U.N. and Smurfs Team Up to Celebrate the International Day of Happiness Today

Demi Lovato, Joe Manganiello and Mandy Patinkin today threw their talents together to back a United Nations effort to end extreme poverty, address inequality and protect the planet against climate change through the Sustainable Development Goals. The three are the voices in the upcoming film “Smurfs: The Lost Village”. The trio joined officials from the United Nations, UNICEF and United Nations Foundation to celebrate the International Day of Happiness and show their support for the Sustainable Development Goals at UN Headquarters in New York as part of the #SmallSmurfsBigGoals campaign. You can catch the event's featurette and campaign PSA videos below:

The campaign is designed to encourage young people everywhere to learn about and support the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders at the UN in 2015. As part of the celebrations, Team Smurfs recognized three young advocates: Karan Jerath (20), Sarina Divan (17), and Noor Samee (17), for their actions in furthering issues addressed by the Goals. Jerath invented a containment device that could prevent offshore oil spills and ensure the protection of marine life. Divan expanded a UN Foundation girl empowerment initiative at her high school and beyond, and Samee is a UNICEF blogger and advocate challenging social justice issues and raising awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The #SmallSmurfsBigGoals campaign culminates on the International Day of Happiness, which recognizes that Gross Domestic Product alone cannot measure the wealth and well-being of a country’s population and a more inclusive, equitable, balanced and sustainable approach to growth and development is key to being happy. This idea is closely linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which have among its aims decent work for all, access to nutritious food, quality education and health services, and freedom from discrimination, giving everyone a chance to enjoy peace, prosperity and happiness.

The United Nations Postal Administration also unveiled a special edition stamp sheet featuring the Small Smurfs Big Goals campaign at the event. The film cast along with the Belgian Ambassador to the United Nations Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Management Stephen Cutts presented the #SmallSmurfsBigGoals UN stamps to the press. The actors and UN officials went on to address some 1,500 international Model UN students in the iconic General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, where they encouraged all attendees and the public to join “Team Smurfs”. The campaign invites the general public to visit SmallSmurfsBigGoals.com to find out how to contribute to achieving the Goals; discover which goals are best suited to your interests; raise your voice for a better world for all; and share information, ideas and images on social media. On Monday March 20, the cast and other campaign partners will help turn the Empire State Building Smurf blue.

Along with the event at the United Nations, other celebrations took place in 18 countries around the world including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Russia, and the UK, to name a few.