.
Now, you were a finalist in the creativity category last year.

Why do you think creativity matters when it comes to making change in the world?
If you really think about it, creativity is at the heart of change.
Because to be creative means that you believe things can be different, and believing in it so strongly that you actually take action.
So whether you're a musician like me, or whether you work in science, or you're running a programme or a business, it's a believing that the world can be different so deeply that that actually powers you to act.

Wow, that's amazing.
I mean, wow.
Thank you.
Imenza, everyone, thank you so much.

I think she thought I was going to have a go on her guitar, which is why she left.
Probably a good idea too.
You saw what it's like when they got me dancing.
Let's stick with the theme of creativity, because that's our next award tonight.

In this category, the judges were looking for work where creativity inspires action that shifts behaviours or public perceptions or policy.
Let's meet two of our judges who present the award.
So please welcome to the stage Chantal Inth and Tobias Vollermann.
Chantal, Tobias, so great to have you with us.

Thank you for joining us.
Chantal, let me start by asking you a question.
You're a Paralympian swimmer for Trinidad and Tobago, which frankly deserves a round of applause anyway, right?
Woo!

And you're an advocate for disability inclusion.
As an athlete, how does creativity help you and inspire you to go further in your sport?
Sure.
Good evening, everyone.

So beautiful to be here.
Firstly, creativity inspires me to be my authentic self.
It gives hope, it releases our passion, it is the evidence and the manifestation and the essence of who we are, created to be fearfully and wonderfully made.
For me, it is continuing to understand that regardless of our abilities, we too can create great change and do great things.

So it is my hope that through everything that we do, we understand that we can achieve, we can dream big, and there is nothing too impossible for us to do.
Wow, fearfully and wonderfully made.
That's what you said.
What a line.

That was amazing.
Thank you, Chantal.
Tobias, no pressure to follow that, but follow that.
Tobias, you lead corporate responsibility for the Otto Group, which is one of the largest retail groups in Germany.

You wouldn't necessarily associate that with creativity, but how do you think of creativity and what were you looking for as a judge in this category?
Yeah.
First of all, let me say it's a great honour on this stage to be here tonight with you all together.
And it was a great privilege to be able to review all this fantastic work of so truly incredible people.

To answer your question, I focused mainly on three points.
The first is impact.
So does the initiative really create measurable change?
And it's important for people, for communities, or for the environment.

And the second point is about scalability, about growing.
Can the initiative grow and can it grow in a way, perhaps, in other contexts or in other places as well?
And the third point is about innovation.
So does the initiative follow a real creative, a unique approach to solve a major problem?

And you, our finalists, reminded me really we've seen so many from all around the world, and you are now here, and you remind me that what we already heard, that the SDGs really can come to life through people like you who are willing to take action.
And this is really great.
And what impressed me most is the fact that there are so many great ideas.
You had great ideas, but you managed to transform these ideas into really practical solutions.

And for this, you deserve all our respect, our admiration, and most importantly, our support as well.
Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you, judges.

You have an important task to do in a moment, but first, let's meet the finalists in the creativity category.
First up, let's learn a little bit about a programme across rural India called Mothers of Courage.
For millions of girls, even today, staying in school depends on decisions made at home.
Gender norms, financial problems, household duties, safety concerns, early marriages, all these interrupt education and limit their future opportunities.

That's why we created Mothers of Courage.
It's a women-led campaign where mothers bring together families in villages.
In community circles, they discuss how to prevent early marriages.
They discuss how to change beliefs.

They advocate for girls' education and their rights.
Today, over 1.3 million people have gathered in these spaces.
And together, they have pledged their support for their daughters and daughters-in-law to continue their secondary education.
Thousands of girls have come back to school.

Marriages have been postponed.
That's the power of restoring agency at the grassroots.
I'm so proud to be one of the Heroes of Tomorrow.
And Khushbu Awasti joins us live in the theatre tonight.

Hi, Khushbu.
Next up in this category, let's go to Indonesia, and let's learn about a project called Return Water Home.
For generations, most of people in Indonesia have depended on springs, a groundwater that flows onto the earth's surface.
But today, many springs are weakening and disappearing.

