Dhaka, November 12, 2020- In celebration of the United Nations’ 75 th Anniversary, Samsung
Electronics Company Limited recently has announced Generation17 ( video ), an initiative in
partnership with the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) to inspire action to
achieve the Global Goals – a set of 17 interlinked goals that provide a blueprint to achieve a
better future by 2030.

Generation17 merges the power of Samsung Galaxy smartphone technology with UNDP’s
platform to galvanize an entire generation of young people to achieve the 17 Global Goals in
less than ten years. The initiative will elevate the stories and share the impactful work of young
leaders who are already making considerable strides in support of the Global Goals.
Regarding this, Dr TM Roh, President, Head of Mobile Communication Business, Samsung
Electronics, said, “We are excited to better connect these inspiring advocates to their peers,
enable their generation to take bold action on the Goals, and make their voices heard loud and
clear with the latest Galaxy technology and our shared vision. With a purpose as grand as the
Global Goals, we strongly believe a collaborative, rallying effort will be imperative in sparking
meaningful change.”
The 2020 cohort of Generation17 is made up of four trailblazers who are mobilizing
communities from Mali and Argentina to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, to tackle some of the
most pressing challenges of our lifetimes.

Máximo Mazzocco (Argentina) – a 30-year old who founded Eco House, a nonprofit that
promotes sustainable development through education, volunteering, advocacy and
environmental certification. Sadya Touré (Mali) – a 23-year-old author who founded Mali
Musso, an organization which empowers women through education to destigmatize gender-
based violence. Shomy Chowdhury (Bangladesh) – a 26-year-old Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
(WASH) activist seeking to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all through her global
organization, Awareness 360, working across 23 countries.

Tafara Makaza (Zimbabwe) – a 24-
year-old junior at Williams College, in Williamstown, MA, studying astrophysics who has
launched diverse startups to build transportation, energy, agriculture, and education solutions.
Millennials and Gen Z wield incredible influence in catalyzing change as tech-savvy global
citizens in an unprecedently borderless world, with their unwavering and relentless optimism
leading the charge on climate change and racial justice and influencing policymakers and
businesses to chart a more sustainable course for our collective future. Generation17 is the
answer to their call-to-action.

Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme, commented, “Young
people are advancing the Global Goals through their work as innovators, entrepreneurs, and
advocates, and we must properly engage them today for the success of our global agenda
tomorrow. They harness incredible power in advocating for positive, systemic change, and we
must support them in their roles as torchbearers of the Global Goals. This initiative
complements other initiatives across the UN system, strengthening the foundations for a UN
that delivers with and for young people through the UN Youth Strategy: Youth2030.”UNDP and Samsung will provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and Galaxy devices to

help broaden the reach of each of the young leaders’ voices and strengthen their organizations
and businesses. They will also use the Samsung Global Goals app, which is preinstalled on the
latest Galaxy smartphones, to show users how they can make a difference across the 17 Global
Goals in their daily lives. Through educational content, the app aims to increase awareness of
the Goals and has so far raised $1 million in donations for UNDP.