SI: Sony Participates In 2010 United Nations Private Sector Forum On Millennium Development Goals

[Christopher]

Sony is working hard to contribute to the success of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through use of its advanced technology, human and intellectual capital, and global reach, and through innovative and collaborative public/private partnerships.

In support of this effort, on September 22, Dr. Ryoji Chubachi, Vice Chairman, Sony Corporation, will participate in the 2010 United Nations (UN) Private Sector Forum on the Millennium Development Goals chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and including approximately 300 Heads of State and Government, chief executives, civil society leaders and Heads of UN Agencies.

Under the theme “For the Next Generation“, Sony works actively to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. Most recently, a key aspect of Sony’s participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where it was an Official FIFA Partner, was the launch of a social contribution program called “Dream Goal 2010.” This program was designed to combine Sony’s unique technological and human resources with the power of football to bring people together, help address multiple social challenges, and inspire hopes and dreams in children.

Specifically, Sony partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to implement a variety of projects aimed at building a better future for Africa and its children.

These projects included the staging of public viewing events in Cameroon and Ghana that enabled approximately 24,000 people who do not have access to television to experience World Cup matches, live, on large screens, in connection with HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing. More than 4,800 people were tested for HIV over the course of the program, more than 2.5 times the goal set at the start of the initiative.

In Ghana, Sony also piloted a new, portable open energy system capable of capturing, storing and distributing electricity from renewable energy sources, which powered public viewing screens. This system, if successful, has the potential to contribute to major improvements in people’s lives in terms of health, education, economic well-being and overall way of life, particularly in developing nations.

Other projects in Sony’s FIFA World Cup program included the Siyakhona (“We can do it”) project, through which the Company donated its products to NGOs around the world to help children capture their surrounding environment and everyday life through photography and communicate it to the world at large, and the Ticket Fund, which enabled Sony, in partnership with a local NGO, to bring 15,000 South African children who had participated in HIV/AIDS awareness programs to FIFA World Cup™ matches.

Building on these and other initiatives, Sony will continue to apply its products, services, technologies and expertise creatively to innovate new ways of contributing to the achievement of MDGs. Sony hopes that, through international and local partnerships, it can and will help change the lives of communities around the world.

Image above is United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon giving a speech during the Millennium Development Goals Summit at United Nations headquarters in New York. Information courtesy of Sony’s global site.

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[sfbp]

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