Anisa Hajimumin and Mark Ritchie bring unique backgrounds to their careers in Minnesota’s public service and civic advocacy. However, the pair share one thing in common: a passion for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the set of 17 ambitious aims adopted by all countries at the United Nations to achieve peace and prosperity for all people and the planet by 2030.

As the Assistant Commissioner for Immigrant and Refugee Affairs in Minnesota, Anisa is harnessing the power of the SDGs to help revitalize the state’s economy rocked by an ongoing pandemic, a national workforce shortage, and a global supply chain gone awry. Anisa previously worked as a government official in her native Somalia, where she drafted landmark legislation to prosecute gender-based violence and helped the country become the first in Africa to support a campaign against female genital mutilation.

As Minnesota’s former Secretary of State and Global Minnesota’s current president, Mark hosts SDG roundtable events to unite local leaders’ efforts across sectors. He’s also leading the initiative to bring the 2027 World Expo to the state, in part, by utilizing the SDGs as a unifying and universal theme. The U.S. is competing with four other countries — Argentina, Serbia, Spain, and Thailand — to host the event, which promises to attract millions of visitors from across the globe and promotes public diplomacy, corporate investment, and innovation. If the effort is successful, it would be the first time the U.S. has hosted a world’s fair since 1984.

As part of our series on how U.S. leaders are bringing the SDGs home to their communities, Mark and Anisa met to share their experiences as leaders in Minnesota championing the Goals to support sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Read the full article about local action of the SDGs by MJ Altman at United Nations Foundation.