Champions of Change: Honouring the Heroes Shaping a More Inclusive World

On 29 October, the United Nations will honor a select group of individuals and initiatives in the 2025 Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards Ceremony, shedding light on important issues related to advancing the core principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Of the three possible honors, the Creativity Award will be given to the initiative who has harnessed creativity and innovation to inspire and influence change across the world. One of the three finalists for the prestigious award is a Nigerian-based agricultural technology initiative reinventing the future of farming. The initiative, which places food security at the center of its mission, uses its award-winning modular hydroponic system to grow quality food in a new, technologically savvy way: a soil-free farming method that grow crops using water enriched with nutrients.

In Nigeria, where 33 million people face acute food insecurity and nearly 43% of land is degraded by desertification, Smartel’s innovation offers a lifeline. Portable and easy to use, Smartel’s system has already successfully produced thousands of kilos of fresh food for vulnerable communities, all while cutting down water use by up to 90%.

Smartel’s intelligent innovation strategies have shown the world that climate-smart farming can grow anywhere, and that every community should have the tools necessary to grow its own future.

This year’s SDG Action Awards ceremony will also feature one recipient among the three finalists to receive the Resilience Award. This award will be given to an initiative that has successfully turned adversity into action and helped communities thrive despite conflict, systemic barriers, or climate disasters.

Women for Peace and Democracy Nepal (WPD Nepal) is a finalist who has tremendous work in social development. The initiative takes feminist activism to new heights, empowering women across 7 rural districts and 1,500+ groups to lead post-conflict recovery, economic resilience, and democratic participation.

In a country where women often bear the heaviest burdens of war, displacement and disaster, yet remain excluded from decision-making WPD Nepal turns peacebuilding into a women-led movement for change. Through programs like the Nepal Earthquake Recovery Programme (NERP), and the Socio-Economic Women’s Advancement Model (SEWAM), they combine grassroots leadership, disarmament, and economic independence into a powerful, scalable framework.

From solving disputes to influencing governance priorities, WPD Nepal’s model proves to us that peace built by women is peace built to last.

Congratulations to all the finalists; this year’s selection of individuals and initiatives highlights the absolute best in humanitarian action.

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