United Nations Communications Group 16th Annual Principals’ Level Meeting

20 to 21 November 2017, Madrid, Spain

Summary

The United Nations Communications Group Sixteenth Annual meeting at the Principals’ level, organized
by the Department of Public Information (DPI), was held from 20 to 21 November 2017 and was co-
hosted by the UN World Tourism Organization at their Headquarters in Madrid, Spain. The meeting had
strong participation with senior communications representatives from over 42 different UN agencies,
funds, offices and programmes.

The meeting agenda was aimed at focusing on key areas of relevance and challenges on
communications across all entities. The Principals’ level meeting was the first such meeting for Ms.
Alison Smale, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, and the first since the appointment
of Secretary-General António Guterres. The meeting focused on the evolving vision of communications
within the UN in the current changing environment. Discussions were also held on Prevention, Crisis
Communications, Youth Issues, Partnerships and the SDGs, Climate Change, Migrants and Refugees,
Human Rights, Digital Advancements and Challenges, Measuring Impact and Using Creative Advertising.

Participants welcomed the inclusion of external presenters on digital reforms and advancements, and on
the creative community in advertising and the value of partnerships. These experts provided tips and
ideas, through an external perspective in their respective areas, on how to better showcase the work of
the Organization and how to work in a more digital age.

Recurring themes throughout the meeting were: the need for better measurement of the impact of the
work of the Organization, stronger coordination on messaging and campaigns, staying up-to-date on
digital advancements, and the importance of reaching and including youth in UN communications and
outreach.

It was agreed that more coordination and collaboration of this group throughout the year would be valued
under the leadership of DPI. DPI agreed to bring the Principals together as a group more often through
regular meetings and more interactive correspondence with an aim of developing clear coordinated
messages, a timeline of key dates and events, the sharing of lessons learned, tools and best practices in
areas including measuring impact, message development and working together during crises.

MEETING REPORT

Opening Session
Ms. Alison Smale, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications welcomed the group and
thanked Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), for support
in co-hosting the meeting. She noted that this partnership in co-hosting was timely given the importance
and ever-growing role that tourism is playing in the global economy as well as towards achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ms. Smale noted that this was her first meeting with the group and she spoke of the crucial role
communications plays for the UN in these challenging times as the Organization works towards achieving
substantial progress on the SDGs, climate change action, ensuring migrants and refugees can live safely
and with dignity, overcoming the scourge of terrorism, protecting human rights, making progress towards
nuclear non-proliferation and undertaking a preventative approach to peace and security. She noted that
as communicators we must seek creative and impactful ways to engage the global public across all age
groups and sectors of society.

Mr. Rifai welcomed the group and expressed his pleasure that the UNWTO was selected to co-host the
meeting this year. He spoke about the key role tourism plays beyond being “fun”. He noted that the world

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was changing in three key ways: 1) through the advancement of technology and digital tools; 2) the
occurrence of an urban revolution; and 3) a travel revolution that was taking place. Today, travel was one
of the most impactful ways to bring people together. Tourism not only helps the economy but can be a
good means to support the spread of tolerance and understanding. Through the constant connectivity
with people and places one may not have known about years ago, we are now able to connect
emotionally to people and places in new ways.

Mr. Rifai noted that as the United Nations, we represent part of the hope for the world. However, this role
does not come without criticism, which is to be expected, but as communicators we are responsible for
upholding this hope placed upon the UN and we must stay on message.

Mr. Ignacio Morro, Director General for the United Nations and International Organizations, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, welcomed the group and expressed his sincere support to the
United Nations and noted the shared objectives and responsibility between the Government of Spain and
the United Nations. He stressed that the UN trademark is a well-known and respected symbol in Spain.
He noted the important role of communications in promoting the work of the UN and wished the group a
productive two days.

