Held in Rome on 29 October 2025, the eighth annual UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony celebrated changemakers who are transforming inequalities into opportunities and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Organized by the UN SDG Action Campaign, in partnership with Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the event drew global attention to innovation, resilience, and leadership in the face of adversity.
Selected from more than 5,500 entries across 190 countries, the winners in the categories Changemaker, Creativity, and Resilience showcased how local action can have global impact. Performances by Italian artist Diodato and Nigerian “artivist” Cill highlighted the ceremony’s spirit of unity through art and activism, underlining the power of creativity to drive social and environmental transformation.
Changemakers Redefining Leadership and Courage
In a rare tie, the Changemaker Award recognized two extraordinary individuals. Human rights advocate Julienne Lusenge was honored for her decades-long commitment to defending women’s rights and promoting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Accepting on her behalf, Sandrine Lusamba stated, “I thank the UN SDG Action Campaign on behalf of all Congolese women, girls, men and boys who fight every day for peace, justice and their dignity”.
The second award went to Jîn Dawod, a Syrian refugee who founded a mental health platform offering psychological support to thousands of displaced people. In her speech, Dawod shared a message of hope: “I wish I could have told my younger self that she would stand in light and turn that pain into purpose. Everyone who is in their weakest and darkest point in their life, I am your message from the future.”
These stories embody the essence of the UN SDG Action Awards—transforming personal struggle into collective empowerment and proving that compassion can be a catalyst for global change.
Innovation and Resilience at the Heart of Sustainable Development
The Creativity Award went to Smartel Agri-Tech of Nigeria, a startup addressing the country’s food insecurity—where 33 million people face acute hunger—through hydroponic systems, a soil-free farming method that creates sustainable livelihoods for women and youth. Founder Smart Israel urged young innovators to act boldly: “We are the bridge between the failures of the past and the blessings of the future. Build with compassion, innovate with love”.
The Resilience Award was presented to CUFA (Unified Central of Favelas), a Brazilian organization transforming marginalized urban areas into hubs of creativity, entrepreneurship, and education. Representing CUFA, Marcus Vinícius Athayde emphasized community-driven development: “CUFA is about giving support and opportunities to communities, kids, women and men. We want everyone to live without poverty and inequality.”
An Honourable Mention went to UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign, a decade-long global effort to end statelessness. Formerly stateless advocate Maha Mamo shared her experience: “Statelessness is an invisible cage. You have dreams, potential, and so much to give yet you’re deprived of basic rights. UNHCR’s campaign gave me identity, nationality, and a home”.
A Global Call to Action
Closing the ceremony, Marina Ponti, Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, reminded the audience that collective action remains essential: “We can all be heroes of tomorrow. Let’s not be frozen by the weight of inequality. Let’s be moved by the power of possibility. Because the future is not something we inherit—it’s something we shape together”.
As the world enters the final stretch toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the 2025 UN SDG Action Awards underscored a vital truth: from the favelas of Brazil to refugee camps in the Middle East, from innovation hubs in Africa to advocacy movements in Europe, real change begins when vision becomes action.
Cover: photo UN SDG Action Campaign / Edwin Nyaika