And when they disappear, it affects people's lives.
So we go back to where the water begins.
We first need to help the land hold it again.
We work with community to restore the land by building infiltration pits and restore the ecosystem around the springs.

Together, community have restore more than 30 springs serving thousands of people.
When we restore water, we restore life.
I'm proud to be one of the Heroes of Tomorrow.
And here's Fainton Nagoro with us tonight as well.

Lastly in this category, let's learn about a project in South Africa called Women for Change.
In South Africa, many survivors of gender-based violence carry their own stories in silence, often without having a safe place to speak up or seek help.
Thousands of survivors in South Africa experience physical and sexual violence every single year.
Silence can isolate survivors, and making it so much harder for them to speak up and demand justice and accountability.

Women for Change was founded to support survivors and mobilise communities to make gender-based violence visible again.
Through our campaign, The Unburied Castle, we turned grief and silence into public pressure.
Our movement mobilised more than 1.1 million petition signatures, contributing for gender-based violence and femicide to be declared a national disaster in South Africa.
When women stand together and speak up, their stories become a force for change.

I'm so proud to be one of the Heroes of Tomorrow.
And there's Sabrina Walker, also with us tonight.
It's so great to have so many of our finalists with us here.
It gives such energy.

Thank you, guys.
Okay, here's the moment.
Chantal, can I invite you, please, to open the envelope, read the words on it, and tell us who's taking Hope and Home, the Creativity Award?
Sure.

And the winner of the 2026 UN SDG Action Creativity Award is...
Mothers of Courage.
Congratulations.
Congratulations.

Congratulations.
To be honest, I didn't expect this.
Namaste.
Good evening, everyone.

You know, first, I think on behalf of my wonderful team and my partners of Sikshagra back in India, I really want to thank you, the UN SDG Action Campaign team, for this wonderful, wonderful, and such a special recognition.
It really means a great deal to all of us.
So thank you.
I grew up in a small town in India, and very early on, I realised that society puts too many boundaries, conditions on girls' choices.

From schools to college to choosing career over marriage, everything feels like a hurdle race.
But thankfully, I had a champion in my mother.
Mother who stood by me, negotiated for me, and really believed that I can shape my future, and here I am.
Today in Sikshagra, in Mothers of Courage, we see mothers doing the same for their daughters across so many villages.

They are challenging deep-seated beliefs and norms.
They are challenging authority.
And they're changing what is possible for their daughters.
And that's what gives us hope.

I have always believed, and like Paisley said, that people who are closest to a problem can be the most powerful problem solver.
We just have to give them the space and the support to recognise their power to act.
And so this award today belongs to all the mothers in those villages, all the women leaders who are working hard to change the destinies of their daughters and their daughters-in-laws.
I'm so, so proud of them.

We have a long way to go, but I feel very hopeful because of all of us here in this room and all of us outside this room.
Imagine if each of us could just improve the agency, could nurture the agency, discover, help one person discover their agency, what can change?
Imagine how courage can multiply.
So today, I'm very, very proud and grateful for this award.

Thank you, judges.
Together, let's create a world where no girl has to ever negotiate for her right to dream and to aspire and to thrive, and where no child is left behind.
Thank you so much.
Judges, thank you.

Khushbu talked about shaping her future, and now she's shaping the future for so many through her work as well.
And you know what I love as well?
Our finalists maybe met each other two days ago, and they have really bonded because change makers are their own champions as well.
It's lovely to see that.

Okay, our next guest has spent much of her career fighting poverty and inequality in her native Panama.
She's also an expert on mobilising business to deliver on social and environmental benefits.
Currently, she serves as Assistant Secretary-General in Latin America and the Caribbean for the UN Development Programme.
It's her first time on the Heroes of Tomorrow stage, so please make her feel welcome.

Please say hello to Michelle Msuyae.
Thank you, Rajesh.
Distinguished guests, dear friends and colleagues.
It is a real pleasure to be here in Rome to recognise the incredible finalists of the UN SDG Awards.

These finalists remind us that real progress is possible when people take action and work together to create a better future for all.
At UNDP, we are very proud to host the UN SDG Action Campaign.
We believe in the power of people to drive transformation.
In my work across Latin America and the Caribbean, I've seen firsthand the extraordinary power of communities, particularly women, to drive change, often in the most difficult circumstances.