Communicating for and about the UN in a changing environment

Ms. Smale began the session by noting the next two days are an opportunity to discuss where collectively
the group sees communications going over the next year and beyond. She noted that for DPI, the
priorities would be:

• Branding – Having a clear and consistent visual identity, from our logos to our web presences to
our outreach products. We need to convey that there is one message.
• Impact measurement – Which was crucial for our work.
• Digital restructure – We need to make sure we are set up with our platforms and our resources
to take advantage of the rapidly evolving ways in which the global public, and particularly the
young, are consuming information. This means more social media, more video.
• Knowledge – Ensuring we have a better, deeper understanding of each country or region where
we operate, and not just remotely from HQ in New York and Geneva. What are the specific media
needs and assumptions we need to factor in?
• Storytelling – Making our content snappier, newsier, more human-centred, more moving and
more exciting journalistically.
• Africa – The need for a greater emphasis on the continent is more resounding than ever.
• Communications coordination – Ensuring not only that we speak with one voice where
possible, but that we keep each other informed about what we are saying. In this regard, we need
to think how we can turn UNCG into a more effective year-round vehicle rather than a once-a-
year gathering.

Mr. Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, spoke about the current environment in
the UN from a Headquarters standpoint which was focused on the current political landscape in the
United States. He noted that the current Secretary-General came into office with a huge challenge of
being faced with a new US President and the threat of significant budget cuts to the Organization. He
stressed the importance of the first few months of the year being focused on how to respond to these
threats but now that we are one year in, the US/UN relationship was in a much better place owing to the
political skills of the Secretary-General.

Moving forward in terms of communications, Mr. Dujarric noted that there is still a strong connection in the
US media between the UN and the current US President. To the general public in the US most news
about the UN has a direct connection to news about the President. Mr. Dujarric stressed that the
Secretary-General did not want to be drawn into the news this way and has expressed his strong views
on priority issues like refugees/migrants, climate change, and hate speech based on principles and not in
response to actions or positions taken by the US Government.

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Mr. Dujarric advised that the Secretary-General was now being more proactive in terms of interviews and
making himself available to the media. He further stressed the desire for colleagues to come forward
with new ideas and ways to push key initiatives forward, and he encouraged colleagues to reach
out to the Office of the Spokesperson (OSSG) with pitches for the daily briefings – which should be
seen by UN system colleagues as an “amplification platform” for their issues -- and any other media
opportunities.

As an ongoing overall challenge, he pointed to the need for the integration of communications into
strategic planning.

Mr. Samir Afridi of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) briefed the group on the three
top priorities of the Secretary-General’s agenda: 1) Prevention – there is too much time managing crises
rather then preventing them – and a need for a surge in diplomacy including through the Secretary-
General; 2) Sustainability – the Secretary-General is committed to moving full speed ahead on the 2030
agenda and on the Paris climate agreement; and 3) the reform agenda to strengthen the way we work
through management reform, peace and security reform and the reform of the development system.

Mr. Afridi noted that regardless of the topic things inevitably come back to reputational management. He
stressed that the Secretary-General is focused on people and addressing human suffering. Mr. Afridi
reminded the group of the Secretary-General’s statement to the General Assembly on 19 September
(https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2017-09-19/sgs-ga-address) where he outlined the seven
threats and challenges the world is facing (nuclear peril, terrorism, unresolved conflicts and systematic
violations of international humanitarian law, climate change, social inequalities, the dark side of innovation
and human mobility) as the key themes/priorities for the coming years.

With regard to communications, Mr. Afridi noted that the Secretary-General himself is a great
communicator and requires little guidance but also relies on others within the Organization to speak on
key issues. This reinforces how crucial it is to be consistent and coordinated on messaging across the
system. The Secretary-General has a strong interest in ensuring all platforms for communications are
being updated and used and to keep an eye on issues such as the dark web. He further stressed the
importance the Secretary-General places on being able to reach youth globally in an effective manner.
Finally, he noted that the Secretary-General is very driven by data and the measurement of impact. We
needed to find the way to integrate policy, planning and communications in the most impactful ways.

