Smurfs in Dubai celebrates the day of happiness

Leading voices from the popular 'Smurfs' series, Demi Lovato, Joe Manganiello and Mandy Patinkin, today announced their support for the United Nations' efforts to eradicate poverty, combat inequality, and protect the planet from the effects of climate change in accordance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals plan. identified by the organization.

The three stars, who will cast their voices in the upcoming Smurfs movie "Smurfs: The Lost Village", joined official figures from the United Nations, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Foundation, to celebrate the International Day of Happiness, and expressed their support for the Sustainable Development Goals at United Nations Headquarters in New York City by participating in the #SmallSmurfsBigGoals campaign.

The “Young Smurfs, Big Dreams” campaign was designed to encourage young people to know and support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were adopted by world leaders during their meeting at the United Nations in 2015. As part of these celebrations, the Smurfs team honored three young actors, Karen Gerath (20 years old). ), Sarina Dayan (17 years), and Nour Sami (17 years) in recognition of their efforts to support causes related to these goals.

Karen Gerath created a containment tool to prevent oil spills and protect marine life, and since then has become one of the United Nations' young leaders in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In turn, Sarina Devan contributed to the wider dissemination of the UN Foundation's Empowerment of Girls initiative inside and outside her secondary school. Nour Sami is a prominent UNICEF blogger and advocates for core issues of social justice and awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 'Little Smurfs, Big Dreams' campaign will reach its climax on the International Day of Happiness to emphasize that GDP alone is not sufficient as a criterion for the well-being and health of a country's population, and also to emphasize that adopting a comprehensive, fair and balanced approach to achieving further progress and development is an essential step for achieving happiness. This idea is closely linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include providing decent and dignified work for all, securing food and health services, spreading a culture of equality, eliminating racial discrimination and giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy peace, prosperity and happiness.

The Smurfs teams arrived in the United Arab Emirates prior to the release of the highly anticipated Smurfs movie “Smurfs: The Lost Village” in all cinemas in the region on March 30, 2017. The film will be launched in English

Christina Gallachs, Under-Secretary-General for Media and Communications, said: “This innovative campaign demonstrates that every one of us, young or old, young or old, can contribute to making the world a happier place. We would like to thank Sony Pictures Animation and the Smurfs team for the spirit of cooperation shown by all.”

On behalf of the Smurfs team, American film stars Demi Lovato, Joe Manganiello, Mandy Patinkin and director Kelly Asbury presented the three students with a symbolic key to the Smurfs Village in recognition of their hard work in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals as role models.

“We are witnessing how Little Smurfs, Big Dreams has become a platform for young children and youth to amplify their voices and speak out on the issues that matter to them,” said Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the United States Fund for UNICEF. By celebrating the International Day of Happiness, we hope to support more young people to enable them to contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals and creating a world free from poverty, injustice and inequality.”

During the event, the United Nations Postal Administration unveiled a special set of postage stamps embodying the 'Little Smurfs, Big Dreams' campaign. The film crew, accompanied by Marc Becstein de Boetzwervi, Belgium's Ambassador to the United Nations, and Stephen Katz, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Administration, presented the UN stamps of the #SmallSmurfsBigGoals campaign to the media.

Representatives and UN officials gave speeches to some 1500 students of the global 'Model United Nations' in the main hall of the United Nations General Assembly, where they encouraged the audience and the public to join the Smurfs team. The campaign organizers called on everyone to visit the SmallSmurfsBigGoals.com website to learn how to contribute to achieving the goals, discover which goals best suit their interests, present their suggestions for building a better world for all, and share information, ideas and photos via social media.

The actors kicked off the campaign by launching a new video as a public service announcement, starring Demi Lovato, Joe Manganiello, Michelle Rodriguez and Mandy Patinkin, to encourage viewers to join the campaign and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In conjunction with the event at the United Nations, similar celebrations were organized in 18 countries around the world, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Russia, the United Kingdom, among others, to help raise awareness of the 'Little Smurfs, Big Dreams' campaign and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The crew, along with other campaign partners, will be lighting the Empire State Building blue on Monday, March 20 to mark the occasion.

Commenting on this, Veronique Culliford, daughter of Pew, the artist who created the smurfs, said: “Since 1958, the smurfs have symbolized universal human values ​​such as camaraderie, helping others, tolerance, optimism and respect for Mother Nature. Supporting the United Nations and continuing our long-term relationship with UNICEF through this campaign that focuses on spreading awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals is an honor and privilege for the Smurfs.”