Project 17

About Project 17

Seventeen 17-year-olds tell us what they want from the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Publisher

BBC World Service

Category

science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jan 2021

Latest episode

15 May 2021

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 May 2021

   Goal 17: Partnerships

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Houssam Mehfara lives in the Lebanese capital Beirut. He wants to become a lawyer, but he’s wondering what future there is for him in Lebanon. His country is stuck in economic and political crisis and Houssam and his friends believe that Lebanon’s sectarian political system is to blame. He asks whether the "partnerships" envisaged under the SDGs can make a difference - what the UN calls all hands on deck - government, NGOs, business, academia and others all working together to bring change. Houssam finds some inspiring examples of partnerships in Lebanon. But despite this, poverty levels have dramatically increased in the last few years and many of Houssam’s friends plan to go abroad. Houssam must decide whether to join them and leave the country he loves. Presenter: Sana Safi Producers: Rob Walker and Farah Chaya Project 17 was produced in partnership with The Open University.

2. 

   8 May 2021

   Goal 16: Peace and justice

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Israel is a member of the Otomi indigenous community. He lives in Mexico City but he faces police harassment when he works selling sweets and cigarettes on the streets of the capital. For Project 17 Israel went to meet an Otomi woman who was arrested and sent to jail after being picked up by the police - and he talks to indigenous activists fighting for equal access to justice for all Mexicans. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Tim Mansel Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University

3. 

   30 Apr 2021

   Goal 15: Life on land

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. “We're not going to be able to feed future generations if we don't fix this problem” says the chief scientist at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Barron Orr. He says cutting down trees and planting the wrong crops in the wrong place, mean it’s becoming harder and harder to grow food. In Morocco’s dry regions, climate change has compounded the problem. Seventeen-year-old Afrae Boutoub hears how life is getting harder for her family living on the edge of the desert in Errachidia and meets the people who are fighting for the survival of Morocco’s oases. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Phoebe Keane Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University.

4. 

   24 Apr 2021

   Goal 14: Life under water

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Hereiti File tells how rising sea levels and ocean pollution are affecting life on the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. She takes a trip out to the coral reef and sees first hand the damage that has been done. But she also meets people who are working hard to reverse some of the damage. Her uncle’s job as a fisherman is threatened by a decline in fish numbers so she asks the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, what he’s doing to ensure people have enough food and are prepared for a future where some of their islands are uninhabitable. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer Phoebe Keane Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University.

5. 

   17 Apr 2021

   Goal 13: Action on climate change

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries to tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Australia’s most intense bush fire season changed 17-year-old Ashlee’s life. She lives in a town called Mallacoota, in one of the worst-hit areas, where many people lost their homes. Images were beamed around the world of people cowering on beaches under a red sky. The bush fire season from 2019-2020 burned through 24 million hectares of land, 3,000 homes were lost. Scientists say the impacts of climate change are contributing to longer and more severe bush fire seasons, so Ashlee wants to find out how her country is being affected and what action is being taken to get global warming under control. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Phoebe Keane Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University

6. 

   9 Apr 2021

   Goal 12: Responsible consumption

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Singapore imports 90% of its food and 744,000 tonnes of this ends up as food waste. Seventeen-year-old Shan wants to find out what might be some of the solutions. "I really had my eyes opened to just the sheer scale of food wastage within Singapore. I hope that this can serve as a symbol and an inspiration for young people and for everyone out there to play their part and contribute as well as they can to tackling issues related to sustainability for a better tomorrow and for a better future for all of us." Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Joe Kent and Nick Marsh Project 17 is produced in partnership with the Open University

7. 

   3 Apr 2021

   The UN Deputy Secretary General

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. This week, to coincide with the UN's Youth Forum, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has answered questions from four of Project 17's teenagers. Yolanda Nazo, Hereiti File, Sahar Beg and Lanre Adeleye have all made programmes with the BBC about different goals. Now they get to hear from a world leader about what's being done to make change happen - and they are asked by Amina Mohammed what they are doing to make a difference. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Joe Kent Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University

8. 

   27 Mar 2021

   Goal 11: Sustainable cities

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Elvis Bonam lives in a slum called Agbogbloshie in Ghana's capital city, Accra. The settlement is close to a huge rubbish dump. It is crowded and noisy and Elvis has to pay to use a rickety bridge over a lagoon to get to school because there are few paved roads in Agbogbloshie. He shows us round his home and tries to find out how cities can be made more sustainable. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Joe Kent Project 17 is made in partnership with The Open University.

9. 

   20 Mar 2021

   Goal 10: Reducing inequality

   In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Monet Wimbish lives in the US city of Baltimore. She hopes to go to university and become a nurse. But as an African American student, born in a low income neighbourhood, she knows she faces many challenges if she is to finish her education and get a good job. Monet takes us on a tour of Baltimore and investigates why there are such starkly different outcomes – in terms of health, education and income - for those from poor black neighbourhoods. She ends her journey by meeting the city’s new mayor and asks him whether these inequalities can be reduced by 2030. Project 17 was produced in partnership with The Open University. Presenter: Sana Safi Producers: Rob Walker and Mary Rose Madden With thanks to Writers in Baltimore Schools and to Rejjia Camphor for help with production.

10. 

