sdg advocates EMERITUS
SDG Advocates Emeritus are former SDG Advocates who are committed to generating awareness and catalyzing political will and action to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
Co-Chair Emeritus President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Elected President of Ghana in December 2016, President Akufo-Addo has been involved in Ghanaian politics since the 1970s. In the 1990s, he formed a civil rights organization called Ghana’s Committee on Human and People’s Rights. President Akufo-Addo received the Mother Theresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice in 2016 for sacrificing political ambitions for the sake of national peace and reconciliation.
Co-Chair Emeritus Former Prime Minister Erna Solberg
Erna Solberg has been the leader of the Conservative Party of Norway since 2004 and has held the position as Prime Minister from 2013 to 2021. Since 2014, she has co-chaired the UN Secretary General’s Advocacy group for global goals - the Millennium Development Goals, followed by the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ambassador Dho Young-shim
Chair of the Advocates Alumni
Ambassador Dho is the Chairperson of UN World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty Foundation. From 2005-2006, she served as Ambassador of Tourism and Sports for the Republic of Korea. Ambassador Dho held many high-level positions in the Republic of Korea from 1985-2006.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
HRH is the the heir to the Swedish throne. In 1997 she established the Crown Princess Victoria’s Fund which provides support to children with functional disabilities or chronic illness. HRH has studied Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Yale University, and Uppsala University.
Leymah Gbowee
Founder of Gbowee Peace Foundation, Ms. Gbowee was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to help end the Second Liberian Civil War and for working for the safety and participation of women. She was born in Liberia and is currently a residence scholar at Union Seminary in New York.
Shakira Mebarak
A Grammy-winning Colombian singer/songwriter and philanthropist, Ms. Mebarak is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. At 18, Ms. Mebarak founded the Pies Descalzos Foundation, a charity with six state of the art schools supporting displaced and underprivileged children in Colombia. Ms. Mebarak is also the Co-Founder of ALAS which has built over 35 early childhood development centers in Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico.
Jack Ma
An entrepreneur, leading philanthropist and a teacher. Ma is lead founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, the world’s largest online and mobile commerce company. He is also founder of the Jack Ma Foundation which focuses on environment protection and conservancy, education, and development of the philanthropic sector.
Lionel Messi
Mr. Messi is forward and captain of the Argentina national football team and the Spanish club Barcelona. Mr. Messi was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010. He is focused on campaigns supporting HIV prevention, education, and the social inclusion of disabled children. Mr. Messi founded the Leo Messi Foundation supporting access to health care, education, and sport for children.
Dr. Alaa Murabit
A medical doctor, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross recipient and a UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment & Economic Growth. With a strong focus on challenging societal and cultural norms, Dr.Murabit champions women’s participation in peace processes and conflict mediation as well as the role of local leaders to implement peace and security. Alaa previously founded and spearheaded The Voice of Libyan Women at the age of 21.
Nadia Murad
Ms. Murad is a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict. She is the Chairman and President of Nadia’s Initiative, an organization dedicated to rebuilding the lives of those affected by mass atrocities and human trafficking. As United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, much of Ms. Murad’s work focuses on meeting with global leaders to raise awareness about Daesh and its genocidal campaign against the Yazidi people.
Paul Polman
Business leader, campaigner, co-author of Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take a Financial Times Business Book of the Year.
Paul Polman works to accelerate action by business to tackle climate change and inequality. As CEO of Unilever (2009-2019), he demonstrated that business can profit through purpose, delivering shareholder returns of 290% while the company consistently ranked 1st in the world for sustainability. Today he works across a range of organisations to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which he helped develop.
Marta Vieira da Silva
Marta Vieira da Silva is a Brazilian football player for Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States as well as on the Brazil national team. She is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for women and girls in sport, recognized for her lifelong commitment to challenging stereotypes, overcoming barriers, and inspiring other women and girls to do the same. Marta is widely regarded as the best female football player of all time, named FIFA World Player of the Year six times and winning the silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics
Muhammad Yunus
Professor Yunus is the Founder of Grameen Bank, pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance and receiving a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts to eradicate poverty and inequality. Born in Bangladesh, Prof. Yunus has a Ph.D in economics. He has served on the Global Commission of Women’s Health, the Advisory Council for Sustainable Economic Development, and the UN Expert Group on Women in Finance.