When women lead, they don't just change their own lives; they transform communities, challenge inequalities, and open doors for next generations.
This reinforces something we believe deeply at UNDP: development is about expanding people's choices, capabilities, and opportunities so they can shape their own future and contribute to the future of their communities and the world.
And that is exactly the kind of change we're celebrating tonight.
I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Italy and Germany for their support and partnership.

And to all our finalists, let me say once again, thank you.
Thank you for what you do and for reminding us that the future is something that we create together.
Congratulations.
Thank you, Rajesh.

Thank you, Assistant Secretary-General.
I hope by now you're getting a sense of what goes into the Heroes of Tomorrow.
Each year, the SDG Action Campaign team works for months towards tonight.
And now, here we are at our final award of the evening, the Changemaker Award.

This award honours individuals who demonstrate visionary leadership and the ability to make measurable, lasting impact within their communities and beyond.
To help us announce this year's recipient, please welcome two of our judges, Brigitte Gunnawan and Lucia Silva.
Brigitte, Lucia, lovely to have you with us.
Thank you so much for joining us.

What a category to have to judge.
Brigitte, let me ask you a quick question first.
You know, you are a change maker, so you should know what one looks like.
But you're a change maker because you're an ocean advocate.

Your work itself has reached thousands of people, and then those people have reached even more.
Tell us a little bit about your change-making work.
Of course.
Thank you.

And what an inspiring night it's been.
With 30x30 Indonesia, the organisation I founded, we advocate to protect at least 30% of the world's ocean by 2030, making sure that communities understand what's being discussed in global policies.
We also founded Diversies, where we work with classrooms all around the world to make sure that ocean literacy is at the centre of education, making sure that young people and communities can protect and restore the reef that they call their backyard.
And of course, change starts when communities act and they're given and equipped with opportunities to act.

Wow.
So that's programmatic work.
It's education.
It's advocacy as well.

Change starts with communities.
Terrific, Brigitte.
Thank you so much.
Lucia, as Group Chief Sustainability Officer for Assicurazione Generale, you lead something called the SME Enterprise, which honours businesses driving positive change.

So you should know what a change maker involves.
But what do you think being a change maker takes out of someone?
What does it require from someone?
Well, look, at Generale, we promote this SME enterprise, which is really about, like, finding SMEs, entrepreneurs that embed sustainability in their core activities.

And what I've learned from them is that they have all vision, they have all courage, and they are super pragmatic.
And I have to admit that also having the honour to be a judge, to select, you know, here the champion of the future, I've learned a lot, not only on the vision that you have all, but also on the way you have been able to put in practice your vision.
This is really key and really needed.
Thank you.

Vision, courage, pragmatism.
Thank you.
I'm sure all the finalists have that vision, courage, pragmatism.
So let's meet them, because we're going to do that before we find out who's taking home the award.

There are three finalists in the Heroes of Tomorrow Change category, and their work ranges from amazing things, turning disputes into dialogue over water in Yemen, land restoration that strengthens livelihoods in Mali, and helping displaced women in Iraq.
Let's meet them one by one.
First, let's meet Ola Alakbaroui from Yemen and hear a little bit more about her work.
In TAIS Yemen, our work connects peacebuilding with public services, women, and young people.

Our local mediation brought together communities and local authorities, helping return water facilities to public management.
Our work helped in returning water flows in TAIS.
It also supported young men and women to play an effective role in the peace process in Yemen at the local and national level.
Peace begins when communities come together.

I'm proud to be one of the heroes of tomorrow.
And Ola joins us here tonight.
Welcome.
Next, let's meet and learn a little bit about Rokiatu Traoré from Mali.

I work in Mali, where lands are becoming drier every year.
Many farmers struggle with degraded soil, smaller harvests, and fewer economic opportunities.
I founded Hero Alliance to restore degraded lands and create real economic opportunities for communities in rural areas.
We work across agroforestry value chain by producing seedlings, training farmers, planting trees.

We have women and youth at the centre of our model.
We've planted so far 150,000 moringa and baobab and trained over 2,000 smallholder farmers in rural areas.
Restoring land is restoring opportunities.
I'm proud to be one of the heroes of tomorrow.

