This bonus episode features an episode of Business Extra by The National AE where Global GoalsCast co-host Edie Lush and Business Extra co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi discuss the Sustainable Development Goals which are large-scale, ambitious and inspiring. They are also changing the way we seek out investment opportunities as we move to meet this defined future with over $12 trillion up for grabs for the private sector according to the UNDP.  The podcast was produced as part of The National’s Future Forum initiative which will examine how advancements in technology and societal developments will impact our future, and also coincides with The National’s tenth anniversary.

The fight to end extreme poverty is one of the great success stories in the modern world as more than a billion people have risen out of extreme poverty since 1990. SDG #1 is to eliminate all extreme poverty by 2030, yet as the date gets closer the work gets harder. The Gates Foundation Goalkeepers annual report states the worst poverty is increasingly concentrated in the places least able to fight it, especially countries south of the Sahara. In this episode, Bill Gates shares his surprising projection numbers and Dr Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi, President Emmanuel Macron, and other guests, share their ideas for how we can take increased action in the fight to end extreme poverty. Finally, hear how our sponsor, Cisco, uses their technology and expertise to accelerate global problem solving to benefit people, society, and the planet and to create an inclusive digital economy.

In this episode, we share the newly-launched results of the Hispanic Sentiment Survey, showing how Hispanics are the main driver for the middle class in America, and yet underestimate their own contributions.  Latinos are launching more new businesses, achieving higher levels of education, and reaching the C-suite of Fortune 500 companies in greater numbers than ever, but more than three-quarters of Latinos recently surveyed were surprised by at least one of these and other well-documented facts, as reported by the We Are All Human Foundation. Listen and understand how the time is now for perceptions to catch up with the many significant contributions being made by the Hispanic community in the U.S. 

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will make the world a better place for all, but the world cannot reach these goals without the active energy and new thinking of young people. Edie Lush and Claudia Romo Edelman explore that idea in this episode about youth and political activism. Speaking to young people on every continent, they find a strong desire to team up with friends to solve social problems, though, they also hear concerns about “clicktivism,” a tendency to confuse expressing a desire for action on social media with real action. This episode touches on the increasing role of young women as leaders and the shapers of agendas, including more attention to issues of concern to women, such as menstrual health, as well as efforts to bring more women into politics and governing. Also, hear how our sponsor, Cisco, introduces you to a valuable resource for youth, Global Problem Solvers: The Series.

Even here in the 21stCentury human beings are still enslaved by other human beings. Hard to believe? Listen to HRH Princess Eugenie of York and her friend and colleague, Julia de Boinville, describe their campaign to stem the scourge of Modern slavery. An estimated 40 million people, many of them women and children, are sold into bondage for sex or labor. The ISIS slave market described by Princess Eugenie may sound much like slave markets of old, but modern slavery can look very different from what you imagine from history. Modern slaves often work in domestic labor or even cleaning offices. They walk among us, explains Ms de Boinville. Edie Lush points out that Sustainable Development Goal eight calls for ending slavery by 2030, as part of creating proper working conditions for all. Princess Eugenie urges every one to play a role by asking how your food and services are brought to you, especially if they seem surprisingly inexpensive. Unquestioning consumers help make Slave labor hugely profitable for businesses who get away with it.

On this episode of Global GoalsCast, UN Foundation is taking over to discuss SDG progress, specifically in regards the High Level Political Forum, or HLPF, an event where country representatives come from all over the world to share the progress they are making on the Sustainable Development Goals.  From Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer of the UN Foundation, on this episode, he states: 'where I hope we are in 2020 is that we have not only identified what are the key blockers, the key transformative issues, and the key questions that we need to solve by that time to really accelerate SDG progress, But we're well on the way to solving. Because we want to kind of make sure that people keep on track. Now we've made it three years in [to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change]. There is progress. We need to do more. But you know what? As a Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed said 'we can do this and we have to do this.'

In the developed world, refugees are often viewed as a menace or a burden. That is just one of the myths busted in this episode of the Global Goalscast. For one thing, nine out of ten refugees don’t come to the developed world. They flee from one poor country to another. For another, in many of those countries, innovative thinking has turned refugees into an opportunity to develop the economy and make life better for both newcomers and their hosts. Uganda gives out land to refugees. Kakuma Camp in Kenya creates business and agriculture zones where hosts and refugees can work together. Edie Lush and Claudia Romo Edelman talk to the International Rescue Committee, UNHCR, Western Union and others about this urgent topic. Urgent because in the years to come the number of displaced persons will climb as climate change adds to the disruption.

The Sustainable Development Goals have excited the creative industry - fierce rivals in marketing and communications have found common ground to tackle the world’s biggest challenges.  In its June 2018 Episode, Global GoalsCast will explore the stories behind the partnerships that have resulted in some surprising changes in consumer behaviour.  We’ll also examine how the new Sustainable Development Goals Lion with Cannes Lions and initiatives by creative forces such as SAWA are increasing attention on the Global Goals. Partnerships forged for good are partnerships that create positive change. 

Continue the Green Miniseries with a disheartened Robert Swan on the South Pole. After a sunken boat, $1.2M debt, and a questionable promise, discover the friendship that restores his vigor to become the first man to walk to both the North and South Poles. Meet his son Barney and hear how their bond grows as they develop a mission to protect the planet. Joined by British Antarctic Survey’s Jon Shanklin and NASA IceBridge’s Nathan Kurtz, our hosts dig into the realities that fueled Robert’s crusade.

Look into the career of explorer, Robert Swan to hear how human vulnerability reflects the Earth's fragility through his previous expeditions to the North and South poles and the inspiration they had on his passion towards climate action and the preservation of Antarctica. Robert then reflects on the experiences of great historical explorer Robert Falcon Scott who attempted a journey to the South Pole in the early 20th century.  Also, hear how climate change affects Antarctica and the whole planet, from sea levels rising in Fiji to commercial extinction threatening the global shrimp population.