Mr. Afridi had one concrete ask from colleagues: to be in touch directly with the EOSG to flag
three big events or reports that they are aware of and to note where there may be a place for the
Secretary-General to play a role.

Participants noted in the discussion an appreciation for the importance placed on communications from
the Secretary-General and welcomed the opportunities to be more connected to the OSSG and EOSG
throughout the year and not just when there is a crisis. The group spoke about the value and importance
of being able to come together for big moments and would like to have stronger coordination led by
DPI on content and ways in which entities can use content to connect to each other and for more
effective communications and impact. The discussion had a strong focus on digital presence and the
need for consistency with messaging and branding as well as using data and statistics. There was
also discussion on the need to be multilingual from the very beginning of campaign development.
Participants from smaller entities noted the difficulty in trying to stay relevant in the Secretary-General’s
agenda and felt that stronger coordination and sharing of clear system wide messaging would help
this. Discussion also focused on how to better interact with journalists in New York and Geneva and also
at the local level.

It was agreed that there is a need for the UNCG to have more consistent interaction on planning,
the development of a time-table of events/reports/days and a shared approach, and to be forward-
looking as a group, and in smaller groups, on key issues to stay aligned on coordinated

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messaging and to better leverage the UN brand for greater impact. It was agreed that the
coordination needs to go beyond simply sharing each other’s campaigns but to truly joining forces where
possible such as with the SDGs. There is also a need to do more on measuring impact collectively as
a group.

Communicating Prevention
Mr. Jose Luis Diaz, Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, Department of Political Affairs (DPA)
led the group in a discussion on prevention.

Mr. Diaz reminded that prevention is one of the top priorities on the Secretary-General’s agenda.
However, there are several challenges when it comes to talking about prevention beginning with how we
define prevention within the UN system. For some, prevention refers solely to conflict prevention while
others have a more expanded definition of the term. This poses a challenge for communicating on
prevention as without a clear definition one cannot determine if something would actually fall into the
prevention category.

Additional challenges for communications are how does one show something that didn’t happen and how
can you show that what you did kept something from happening? In terms of conflicts, there are so many
taking place at any one time and given that that is what the media focuses on, so how does one make
talking about preventing a conflict more appealing to the media then an on-going conflict?

There is also the challenge of how much credit the UN can take for preventing something without it being
turned against the UN in a negative light. Prevention is supposed to be routine work for the Organization
so being able to show that we are doing it without being arrogant and boastful is a fine line when it comes
to public perception. Linked to this is being able to take credit for prevention without casting blame on
others. The UN is a Member State organization and must take this into consideration.

Mr. Diaz noted there is also the challenge in terms of capacity to work on prevention when so much of the
resources are used for on-going current issues. He noted that this is where strategic communications can
be instrumental.

Mr. Diaz opened up the discussion by asking participants if prevention is a useful framework for their work
and whether there were activities in their work that could be framed as prevention or if there are examples
of when this is not an ideal thing to do. Participants agreed that there are many challenges with trying to
communicate prevention itself as so much of what the UN does as routine work is prevention, for example
the SDGs. Participants noted the importance of being able to break down the definition. It was evident
that more work and discussions are needed in this area as a group especially in regard to having
illustrative examples.

Breakout Sessions
Mr. Nick Nuttall Spokesperson/Director of the Communication and Outreach Programme, UN Climate
Change and Ms. Deborah Seward, Director, UN Regional Information Centre Brussels led a session on
the climate change and the new system wide communications strategy. The discussion focused on what
came out of the COP23 in Bonn, and the upcoming summit to take place in Paris in December 2017.
There was also discussion on the need to remain more coordinated.

Ms. Melissa Flemming, Head of Communications and Public Information, Spokesperson for the High
Commissioner, UNHCR and Mr. Leonard Doyle, Director, Media and Communications Division,
Spokesperson of the Director General, IOM led a session on the progress towards the global compact for
migrants and the global compact for refugees.

