GFDD Boards the Peace Boat for a “Floating Festival for Sustainability” in New York

On Thursday, GFDD boarded the world’s largest passenger ship sailing around the world for peace, sustainability and innovation as it docked in New York City for two days (October 20-21) as part of Peace Boat’s 92nd Global Voyage for Peace.

Established in 1983, the award-winning international non-profit organization Peace Boat has Special Consultative Status
with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and is associated with the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). As part of this cooperation, a "Floating Festival for Sustainability" was held on the evening of October 20. This very special evening included presentations, music, exhibitions, cultural performances and an Eco-Fashion show.

The event was an opportunity to highlight the partnership between UN, diplomatic and civil society actors in promoting and advancing
the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). GFDD’s UN Programs & Outreach Manager, Marc Jourdan, exchanged ideas with some of the speakers present at the event including speakers Ambassador of the Maldives and Chairman of the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) H.E. Ahmed Sareer and Peace Boat Director and sustainability role model Yoshioka Tatsuya.

Other speakers included the United Nations Deputy Secretary General H.E. Jan Eliasson,
Chief NGO Relations Advocacy and Special Events, Outreach Division, United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) Jeff Brez, and Cora Weiss of the Hague Appeal for Peace.

During the event, Peace Boat introduced its Ecoship Project, the world’s most sustainable cruise ship which plans to sail in 2020 as a flagship for climate action.

A campaigner for the
SDGs
Peace Boat is a committed campaigner for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and with the cooperation of the UN DPI it launched a huge Global Goals logo on the hull of its ship at the departure of the 92nd Global Voyage from Japan on August 18, 2016. This logo is now travelling around the world to promote the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the SDGs throughout a three-month journey, travelling to 25 ports during this voyage, and more than 80 countries
around the world annually. The onboard festival will be a celebration of the launch of this campaign and its global impact.

Climate Change and Disaster Relief
Peace Boat has been working to assist disaster-affected people and strengthen disaster resilience of communities in Japan and around the world since 2011. This work has highlighted how global warming causes devastation, particularly threatening small islands states. The most recent
manifestation of this is Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. Peace Boat is now preparing to launch efforts to help those affected, in partnership with New York-based group World Cares Center.

Atomic bomb survivors speak at the UN
Peace Boat’s visit to New York City also coincides with the United Nations First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. As part of Peace Boat’s commitment to creating a nuclear-free world,
five atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are travelling with the ship from Japan and will speak at various side events in addition to yesterday’s onboard event, including at the United Nations and at schools in New York City.

Related links:
http://peaceboat.org/english/?menu=46
http://ecoship-pb.com/