UN Office for Partnerships and PVBLIC Foundation Host 2015 Media for Social Impact Summit

NEW YORK, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 1, 2015, PVBLIC Foundation and the UN Office for Partnerships hosted the 2015 Media for Social Impact Summit, a nomination-only event that unites 350 representatives of leading media companies, advertising firms and creative agencies with UN experts to highlight the power of media to drive social change and strategize campaigns around pressing global issues. The event was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Featured speakers included Actress Rose Byrne, Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, Pete Cashmore, Founder of Mashable and HH Prince Fahad al Saud of Saudi Arabia who spoke on social media as a tool for personal branding and social impact.

Each year, the summit seeks to inspire new media campaigns and commitments around pressing global issues, with a special focus this year on the UN's Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals in advance of their official adoption and launch this fall. In September, the UN will call upon global leaders from 193 countries to commit to working together on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) that address the world's greatest challenges.

The Media for Social Impact Summit provides a platform for media representatives to join this historic global effort. Following the summit, delegates will work together to create the world's largest and most important advertising campaign around the global goals. "We saw firsthand how meaningful the partnerships that result from this summit can be with our work on the 'It's On Us' campaign to eliminate sexual assault on college campuses," said Delegate Jason Harris, the CEO of Mekanism. "This year, we're excited to witness the power of advertising to bring awareness, attention and action for the global goals."

Speaking to the influence of the 350 powerful media executives gathered at the UN on Friday, the hashtag for the summit, #MFSI2015, was the number five Twitter trending topic, just behind #NFLDraft.

"As the UN Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning, I welcome the work of the PVBLIC Foundation in convening leaders in the media industry to accelerate public awareness and action of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). Everyone has a role to play in realizing this vision," said Amina Mohammed, United Nations Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning.

In addition to briefing the delegates on the global goals, two awards were presented at the summit to individuals and campaigns that exemplify the power of media to ignite change. The "Media for Social Impact Legacy Award" went to Kenneth Cole for his 30+ years creating marketing campaigns that focus on pressing social issues from AIDS to homelessness, marriage equality and more. The "Media for Social Impact Award" was presented to Kathy Eldon, Founder & Chairman of Creative Visions Foundation, for leadership using media to drive social awareness and creative activism, and for empowering young people across the world to become change-agents.

"PVBLIC Foundation was thrilled to host the 2015 Media for Social Impact Summit with our friends at the UN Office for Partnerships," said Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Chairman of the PVBLIC Foundation. "We look forward to catalyzing new partnerships between media leaders and UN officials with the hopes of amplifying the message of the Sustainable Development Goals around the world in innovative ways via media."

About PVBLIC
PVBLIC Foundation is an in-kind grant making organization that harnesses the power of media and advertising assets to drive social change. Through partnerships with leading media companies, PVBLIC offers in-kind media grants that increase awareness around important causes and significantly expand the reach of their otherwise limited media budgets. Since it's founding in 2012, PVBLIC has made in-kind media grants to nearly 100 organizations.

#MFSI2015

CONTACT: Jamie Bezozo, 212 691-2800

SOURCE PVBLIC Foundation