The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015, represent an action plan to tackle global challenges by 2030. The SDGs comprise a total of 17 goals including: ending poverty in all forms, fighting against inequality and addressing climate change, each of which sets specific targets for action or reduction. The achievement of those goals requires the participation of all countries of the world, as well as every individual living in those countries. (Please visit http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ for more information about the SDGs.)

In this connection, we are pleased to announce that the United Nations Information Centre Tokyo will co-organize with Sophia University a photo contest for graduate, undergraduate and college students (not limited to those residing in Japan) on the theme “My View on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” with the cooperation of Getty Images. Photos may be taken in Japan or overseas. You can select one of the Goals in which you are interested, and express what you feel in a photograph.

We welcome conceptual and creative photos faithfully reflecting your own perspective, rather than journalistic works designed to tell stories and advance a particular agenda. Thus, you are encouraged to ask yourself: What can I do to change the world? How would the forward-looking Goals affect my behaviour and attitude? How can I raise awareness among my friends, family and community members, and urge them to take action? Your ideas on these questions will be the key to achieving the SDGs.

The photo contest is not a charity for the benefit of developing countries. Rather, its theme encourages students to “reflect on the Sustainable Development Goals, communicate their feelings in a photograph and share it with many other people.” We will invite the participation of a wide range of students, particularly those in the more than 40 Japanese universities, including Sophia University, participating in the UN Academic Impact, a partnership between the United Nations and institutions of higher education.

We look forward to your participation in the upcoming photo contest. Please note that the contest will be held as part of the project marking 60 years of Japan’s membership in the United Nations. For more information, visit http://competitions.gettyimages.com/en/competitions/sustainabledevelopment/the-brief#.Vr1BVmdf2fB .

Getty Images:

The most trusted and esteemed source of visual content in the world, with almost 200 million  assets available through its industry-leading sites www.gettyimages.com and www.istock.com. The Getty Images website serves creative, business and media customers in almost 200 countries and is the first place people turn to discover, purchase and share powerful content from the world’s best photographers and videographers.

Sophia University:

An educational community dedicated to developing human resources capable of actively contributing from a global point of view to solving such contemporary issues as poverty, starvation, the environment and discrimination, while at the same time responding to the needs of the times for new knowledge and wisdom. The university is a Member of the United Nations Academic Impact and Global Compact. It organizes “UN Week” every June and October, and has held the UN Photo Exhibitions, including the one on People and on Landmines, the UN Essay Contest and talk sessions by UN officials.