By PAGE Editor

Fashion 4 Development (F4D) in partnership with Human Kind Institute hosted the Third Annual Sustainable Goals Banquet on Monday, September 18th during the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The evening’s theme was Healthier People, Healthier Planet with cost-hosts F4D Founder and HKI Director Evie Evangelou and Princess Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. 

Held at 583 Park Avenue, the night welcomed World Leaders, UN ambassadors, VIPs, fashion industry leaders, political influencers, diplomats and prominent climate change spokespeople including Thebe Magugu, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Miss USA Morgan Romano, Freddie Toye, Stewart Parvin, Rachel Trevor-Morgan, Jean Shafiroff, Daniel Stock, and Adrien Lesser, to support both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the efforts of both organizations to promote positive strategies for sustainable economic growth.

Evie Evangelou began the night’s program by welcoming everyone and introducing the Honorable Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, who was awarded the Human Kind Institute Impact through Food Award. 

He stated, “No one wants to engage in the conversation of the over-proliferation of meat in our diet. How it’s hurting our impact. We'll talk about carbon emission that comes out of buildings, but we don't want to deal with the carbon emission that comes out of the overuse of food and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest to get more feed and more cattle. We need to be honest during this moment. If we want to tackle this problem, we must stop poisoning the mother that gave birth to us and stop poisoning the mother that sustained us.”

Adams continued, “We have great organizations like this team here under our leadership of Kate MacKenzie. We have meatless Mondays in school, Plant Power Fridays in our schools, and in our hospitals, we have plant-powered food as a deep-form menu. We are looking at how we use our dollars to purchase food in a real way. And even the clothing that we wear. We want to lead the way in this city.”`

Throughout the evening agents of change took to the stage to receive their Human Kind Awards (HKI) for their unwavering efforts toward sustainability, addressing food security, extreme poverty, education, preservation of culture, and the empowerment of women and children. 

Jillian Wolf then welcomed Jasmina Bojic, the Founder and Executive Director of the United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), who was honored with the Impact Through Film Human Kind Award. UNAFF was founded in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year’s theme Solutions continues its enduring devotion to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, with an emphasis on strategies offering solutions to the world’s current problems with a focus on climate change.   

Honorees Ingmar Rentzhog, CEO & Founder, and President Dr. Sweta Chakraborty of WDHT (We Don’t Have Time), were presented with the Impact Through Media Human Kind Award. We Don’t Have Time leverages the power of social media to hold leaders and companies accountable for climate change. Dr. Chakraborty, a globally recognized risk and behavioral scientist, spoke about how fashion draws people in and this is the catalyst for talking about sustainability, serving as a key component to the bigger picture of transitioning to clean energy.  

Princess Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein then introduced Dr. Marcelo Carvalho de Andrade, the founder of Pro Natura in Brazil, who announced the launch of one of the largest global events in the world, the Gaia World Games in Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Dr. Carvalho de Andrade noted, “One of the cornerstone strategies is to have the inclusion of the original population, original people, small producers and yet bringing in production to one of the most important places in the world.” He presented Otaviano Olavo Pivetta, Vice-Governor of Mato Grosso, and Mauren Lazzaretti, State Secretary Of The Environment of Mato Grosso with the Human Kind Award for Environmental Impact. 

Midway through the evening, guests enjoyed a stunning samba dance performance by Ahtoy Juliana and Edwin Tolentino.  

Following the performance, Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Sami Bahouspresented the Gender Champion Human Kind Award to the President of Malawi, H.E. Mr. Lazarus Chakwera. President Chakwera spoke about the beauty of Malawi and its tourism industry, allowing it to showcase its magnificence to the world. He discussed how their investment in the tourism sector is part of Malawi’s strategy to boost economic productivity along with investments in agriculture and mining.

He congratulated the women of Malawi, noting that sustainable development could not be possible without the work of his country’s female artisans. “In every circle of economy, we cannot talk about sustainable development without thinking about the monetization of the contributions of women and girls so that their efforts result in their empowerment.”

Dr. Ramon Tallaj, the Founder and Chairman of SOMOS Community Care, was next to be honored for his achievements in healthcare with the Public Health and Community Service Human Kind Award. Dr. Tallaj works with 2,500 doctors across New York City and was instrumental during the pandemic, administering over two million vaccines to underserved communities.

He spoke about his lifelong dedication to healthcare and the inequality he saw with resources in these communities, even noting that one of his patients was honoree Mayor Adams, who worked with SOMOS doctors to overcome diabetes. He addressed the importance of issues like childhood obesity and the overall health of future generations in New York and around the globe. 

 Top Italian model Bianca Balti, who has graced the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, shared a personal experience with genomics, noting her first mammogram experience and discovering she had the BRCA1 gene. She went on to speak about her double preventative mastectomy and how vitally important checkups and caring for one's health is at this time. She urged the guests not to fear genetic testing. 

The night’s final award served as a tribute to the late Franca Sozzani, Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue, where both Sozanni’s son film director/photographer Francesco Carrozzini, and Dr. Robert Green were honored for their work with The Franca Fund. The Franca Sozzani Fund for Preventive Genomics was established to leverage evidence and advocacy around preventive genomics so that everyone, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic background, may discover personalized strategies to promote health.

Dr. Green noted, “In my research at Harvard Medical School, we've determined that 15% of the people in this room are carrying a dangerous mutation in your D.N.A. He continued, “Help communicate away from the fear of genetic testing and toward the opportunity for genetic testing for yourself, your children, and the world because this is going to change medicine as you know it.”

The night culminated in a breathtaking performance by Emanne Beasha, a finalist on season 14 of America’s Got Talent, who performed the classic “Nessun Dorma.”

F4D and HKI Awards created exclusively by Toye, Kenning & Spencer, founded in 1685 and with a Royal Warrant of Appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Toye, Kenning & Spencer is the leading and most diversified craft skills employer in the United Kingdom. To learn more about F4D, please visit: http://www.fashion4development.com

The Human Kind Institute (HKI) founded by Lola Tillyaeva exists to liberate creative minds and fuel imagination. Before technology, before material outcomes, it is our shared consciousness and mutual benevolence that will guide us towards a positive future. By bridging the gap between art and technology, spirituality, and science, we will encourage evolutions in education and sustainable lifestyle practices. Through a key focus on wellbeing, we will encourage, and nurture healthy mindsets fit for the challenge ahead.

Fashion 4 Development

Fashion 4 Development (F4D) is a private sector global platform founded by Evie Evangelou in January 2011 in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and “Every Woman, Every Child”. F4D builds upon the core leadership principles of the 4E's: Educate, Empower, Enhance, and Enrich, and activates partnerships that promote the Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Industries, advance economic and social development activities, preserve culture and empower women. In 2015 F4D committed to support the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and place a significant focus on sustainable lifestyle practices for a healthier world. Fashion 4 Development’s tagline - “Giving Back is the New Luxury” – and its message to promote positive social change are being received with open arms around the world, with initiatives in over 20 countries.

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