Act Now campaign in Malaysia to reach over 12 million people by end of 2023

Leveraging the Act Now app as the campaign's centerpiece, the UN Communications Group (UNCG) in Malaysia collaborated with civil society organizations, youth groups, and the private sector to promote it as "the App to living sustainably". This joint effort is set to reach over 12 million people in Malaysia by the close of 2023.

The Global UN Act Now campaign was launched in Malaysia in July 2023, ahead of the global SDG Summit. Covering all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the campaign encourages individual actions for a healthy planet, better economy, a just society and a world working together.

At the campaign launch in July, UN Resident Coordinator Karima El Korri urged participants to “Act now for peace, for rights and for sustainable development, as achieving the future we want is within reach provided that we join our efforts.”

During several weeks, the Act Now app was promoted to kickstart a lifestyle of sustainability, not only recording sustainability efforts but also providing key facts and trends on the SDGs. Globally, Act Now triggered 15.6 million climate actions around the world.

UNCG used a three-pronged approach to advocate the campaign via branding initiatives through collaboration with the private sector, during Act Now exhibitions at pre-summit events, and by disseminating messages to key stakeholders and the public using online channels.

Collaboration with the Private Sector

Teaming up with Wow Media, the Act Now digital billboard creative illuminated the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Cheras and Shah Alam city for a week. Looping 250-450 times daily, it is estimated that both billboards reached around 600,000 people. The creative, displaying messages in Bahasa Malaysia and English was produced with the assistance of the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC).

Caption: Act Now campaign displayed on Cheras (left) and Shah Alam Digital Billboards

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, owner and operator of the country’s rail services, including Light-Rail Transit (LRT) networks, KL Monorail and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) lines has been a key partner in this initiative by promoting Act Now across its assets and services, including buses in Kuala Lumpur.

Act Now will be featured in 50 carriages in the LRT Ampang and Sri Petaling Line, and in 25 carriages in the LRT Kelana Jaya Line, totaling over 2400 screens. The monthly average ridership of the three train lines is estimated at 11 million passengers. In addition, around 900,000 RapidKL and BRT Sunway bus riders are expected to be reached when the campaign is rolled out across 165 vehicles and 180 screens.

Act Now exhibition at UN-supported events

Act Now posters were prominently displayed at various events in the lead-up to the SDG Summit in September, including the Malaysia CSO SDG Forum and the 3rd Malaysia SDG Youth Summit.

The UNCG also promoted the campaign to 300 young sustainability private sector executives in collaboration with UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (UNGCMYB) through their Young Executives Sustainability Summit and at the TedX Petaling Street event which brought together 1300 youth.

Reaching 12 million individuals before the end of 2023 is an ambitious undertaking.

Complementing the partnership efforts with the private sector and advocacy during key SDG events, the UNCG was able to reach a more diverse audience of SDG champions via e-bulletins and WhatsApp groups, reaching 1,100 UN Staff, 60,000 members of the public, 350 CSOs, 60 youth-led organizations and over 30 media outlets.