The event, featuring Fashion 4 Development’s collaboration with the UN and the Years of Culture initiative to celebrate the Qatar-Morocco 2024 partnership, highlighted global efforts aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

As the 79th session of the United Nations kicks off its High-Level Week, community leaders, prime ministers, first ladies and ambassadors have gathered in New York City to promote sustainability, improve access to education, and foster cultural exchange.

The banquet highlighted global efforts to address these critical issues, which are also key points of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Fashion 4 Development, a private organisation committed to creating a more sustainable future, has been working with the UN to help achieve these development goals since 2015. This year, they have partnered with the Years of Culture initiative to celebrate the Qatar-Morocco 2024 year-long partnership. 

Evie Evangelou, founder and president of Fashion 4 Development, said that “the preservation of culture and the exchange of people’s cultures is very important” for world peace and better human understanding. 

The initiative’s collaboration with Morocco was highlighted through an exhibition titled “Weaving Hopes,” featuring artisanal creations by Moroccan youth aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods.

The event also showcased Moroccan caftans designed by Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani and Moroccan designer Siham El Habti.

Fashion 4 Development also partnered with Education Above All, a foundation established by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar, wife of the former emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Education Above All believes in using education as a means to lift people out of poverty – one of the many goals also listed in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Education Above All Youth advocate Ahmed Saif Al Hajari emphasised the importance of the exhibition in showcasing the diverse socio-economic backgrounds and industries that the youth creators are involved in.

“A lot of people at first glance might just see it as beautiful artwork or beautiful handcrafts but really, it’s a story that’s built beyond that – it’s the youth’s lives, people’s futures that have been really impacted through this project,” Al-Hajari said. 

The evening, which was marked by speeches, performances and art, also saw the recognition of two advocates who championed sustainability and children’s rights. 

The first award went to Chadian environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, a strong advocate for using indigenous methods to tackle the impact of climate change and its lasting impact on more vulnerable communities. 

After receiving her award, she called for more climate change action. 

“We needed to act yesterday, not plan for the future,” Ibrahim said. “It will be not acceptable if the people who are privileged cannot act.”

The second award went to Najat Maalla M’jid, a Moroccan pediatrician and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.

Maalla praised the recently adopted UN Pact for the Future as a first step in the right direction but stressed the need for concrete action. 

“How we can really build a future that is right for children when the present, to be very frank, is very dark for millions and millions of children worldwide?” she said.