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PARTNERSHIPS FOR ACTION

Travel. Enjoy. Respect. – Engaging Consumers in Sustainable Tourism

Ms. Sandra Carvao, Chief, Communications and Publication, UNWTO briefed the group on sustainable
tourism noting that 2017 is the International Year of Sustainable Tourism as decided by the General
Assembly in 2015.

Ms. Carvao noted that for this campaign there were a few challenges from the start as the campaign
needed to appeal to travelers and go beyond the norm that travel is enjoyable to educating people as
consumers to be responsible, informed, respectful, and champions for sustainable tourism. There was
also the challenge of knowing who and how to partner with consumers, the travel industry and
communications partners including media and advertising space. In the end, the campaign
Travel.Enjoy.Respect was launched. The campaign aims to educate travelers to respect their host
country and the people that live there, respect the culture and nature, be informed of what is happening
around them, support local economies, educate others, spread tolerance and protect the environment
through sustainable tools and practices. Ms. Carvao noted the direct link between the campaign and the
SDGs.

In terms of partnerships, Ms. Carvao noted that the UNWTO had tried to work with an advertising agency
in the beginning but it was not an ideal partnership so it was ended. Instead, the UNWTO developed an
online portal (http://www.travelenjoyrespect.org/) to connect directly with people and travelers. Ms.
Carvao noted that the use of the portal allowed them to connect directly with influencers and develop new
partnerships directly. They also created a travel competition where those travelling the world share what
it means in practical terms to travel in a sustainable and respectful manner.

She noted one of the key challenges was a lack of tools to be able to measure concretely the impact of
the campaign. There was a strong social media element but it was a challenge to measure beyond that
at this stage. Ms. Carvao noted that travel is a crowded space and there is a need ensure that the visuals
are strong, and linked to the visuals for the SDGs and issues relevant to the United Nations.

To partner or not to partner, that is the question

Ms. Isabel Garro, Executive Director, Global Compact Network Spain, spoke to the group about the value
of partnerships and the value of knowing when or not to partner. Ms. Garro noted that the Global
Compact Network aims to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies on a voluntary basis
through CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support
UN goals and is operational in over 160 countries through 70 networks. Ms. Garro also mentioned the
UN-Business Action Hub (business.un.org), which is a platform where the UN and business can engage
in dialogue, share information and take action to advance UN objectives and the SDGs.

Ms. Garro noted that the issue of partnerships is not something to be overlooked at any level for the work
of the UN but that there are serious issues to be considered with any level of partnership. She stressed
that entities need to do an evaluation at the onset of what they need from a partnership but also what the
partner stands to gain and if there will be a real sense of partnership or just partnering to meet a quota or
be able to say it’s been done with no real commitment to the issue. She noted that with regard to the
SDGs, the private sector needed to be included as partners in order for the targets to be achieved,
including because that is where much of the funding will come from and because they have a lot to offer,
more so perhaps than on other one-off issues.

She stressed the need for a mapping exercise of initiatives at the start of any discussion on potential
partnership opportunities and to not rush into a partnership based on the entity’s reputation or quick
decisions.

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Ms. Garro made the connection to looking at professional partnerships the same way you would look at
personal ones such as marriage, and using MARRIAGES as an acronym to be reminded of these key
areas of any partnership:

Manage: To make the time and communicate regularly

Apologize: Every time
Respect: Listen and believe in each other
Realize: Magical spells are only Harry Potter’s business
Intricacies: Increasing partners means increasing work
Accept: What is to come. Avoid “never” and “always”
Go: Set concrete and shared goals
Evaluate: Don’t give things for granted
Smile: Be grateful

In the discussion following the presentation participants reiterated the need for stronger partnerships
among each other and also collectively with external entities, especially on the SDGs which cannot
be achieved alone. Participants expressed a desire to share good practices and lessons learned
both positive and negative.

