Dear friends and colleagues.

Firstly, a warm welcome to the many who have signed up to this newsletter and the latest from  from Museum for the United Nations - UN Live.

We have quite a couple of exciting updates this time, looking back at UN Live’s September experience at UN General Assembly, Summit for the Future and NYC Climate Week, and looking ahead to our presence at the upcoming Biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia, where Sounds Right and ‘NATURE’ the artist’s will take main stage being featured in musical performances, soundscape installations, and announcing the first allocation of the Sounds Right fund to biodiversity conservation projects.

You will also find the usual inspiration section from the UN Live team of podcasts, articles, films and more at the end of the newsletter.

Launch of the Sounds Right Fund at Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia this week

Photo: Sounds Right LinkedIn post with details of activities during COP16

As the steep loss of biodiversity continues to threaten life on Earth, the urgency to act is now. During a gathering in Bogotá, 2019, Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, VozTerra, musicians, sound recorders, strategists, environmentalists, and conservationists, asked themselves a vital question: how can we inspire people to take action for nature?

Five years later, the question has been answered through the Sounds Right initiative, an innovative mechanism that recognises the value of nature, raises funds for conservation and inspires millions of fans to take action through the power of music.

This week, UN Live, VozTerra and other Sounds Right partners are back in Colombia at the biodiversity COP 16 in Cali. In addition to being on various panels, we will host a press conference for the Sounds Right fund and its first allocations, which will be directed to critical ecosystems amidst the biodiversity crisis. The launch of the fund will be followed by a Colombian soundscape installation and concert to celebrate NATURE becoming an official artist and reaching the first nearly 70 millions streams. The concert will feature high-profile performances with and for NATURE with Aterciopelados, Simon Mejía and surprise Sounds Right artists & DJs at the iconic Jaguara stage.

For live updates from COP16, follow @museumfortheun and @soundsright.earth.

Stay tuned for the 24th October, as seven new tracks featuring NATURE will be released, in the ongoing effort to continue to raise funds for conservation and engage the public about the value of nature. See a teaser of one of the songs being released here.

Call for Nominations: Culture for Impact

Are you an individual or organisation that drives social impact through arts and culture? Or perhaps you know someone whose popular culture for impact work deserves a spotlight? Nominate, and help us celebrate impact and creativity with the UN Live Culture for Impact List 2024!

Photo: Learn more and nominate your initiative here.

In UN Live’s annual Culture for Impact list, we highlight extraordinary initiatives from 2024 that showcases the power of arts and popular culture for positive global change. From fine arts to food, film, music, literature, sports and more—we want your nominations!

Selection Criteria:

• Culture Innovation: Pioneering the use of popular culture for societal change.

• Genre Diversity: Inclusive creative expressions across genres.

• Topic Versatility: Addressing diverse issues with adaptable approaches.

• Global Inclusivity: Highlighting global cultural impact and representation.

• Dual Impact: Celebrating both large-scale and grassroots cultural change. The nominated initiatives can address any of the UN’s SDGs, but the focus should be on their social impact.

Please help us spread spread the word! Share this call with cultural leaders, artists, thinkers, and changemakers worldwide. You can find the assets for sharing on your own social media here.

Deadline: October 31

Nominate your initiative here.

What Does a Flourishing Future Look Like? With ‘Global We’ and C40 at the 15th New York Climate Week

Photo: Global We participants in Mexico City, Mexico

UN Live had a fantastic experience at Climate Week New York, where we in collaboration with C40 Cities connected thought leaders, global leaders, youth activists, and artists from across the globe to discuss the theme “Flourishing” through a series of Global We conversations. 

Participants moved beyond abstract hopes and dreams, thoughtfully outlining detailed ways of living sustainable, balanced lives with themselves, their communities and nature. Fernando Villalobos, a young activist from Mexico City, described the experience as “An incredible thing. I loved being able to talk, to get to know all these different stories, it fills you up a lot and it's a testament of every part of the world.”

David Miller, ex-mayor of Toronto, described his experience as “a powerful conversation because we had such a diverse group of voices who were heard and will hopefully be acted on.” 

Through these conversations, participants explored the theme of flourishing across different intersections, through the lens of spirituality, inclusion, and technology to name a few. 

“The portal reminded me, no matter where we are on this planet and no matter what we do for a living, we can all come together for a common cause.” Said Jodi Lewchuk, Editor at the University of Toronto Press. 

Following the conversations, participants and the UN Live team left the dialogues with a sense of inspiration and hope for building a flourishing future for all. Read more about the conversations here.

As part of the project ‘The Future Thanks You’, UN Live’s Global We team also facilitated interviews and Global We conversations together with Purpose. The goal is to help envision what a brighter, better future could look like if everyone works together to achieve our visualised ideal futures. Outcomes from this project will be available on a curated platform soon in the form of heartfelt, inspiring interviews and perspectives, so stay tuned.

The Power of Music for Our Planet: Sounds Right at UNGA and Climate Week NYC

Photo: Maher Nasser, Madame Gandhi, Hanna Grahn and Katja Iversen

During the UN General Assembly and Climate Week in New York, Museum for the United Nations - UN Live and Sounds Right partners were present to reinforce the power of music as a vehicle of change and engage the many people at the United Nations’s SDG Media Zone, in the panel discussion: “Harnessing the Power of Music for the Planet” moderated by Maher Nasser. Katja Iversen, UN Live’s CEO, Madame Gandhi, multi-artist and musician, and Hanna Grahn, Sustainability Lead at Spotify, discussed the initiative’s efforts.

One of Sounds Right’s newest collaborators, Madame Gandhi, prefaced her performance with the questions, “How do you feel when you listen to nature sounds? Do you feel just a little bit more inspired to be an agent of change?” While she allowed the audience some time to ponder this, she performed her song ‘In Purpose’ featuring NATURE on stage for the audience in the room and those watching online. Other music released in collaboration with NATURE came from ONR and Peter Hall using soundscapes recorded by Biophonica.

Watch the full panel discussion on UN Web TV here.

Music and nature conservation were also in focus when UN Live together with Goal House, Earth Percent, Superorganism and Spotify hosted a NATURE night at the Ethics House, where the crowd got to experience Donna Grantis and ONR perform their Feat. NATURE songs. Find the new Feat. NATURE releases here.

What we are reading

The Creative Act: A Way of Being. From the music producer Rick Rubin, helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity.

Artivism: a powerful tool in the struggle for equality and justice. Op-ed on the power of artivism from the Inaugural Artivism Conference held in South Africa in early September 2024, where UN Live participated. You can also watch a recap of the first day.

What we are watching and listening to

Sea Change Project’s latest short film Mother Nature in the Boardroom: narrated by Craig Foster and featuring Dr Jane Goodall, has an urgent message for decision makers: provide a seat at your boardroom table for Mother Nature. 

George the poet: A London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage. His innovative brand of musical poetry has won him critical acclaim both as a recording artist and a social commentator.

Ted Lasso: A heartwarming comedy series about a football coach who inspires a struggling English soccer team with positivity and kindness.