Agencies come together in the initiative Common Ground to fight for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon, shared in Cannes a special request to follow the example of Dentsu, Havas, IPG, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP, who have joined forces to promote the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN in 2015. For the first time in the history of the industry, these companies came together under the Common Ground initiative in the aim to help address the worlds most pressing problems, regardless of their competitive differences. Ban Ki-moon spoke at the Cannes Lions Festival, before being joined by the leaders of the different groups. The Common Ground program will start with a global advertising campaign in spaces donated by key companies and thought-leadership publications Each group will focus on a specific area of the Sustainable Development Goals, throughout 2017, and they will work collaboratively across parent companies. Part of the campaign is to encourage other organizations to find their own Common Ground to help globally.“Common Ground is breaking ground. This initiative is not only about the advertising industry’s considerable influence in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals around the world. By putting aside their differences, these companies are also setting a powerful example for others to follow” expressed the General Secretary.Additionally, the six companies have agreed to provide a development fund for each of the winning ideas in the Cannes Young Lions competition, which this year is devoted solely to the SDGs.