Discussions also focused on the difference between partnerships and engagement, the value in knowing
when to partner versus when to provide tools and products to the private sector without the UN having to
be bound to them through a formal partnership, and the use of the UN emblem.

There was an expressed desire by the group to remain more connected on this issue and possibly
to be able to share resources, especially in being able to connect with large media companies and
Silicon Valley.

COORDINATION AND CROSS CUTTING ISSUES

Crisis Communication - Putting the Standard Operation Procedures “United Nations

Communications Group: How to communicate in a crisis” into practice

Ms. Deborah Seward, Director, UN Regional Information Centre Brussels made a presentation on the
“United Nations Communications Group: How to communicate in a crisis” Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) that was approved in June 2017, followed by a discussion on how the SOP can and should be
implemented and ideas for how to effectively move the procedures and practices contained in the SOP
forward.

Ms. Seward noted that the SOP represents a significant update from the previous version, providing more
detail on procedures to follow and containing specific reference to content production and social media.
The SOP incorporates comments from across the UN System and has been circulated to all
Communication Principals as well as to Peace Operations, RCs, and UNICs.

The SOP provides direction to UNCGs both in the field and at Headquarters, on actions to take during
developing and ongoing crisis situations. It details the procedures to follow, and the organizational
structures that should be in place for effective coordination across the UN system dealing with crises in
the field and at HQ. The SOP sets standards and clarifies roles and responsibilities to facilitate a cohesive
and complimentary approach to communications across the UN system. The SOP applies to all UN
Communications Group (UNCG) member entities involved in a response to a crisis, and to internal and
external communications.

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The SOP applies to communications procedures at:
• UN Headquarters where the Department of Public Information (DPI) convenes the global UNCG.
• Agency, Fund or Programme headquarters or regional offices where they coordinate with the
Department of Public Information (DPI) to convene the global UNCG.
• UN Country Teams where many have established a local UNCG.

Ms. Seward noted that a key element of the SOP is the information on when the SOP is formally
triggered. As per the Crisis Management Policy the SOP is triggered when there is a crisis that requires
an integrated UN response, including for example where there may be a peace operation, humanitarian
response and UN Country Team involvement.

It is important to stress that the SOP does not mean that agencies, funds and programmes cannot have
their own individual responses. What the SOP does is ensure that there is coordination on messaging,
language and ideas so that entities are all supporting and augmenting the response and each other’s
work and not contradicting one another.

Ms. Seward also stressed the importance of following good practices for coordination among entities
even when the SOP is not formally triggered. As learned from past situations, it is critical to stay aligned
and in touch during the non-crisis times so that coordination is quickly managed once a crisis does
emerge. It was agreed that small communications groups on crisis issues works well and
colleagues valued the lead provided by DPI in hosting, coordinating and facilitating these groups.

Ms. Seward noted that the focal points in DPI on the SOP are Ms. Julie Snell-James (snell@un.org) and
Mr. Jon Greenway (greenway@un.org).

In the discussion, the importance of ensuring that the OSSG is kept informed on a crisis and that any
potential crises are flagged to them as soon as possible was also stressed. The importance of knowing
when to end a crisis mode was also raised. Additionally, the importance of ensuring the UN is using
proper UN-sourced data and not “laundering” external unverified data is critical; once the UN puts out
data and figures, it becomes the UN’s data, thus the need to ensure it is accurate and consistent.

It was agreed that this group should develop a more detailed contact list of Principal’s mobile
numbers and social media handles in order to connect quickly in times of crisis. Additionally
there was a desire for simulation exercises and training on the SOP for communications staff
would be welcomed.

70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – A strategic opportunity to share
the UN message

Mr. Laurent Sauveur, Chief External Outreach, OHCHR briefed the group on the 70th anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 2018. Mr. Sauveur advised that
OHCHR will be launching a yearlong campaign leading up to this date starting on 10 December 2017.

The aim of the yearlong campaign is to promote the understanding of how the UDHR empowers and is
relevant to us all; reflect on the progress and challenges ahead; and engage each of us to stand up for
rights, every day.

