Alibaba's Jack Ma Reappointed as UN SDG Advocate

HANGZHOU, China, May 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reappointed Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma to the U.N.'s panel of Sustainable Development Goals Advocates.

Jack first joined the esteemed group of 17 Advocates in early 2016 -- the only representative from China and the only entrepreneur in the group. The SDG Advocates are tasked with raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the sustainable development goals adopted by world leaders on Sept. 25, 2015. Those goals are a blueprint to achieve a better, more-sustainable future for all. They address global challenges we face tied to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, as well as peace and justice.

From the start, the U.N.'s hopes have been that the SDG Advocates would use their unique platforms and leadership to inspire cross-cutting mobilization of the global community to speed attainment of the goals by 2030. The 17 SDG Advocates hail from all over the globe and include a diverse group from all walks of life, including the Her Majesty Mathilde, Queen of Belgium, actor Forest Whitaker, footballer Marta Vieira da Silva and other leaders and luminaries.

Besides his work as an SDG Advocate, Jack serves on a U.N. High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and was a special adviser to the U.N Conference on Trade and Development for youth entrepreneurship and small business. While in that role, he had Alibaba launch its eFounders Program, educating and empowering entrepreneurs from developing nations to become expert in digital business and transform their countries' economies. He launched his own foundation focused on the environment in 2014 and has been a Nature Conservancy trustee and board member for nearly a decade.

Overall, Alibaba's own approach to philanthropy ­-- employing technology and innovation for social good -- shares many of the same values as U.N. programs. Alibaba has targeted poverty alleviation through a RMB 10 billion fund launched in 2017, environmental protection and conservation, gender equality and improving rural education. Alibaba holds a biennial women's conference and philanthropy event organized by The Alibaba Foundation. The group believes its leaders and employees, alike, have a duty to serve and help those in need and encourages all to do at least three hours of volunteer work a year.

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