Rokiatu, so great to have you with us.
And your mother, looking equally splendid behind you as well.
Great to have you.
And last in this category, let's meet Taban Shoresh, originally from Iraq.

I was displaced as a child and rebuilt my life in the UK as a refugee.
Later, I returned to my homeland as a humanitarian, and working with displaced communities changed my life.
Later, I founded The Lotus Flower in 2016, a women-led organisation that supports women impacted by conflict and displacement.
We provide safe spaces, skills training, education, livelihoods, as well as peacebuilding programmes and mental health support.

Today, we've impacted the lives of 120,000 women and girls.
With the right opportunity and support, women and girls can become powerful agents of change in their own lives and in those of their community.
And I am so proud to be one of the heroes of tomorrow.
Yep.

And Taban is also with us.
I told you, this is truly a room full of change makers.
Okay, judges, tough time judging this category, I know.
Brigitte, would you please open the envelope and tell us who is our change maker this year?

The winner of the 2026 UN SDG Action Changemaker Award is...
Rokiatu Traoré.
Congratulations.
Wow.

This is so emotional.
Anisu, receiving this award means a lot to me.
It is more than a recognition.
It is a reminder of why I started this journey.

I dedicate this award to my late husband, who dreamed that dream with me, to my parents, whose support and unwavering support keeps me moving every day.
My mum came all the way from Mali to support me.
Mama Initie, meenipo baka priye.
To my team, Hero Alliance team, who's working day and night to keep the vision alive.

To all the farmers, to the women, to the young from the Sahel, and from everyone working toward a greener future.
Our ambition is bold and it's big.
We aim to plant 10 million trees to empower 15,000 smallholder farmers.
And this one cannot be done alone.

So I invite you all to join us to plant more trees, to empower more women, and above all, to create a future full of opportunities for communities, for today and for the future generations.
Aunite, thank you.
Congratulations.
Judges, thank you so much.

Thank you.
Great job.
Congratulations to Rokiatu and her mother.
I'm glad I introduced her to you beforehand.

As I said before, tonight is a culmination.
What a great culmination.
But tonight is a culmination of a year-long worth of work.
All year, the UN SDG Action Campaign works to lift up advocates, artists, and agents of change and give them a voice on global platforms like this and in global policy discussions as well.

None of that work is possible alone, as we've also heard.
So we're grateful for another of our key supporters, the Government of Germany.
From BMZ, which is Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, let's hear now from Katharina Stasch.
Distinguished guests, dear friends, and colleagues.

It is a great pleasure to serve as a judge for the Heroes of Tomorrow UN SDG Action Awards.
These awards send a powerful message of hope.
The heroes of tomorrow are already among us.
Through your work, you show us what is possible and inspire others to take action.

The campaign and all of you remind us of something powerful.
A better future is not something we simply hope for.
It is something we must actively shape and build together.
It is up to us to shape the future together.

I can promise Germany remains firmly committed to multilateralism, peace, human rights, and gender equality.
We are proud to support the UN SDG Action Campaign.
My warmest congratulations to all the finalists and winners.
Thank you for your courage, your determination, and inspiration.

As Katharina said, the heroes of tomorrow are among us in this room, watching at home.
Maybe you could be here next year.
We're close to the end of this year's show, but we love to lift up new voices.
So I'm delighted to bring to our global stage someone who's won many hearts in recent years with her music and her message here in Italy.

Please welcome Rochelle.
I was born by a river in a little tent.
And just like the river, I've been running ever since.
It's been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is going to come.

Oh, I hope it will.
It's been too hard to live, but I'm afraid to die because I don't know what's up there.
Beyond the sky, it's been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is going to come.
Oh, yes, it will.

I go to the movie and I go downtown, but somebody keeps telling me," Don't hang around."
It's been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is going to come.
Oh, yes, it will.
But then I go to my brother and I say, "Brother, help me please."

But if I die, knocking me back down on my knees.
There've been times that I thought I couldn't last for long, but now I think I'm able to carry on.
It's been a long, a long time coming, but I know a change is going to come.
Oh, yes, it will.