The campaign is targeted at putting back human rights work into local communities and engaging a wide
range of actors to build a global constituency for rights. Mr. Sauveur stressed the importance of having
human rights issues closer to home and reigniting their importance with individuals as well as
Governments.

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The key messages of the campaign are:
• The Declaration empowers us all.
• Human rights are relevant for all of us, every day.
• Our shared humanity is rooted in these universal values.
• Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace.
• Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk.
• We need to stand up for our rights and those of others.

The campaign will be launched on 10 December 2017 in Paris with the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights and the Mayor of Paris; in New York with the Secretary-General, and with events in the
field with UN Information Centres (UNICs) globally.

The campaign will be marked by a logo developed in partnership with DPI which has no restrictions and is
available for anyone to use. The campaign will have a social media presence under
#standup4humanrights. Through digital platforms the campaign will aim to educate the public about what
the declaration says using excerpts from the declaration shared in as many languages as possible.
Additional education materials will be shared globally with schools and through the UNICs. Throughout
the year there will also be a series of thematic discussions organized in New York, Geneva and globally
with the assistance of UNICs.

Mr. Sauveur noted the UDHR cuts across SDGs and is a great opportunity for the system to come
together as a whole. Mr. Sauveur expressed his gratitude to DPI for all the support to date in developing
the campaign and visual identity. The group discussed different ways and partners who could support the
campaign; it was noted that staff could also be mobilized to support the campaign through internal
communications.

EXPO 2020 – Planning for UN Participation

Ms. Smale opened the discussion on UN participation in the Expo 2020 which will take place in Dubai.
She reminded the group that UN participation in Expos is determined in part by the UNCG. Guidelines
adopted in 2013 state that once the Secretary-General has decided in principle that the UN system will
participate in an Expo, the UNCG is tasked with coordinating the selection of the lead agency for the UN
presence and starting the liaison process with the Expo organizers.

DPI, as Secretariat to the UNCG, is also tasked – in consultation with the designated lead UN entity –
with proposing the name of the UN Commissioner-General for the Expo to the Secretary-General for his
approval. The aim is to ensure a coordinated, coherent UN participation that maximizes communications
opportunities for the Organization as a whole.

Given that Expo 2020 begins in October of that year, the planning process should begin as soon as
possible. The theme, chosen by the United Arab Emirates, is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future with
sub-themes of Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity. There seems to be a strong emphasis on
technology and it is expected that the Expo pavilions will reflect this.

One of the issues for the UN will be what kind of presence to have – whether a physical presence, as in
Shanghai in 2010, or a more horizontal, digital presence visible throughout Expo, as was in Milan in 2015.
Another important question will be securing resources and funding for the UN presence, bearing in mind
that the UN does not use its own resources to participate in an Expo.

Ms. Smale noted that she would suggest beginning the UN coordination process as follows:

DPI will ask all UN agencies and offices which would like to participate in the Expo to identify themselves,
the communications opportunities they see, and to name a focal point, by January 2018.

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Any agency which would like to lead the UN presence should also identify itself at this time. In September
2017 UNESCO offered its candidature.

In January, DPI will convene the first meeting of the relevant UN offices with a view to reaching
consensus to be able to present to the Secretary-General an agreed view on the scope of the UN
participation.

DPI is in the process of identifying its own focal point and will be in touch after this meeting with further
contact details once decided.

In the discussion with participants there was agreement for those UN entities that have led on Expos
in the past to share their experiences, including on resource requirements, both financial and human.
The group felt that a UN presence similar to what was done in Milan in 2015 where the UN had a
horizontal presence throughout the Expo, and not just in a single pavilion, was more effective and also
easier to manage in terms of resources and coordination. It was important to do some forward scanning
about where and what various parts of the UN would be focused on in 2020 and to plan in that context.
The need to identify target audiences was also stressed as a key element in deciding the communications
approach to take at the Expo. It was agreed that the DPI-proposed first planning meeting was
needed.

