The Museum for the United Nations — UN Live is a global institution based in Copenhagen.
Its mission is to “unleash the power of culture to inspire local action and drive global change”. UN Live describes itself as an unconventional and borderless museum that seeks to reach and connect people on a global scale to the values and work of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. While formally stewarding the brand of the United Nations, UN Live is an independent institution.
History
The adoption of the
Sustainable Development Goals
The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...
in 2015 inspired the three cofounders
Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson (; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's experience.
In 1995, ...
, Jan Mattsson, and Henrik Skovby to establish the Museum for the United Nations. One year later, then United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
formally endorsed the institution. Since 2019, UN Live is led by CEO Molly Fannon.
Approach
UN Live leverages cultural programmes, in the fields of film, art, faith, sports, games, comedy, and beyond, to connect and engage people globally and drive behavior change. This approach stems from empirical findings in the field of behavioural science that suggest that (mass) culture can shift norms and values and change individual behavior patterns. Thereby, mass culture communication can generate profound changes in social and environmental outcomes.
Over the past years, UN Live launched several programmes, including a collaboration with two Bollywood productions thematizing the consequences of climate change and a digital artwork in partnership with
Studio Olafur Eliasson and
AKQA enhancing children’s voices within the climate agenda.
During
Climate Week NYC
Climate Week NYC is a charity event that takes place in New York City every year. Its purpose is to promote climate action by appealing to "business leaders, political change makers, local decision takers and civil society representatives". Clima ...
in 2022, UN Live supported by
IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation is a Dutch not-for-profit organisation founded in 1982 by Ingvar Kamprad as a means to support advancement in interior design and architecture. In 2009, the Foundation's charter was expanded to benefit vulnerable children. I ...
launched the programme ‘Global We for Climate Action’. The aim of the programme is to bring underrepresented voices, such as youth and indigenous people, and diversity into the global climate conversation and by doing so allow young people and communities most affected by climate change to have two-way conversations with world leaders.
In collaboration wit
Shared Studios a network of portals across 25+ locations is established. Portals are repurposed shipping containers that are equipped with large screens and high-quality audio to create immersive experiences and to enable real-live conversations across countries. During
COP27, a portal will be set up in Sharm El-Sheik and connected to portals in various other locations, including Kigali, Rwanda; Erbil, Iraq and Mexico City, Mexico.
Funding
As an independent not-for-profit NGO registered in Copenhagen, Denmark, UN Live is privately funded with additional support from the Danish government and the city of Copenhagen.
References
External links
Official website
museumfortheun.org
LinkedI
Twitte
Instagra
{{coord missing, Denmark
Proposed museums
United Nations organizations based in Europe
Museums in Copenhagen
Virtual museums
Denmark and the United Nations