Organized by the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations at Geneva and other international organisations in Geneva.

 Awakening

The aim of the exhibition is to inspire people to confront the urgency of sustaining life on Earth for all generations to come. The approach of the exhibition is to focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for encouraging people to think globally and act locally.

The exhibition consists of 21 artworks on loan from the collection of the Canada Council Art Bank, including those by acclaimed Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau, as well as Ed Burtynsky, Michael Snow, Takao Tanabe, and Eleanor Bond.

Accompanying the exhibition is a book of essays about the SDGs. Essayists include Amina J. Mohammed (United Nations Deputy Secretary-General), Jim Kim (President, World Bank Group), Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (Executive Director, UN Women), and senior leaders from academia and the private sector, including Dominic Barton (McKinsey & Company), Paul Polman (Unilever), and Stephen Toope (University of Cambridge). The book is printed in both official languages of Canada (English and French); 3,000 copies will be made available for free.

The two proponents of the exhibition are Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Bruce Mau. Ms. Dowdeswell is the former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program and the current Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada. Mr. Mau, who is the curator of the exhibition, is a visionary, designer, innovator, and author, whose work is dedicated to applying the power of design to transform the world.

Speakers:

Michael Moller , Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva

Rosemary McCarney, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations Office at Geneva

Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of the Canadian province of Ontario

A Reception will Follow