UN Public Diplomacy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Abstract

The great transformation in information technologies, the rise of the new media and new actors in international relations have evoked new dimensions and practices within diplomacy, and as the world’s biggest intergovernmental organization with its 193 members, the United Nations (UN) also tries to adapt itself to the new diplomatic climate. The UN has always been a hub of diplomatic practices, yet in recent years the organization has transitioned in a way that empowered public diplomacy tools to be used more effectively. In 2013, the UN introduced the “Global Conversation” initiative, that enabled people around the world to have the chance and opportunity to influence the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030. The SDGs are designed as “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The new initiatives of the UN like Together, Model UN, SDG Action Campaign, SDG Media Compact seek to get more stakeholders and individuals involved in the processes, attempting to build coalitions of member states, private sector, civil society representatives, media and individuals. This paper will analyze the relation between SDGs and UN public diplomacy, considering the current public diplomacy approach and discuss how the UN rebrands itself through the SDGs.