VIENNA, 17 February 2025 – The documentary “The Agreement”, is about the power of the goals as common ambitions for all people in all countries, showing both behind the scenes and public snapshots of international policymaking. Intertwining a mix of interviews and footage capturing key players, it depicts the perspectives of many different stakeholders as they worked tirelessly to forge global agreement.
Following the screening, a discussion with invited panelists took place, moderated by Sonja Wintersberger, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna.
Ambassador Martin Sajdik, former Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations in New York, shared his experience on the challenges of multilateral diplomacy and finding consensus. “In negotiations you also live with frustration, and you go through moments when you have to accept that there are some forces that want other outcomes.”
Monika Froehler, Chief Executive Officer of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, emphasized the importance of hope for the future, fostering global leadership and supporting young changemakers: “We need global citizen leaders, of no specific sector, who have humanity at large in their hearts.”
Markus Woltran, Programme Officer of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), spoke about the importance of outer space for the SDGs: “It's obviously difficult to sell outer space as a necessary piece for the implementation of the SDGs. However, when you look at the 17 goals and 169 targets, you will come to see that more than 50 per cent rely on outer space technology.”
Several participants asked questions about current geopolitical developments and their impact on the SDGs. Froehler called on everyone as global citizens to keep the SDGs in public view: “We are in a complex world; it is incredibly difficult to ignore what is going on right now. But if you share the solutions and ideas of those that have done amazing work towards the completion of the SDGs, then you are directly doing your part as global citizens.”