    13 Mar 2021

    Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. We've asked 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Jonathan Chu lives in Germany and like many school students all over the world he's found himself studying at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But what happens to students who have poor internet connections? Have they been falling behind and losing touch with teachers and other pupils? In the 21st century most countries are trying to provide good internet infrastructure for business, industry and ordinary citizens. But even a rich, developed country like Germany is finding it hard to achieve that goal. Project 17 is produced in partnership with the Open University Presenter: Sana Safi Producer Tim Mansel

11. 

    6 Mar 2021

    Goal 8: Decent work

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. Now 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Seventeen-year-old Ruhani Akhtar doesn't want to work in a garment factory like her mother. But what other opportunities are open to young people in Bangladesh? The country has seen rapid economic growth during the last three decades and she wants to know what her options are. Ruhani talks to another young woman who went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker with disastrous results, to a government minister, and she visits a modern new textile factory where work is changing fast. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Nina Robinson Project 17 was produced in partnership with The Open University

12. 

    27 Feb 2021

    Goal 7: Affordable, clean energy

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. Now 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Nestor lives in the far north of Colombia and his village has been transformed since solar panels were brought in to provide electricity to the schools. Children now have access to computers, and light in their classrooms. He wants to find out just how much of Colombia's electricity can be created using renewable sources. He visits the country's biggest solar plant, and interviews Colombia's deputy energy minister to find out whether the government will meet the UN goal on clean energy by 2030. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Bob Howard Project 17 was produced in partnership with The Open University

13. 

    20 Feb 2021

    Goal 6: Clean water

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, health provision, a good education and much more. Now 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to change if the world is to meet those goals by 2030. Joyce lives in rural Rwanda and has to walk to a communal tap to collect water for her family every day. But she is lucky, she doesn't have to walk too far and the water is clean. Some of her friends face much longer journeys and have to collect water from ponds used by cattle or for laundry. She talks to activists, a government spokeswoman and other schoolchildren about Rwanda's water and sanitation situation. Presenter: Sana Safi Producer: Kate Lamble Project 17 is made in partnership with The Open University

14. 

    13 Feb 2021

    Goal 5: Gender equality

    Seventeen-year-old Sahar Beg from New Delhi, is looking at gender inequality in India. She and her friends know they are treated differently just because they were born girls. They talk about families where the brother’s birthday is celebrated every year, when none of the sister’s birthdays are marked at all. Then there is the question of violence against women and girls. Sahar has watched the reports about a gang rape in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh and talks to the local political leader who is defending the accused men. She also talks to the Chair of the National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma about what needs to change and whether the pandemic has actually taken women’s rights away. In lockdowns which have seen spikes in domestic abuse around the world, Sahar hears the inspiring story of a survivor which gives her hope. Project 17 is produced in partnership with The Open University. Presenter: Sana Safi Producers: Nina Robinson and Rajesh Joshi

15. 

    6 Feb 2021

    Goal 4: Quality education

    Seventeen-year-old Yolanda goes to a rural school in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. But the school has too few working toilets, not enough textbooks, and not enough teachers. Sometimes there are as many as 60 children in a class. She wants to know why so few children in South Africa can read and write properly. She has spoken to other 17-year-olds, teachers, academics and a government official to try to find out what needs to be done to help South Africa meet the United Nations sustainable development goal on education by 2030. Presenter: Sana Safi. Producer: Ben Carter. Made in partnership with the Open University.

16. 

    30 Jan 2021

    Goal 3: Good health

    The United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world in 2015. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, access to clean water, a good education and much more. Now, 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us how they want the world to change. Victoline lives in Kenya and she suffered from malaria a few years ago. She wants to know if a new vaccine could eradicate the disease in Africa and stop hundreds of thousands of children from dying every year. She talks to doctors, politicians and other teenagers about the science, the economics and the practicalities of fighting malaria. Project 17 is a unique collaboration between the BBC World Service and the Open University. Presenter: Sana Safi. Producer: Bob Howard.

17. 

    23 Jan 2021

    Goal 2: Zero hunger

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. Governments agreed to support the goals which cover gender equality, access to clean water, a good education and much more. Now, 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they want the world to be doing. Seventeen-year-old Rosa Angelica lives in a Mayan community. As many as 80% of Mayan children in Guatemala suffer from malnutrition. Rosa Angelica has spoken to volunteers, activists and even a government minister to try to find out what Guatemala should be doing if it is to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. Project 17 is a unique collaboration between the BBC World Service and the Open University. Presenter: Sana Safi. Producer: Kate Lamble.

18. 

    16 Jan 2021

    Goal 1: No poverty

    In 2015 the United Nations announced a radical plan to change the world. Global leaders drew up a list of 17 "sustainable development goals" to create a blueprint for a better future. The goals cover things like gender equality, access to clean water, a good education and much more. Now, 17-year-olds from 17 different countries tell us what they think needs to be done. Lanre Adeleye lives in a poor part of Leeds in the UK. He has spoken to teachers, other teenagers, the former UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and an influential member of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party, to find out why poverty still affects so many people in one of the world’s richest countries. Project 17 is a unique collaboration between the BBC World Service and The Open University. Presenter: Sana Safi. Producer: Tom Wright.

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