GOING DIGITIAL – CHALLENGES, THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Example of El Pais
Mr. David Alandete, Managing Editor, El Pais briefed the group on the recent transformation of El Pais to
a digital environment.

Mr. Alandete began by noting that newspapers today don’t sell as many print versions as what used to be
the norm (El Pais experiences a 10% decrease in paper sales annually), noting that an issue El Pais
faced was that even knowing this, they were continuing to create content and work towards a print edition
and then amend for the digital version when in fact they should be working with digital platforms as the
end game and then amend a print version based on the digital content. However, he noted that change is
easier said than implemented.

Mr. Alandete noted that the change in the workflow of El Pais involved not only a change in the physical
office space through literally breaking down walls for an open floor plan and placing design for the mobile
edition a priority above the website and print layouts, but that it also involved a restructuring of staff both
in their work functions as well as in the layout of the office. He described the effect of the change on El
Pais staff and reporters.

The first step was to physically bring down the office walls and create a more fluid work environment
where the editors sit with the writers, designers, and engineers. This type of environment creates a better
understanding of the full process in creating the news and an understanding of the importance of all the
roles and functions that go into a successful story. They have also created a 24-hour global newsroom
format by incorporating support from their office in Mexico and the US.

He noted that they now have a dedicated social media unit and staff that only work on Google and search
engine optimization to boost articles to the top of search engines. He stressed the need to adapt
storytelling to new formats.

Mr. Alandete noted that El Pais now produce four different daily editions – amplifying content able to
reach a 50% increase in Spain and America. He noted that while social media is important, you still need
to find a way to drive people to the website and content and not just read the topline message. He also
noted the need to be careful of the increased risk of making mistakes in the digital area where people are

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apt to report too fast and make errors in grammar and factual errors. There is a critical need for quality
control.

Participants welcomed this presentation and discussion, noting the importance of the digital news
age and the clear need to move the Organization in this direction collectively.

Measuring Impact
Ms. Susan Myers, Senior Vice President, UN Foundation (UNF) spoke to the group about the importance
and need to measure the impact of the UN’s work. Ms. Myers noted that the UNF builds public-private
partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and builds support for the United Nations
through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation
connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems.

Ms. Myers noted that we live in a world where global issues are no longer controlled by super powers,
making the messages more complex and needing to go through more channels and actors than ever
before. Because of this we need to ensure that we are able to accurately measure our impact in an
effective and useful manner.

Ms. Myers stressed the importance in knowing the current audience, noting that the UNF only focuses on
a US audience. She noted that for the younger generation they spend on average over 10 hours a day
consuming data media most through digital means. She further noted that newer generations are more
cause-driven and less trusting of big entities including the UN.

Ms. Myers noted that we need to change the way in which we measure our work from moving away from
just counting the “likes” and “shares” on social media to measuring how people engage on the issues.
She noted that this is not always an easy thing to do however. She noted that what is needed is to look
at increased awareness, increased advocacy actions, increased discourse, increasing numbers of
supporters, increased media coverage, donations and social media engagement.

She walked the group through case studies – one on the “Fearless Girl” statue that was placed in lower
Manhattan. The placement of this statue and the media around it resulted in the State Street SHE Fund
going up by $347%; 40K petition signatures in 2 weeks; 1B Twitter impressions in 12 hours; and 215,000
Instagram posts in 12 weeks. A second case study was on the Small Smurfs Big Goals, partnership
between the UN and Sony. While the film itself for Sony was not a success the campaign for the UN was
effective with 839M social media impressions; 240K website views; 73 countries saw the PSA; 151M
media hits; and 100 global news broadcasts.

In the discussion that followed, participants welcomed the opportunity to partner with UNF moving
forward. Some entities noted that they have already dedicated full time staff resources to measuring
impact. Several participants expressed a desire to share tools and best practices on this issue.
Participants additionally noted the need to secure senior leadership support for resources for measuring
impact. There was also a desire to collectively track impact on larger UN system-wide issues such
as climate change and other SDGs where multiple UN entities worked together.

OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT

Communicating with and for Youth

Ms. Jayathma Wickeramanayake, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, addressed
the group about the best ways to communicate with and for youth. She reiterated the need to not only
communicate to youth but also for youth in order to secure their support.

Ms. Wickeramanayake began her presentation by discussing why there is so much hype on reaching a
youth audience, noting that right now is the largest group of young people in the world (1.8 billion young

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people), which means that we have this group to help ensure peace, stop violence, serve as partners in
peacebuilding and eradicate poverty. If we are to reach the SDGs, it’s this generation that will do it.

She further noted that for youth this is the best and worst of times. Youth are now more connected than
ever before but they are also facing the highest rate of challenges from lack of education to poverty and
increased threat of violence and conflicts.

Ms. Wickeramanayake noted that when she came into office she met with the Secretary-General and
discussed the need to bring the UN closer to young people. She sees this as an opportunity for the UN to
look at what youth movements believe in and to work together on the basis of shared UN values. Youth
are looking to achieve things through more organic and less bureaucratic ways: they want instant action
and results.

Bridging the gap doesn’t mean only using social media platforms to reach youth but including youth in the
core elements of your work – by convening and bringing youth into your work. Don’t just talk about youth
in meetings but invite them to the meetings. The UN can also be a resource hub – youth want to change
the world and the UN can give them the tools and knowledge to implement change. The UN can also be a
multiplier by recognizing and supporting youth initiatives.

She reiterated that young people are the most connected generation ever and that they have five main
reasons for turning to social media: to see what others are talking about, to view entertainment, to look for
articles, to share content, including their own, and to see what’s trending. It was important to remember
these reasons in order to create content targeted to youth. Ms. Wickeramanayake noted that she saw a
shift in who will be influencers and key partners moving forward and that the UN should take note. The
shift will change to using YouTube and other social media influencers and not traditional celebrities.

Finally, she stressed that content – and causes - matter to young people and that they should be viewed
not only as consumers of content but as producers of content and partners.

Participants welcomed the emphasis on working with and for youth and expressed strong support
for collaborating with Ms. Wickeramanayake and her office moving forward.

Sustaining Public Interest in the SDGs

Ms. Cheryl Wannell, CEO, SAWA Global Cinema Advertising Association presented to the group on the
use of creative advertising in cinema. Ms. Wannell noted that SAWA is the global trade body for cinema
founded at Cannes Lyons and has 85 members in 45 countries, dealing at the CEO level.

Ms. Wannell stressed how in the current age cinema is at the heart of creativity and if done properly can
be used to deliver the UN message in an effective way to a huge audience. Ms. Wannell presented the
group with several examples of how cinema, when used creatively, can evoke a range of emotions and
convey a broad range of UN messages to the public on initiatives such as the SDGs. She showed award-
winning examples of cinema ads being used to promote equality on disabilities, to raising awareness for
animal conservation.

Ms. Wannell cited a Nielson study where 1 in 3 viewers recall seeing an ad at cinemas which is six times
the recall compared to a television ad. Ms. Wannell noted that there are several key elements to pay
attention to including knowing the audience you want to reach and focusing on branding. Branding is
60% of the equation with activation and creativity being the other 40%.

The group welcomed the presentation and insight and welcomed the opportunity for future
collaboration. Ms. Wannell suggested that the best way to collaborate would be to have one person as
the contact for her with the UN system entities as that would also ensure a coordinated cooperation.

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Closing Session
Ms. Smale thanked the group for a productive, enriching and profitable two days of open and frank
discussions. She noted that there is a clear desire for stronger coordination and interaction among the
UNCG Principals on a more regular basis and that DPI would work to find a suitable platform and means
to facilitate this. She also noted the strong desire to better pool knowledge on how modern media and
communications works.

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