Wow.
Wow.
Rochelle, wow.
Come and join me.

Wow.
Thank you, Rochelle.
It's very overwhelming to stand here.
You're overwhelmed.

But I can hear my voice.
I can hear my voice.
Oh, now, yes.
Thank you.

Well, we certainly heard your voice.
And we were overwhelmed.
What an incredible performance that was.
Thank you.

Really amazing.
But you know what, Rochelle?
I also love your choice of song because I think that song has a really great message for tonight, because it seems to me to be about believing in something.
What do you think?

Yes.
I think believing in the first place that a change is going to come is the first gift, to be able to believe.
And personally, I live my life pretty in my room.
I'm an artist.

I'm fortunate to make art in my life.
And I've been thinking that the greatest gift I give to myself is being able to pay attention, to pay attention to moments and to the present moment.
And I dream of becoming an example with legs, a walking example, a human being that pays attention, because paying attention means being able to see, being able to see what's going on and to see what works and what's not working.
And doing this means that I can take action.

I can change a little something about myself and maybe inspire my surroundings.
And it's very overwhelming to stand here.
It feels like everything I say, it's little, but I believe that if I better myself, I can better a little the world.
Wow.

That's so wonderful.
Wonderful.
Wait.
Wait.

No, no, no.
Wait.
Thank you.
We didn't practice this, but I just want to get your sense.

You're a first time on this stage.
What is it like being here for you?
As I said, it's very overwhelming.
I've always dreamt of singing in front of the whole world.

And somehow, I feel like I've been singing in front of the whole world.
Oh, I love that.
I love that.
Okay.

We're going to do one more thing.
She's going to hate me.
Let's take a selfie.
Really?

While we have a moment.
Is that okay?
Do you mind if we take a quick selfie, everyone?
Yes.

Look, you're singing in front of the whole world.
Say hi, everyone.
Okay.
Thank you, everybody.

Rochelle.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Oh, the producers are going to kill me for doing that.

So, friends, the world has three more Heroes of Tomorrow.
Let's hear it for them again.
They join a global community championed by the UN SDG Action Campaign.
Together, they're a reminder that progress starts with people.

And we know that there are many, many more of them in every country right now.
Maybe it's you.
But you know, change makers need champions.
It's why we're here.

And I think it's why you're here too.
Yes?
Am I right?
Let's hear it.

For a final thought, as we get ready to say goodbye, let me welcome back to the stage the Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, Marina Ponti.
Marina, what a show.
What a show.
What an evening.

How are you feeling about all the stories we've heard, all the people that we've met?
I feel overwhelmed, but I also feel extremely positive and optimistic about the future.
And let me add that it was amazing to see all these inspiring women from different sectors, activists, business leaders, and artists on stage.
We don't see enough women, sadly, today.

So tonight, tonight, I think it was said by others, was another reminder of why we should never stop believing in people.
You, but everyone, I continue to believe in humankind and in people to be able to change.
But tonight is also a personal milestone for me.
It is my last ceremony before I move to the United Nations Organization leading on inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

But this is not a farewell to the purpose that has brought us together.
I will carry it forward in a different capacity with the same belief in the power to turn hope into action and action into change.
And before we close, let me thank the finalists, the winner, the judges, the performer, the speaker.
And finally, a huge thanks to Chavi and my team.

Your passion, commitment, and fearless determination have inspired me for the last eight years.
Continue the amazing work you are doing to make the SDGs impossible to ignore.
Thank you all.
Together, there's no limit to what we can change.

Thank you.
Thank you, Marina.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you to the entire SDG Action Campaign team.

And as we leave, let's have everyone who has taken part in tonight's show, let's have you all back on stage just to say a final farewell.
Come on, guys.
Don't be slow.
Come back up on stage.

Bring everything and everybody with you.
That's everyone.
The finalists, the judges, our speakers, our presenters, Sara, Zambotti, get out of that booth and come and join us on stage.
Thanks to all of you for watching wherever you are.

Remember, change starts with people like you, people like these.
Maybe you'll be one of the Heroes of Tomorrow next year.
I'm Rajesh Merchandani.
Thank you for allowing me to be your storyteller this evening.

Thank you for joining us.
And good night.