When we put a commercial of Messi during a large athletic tournament or soccer game talking about the SDGs, we reach audiences that previously hadn’t heard of the SDGs. Young girls and boys who are excited about Messi or Shakira or Forest Whitaker become interested, and start wanting to learn more about the SDGs.

The beautiful part is that everybody builds on somebody else's expertise or their convening ability.

When it comes to countries that aren't doing enough, having somebody with a platform like those of Messi or Forest or Shakira to say, “we can do better on education,” gets more public and media support and reaction. It’s important to have all those different pieces to the puzzle.

For myself and some of the other advocates, our strength lies in direct policy engagement; being in the rooms with people making policies and decisions to say, “this is realistic. This isn’t.” Our roles are completely complementary.

Read the full interview with Dr. Alaa Murabit on SDG Advocates by Gregory Scruggs at Devex International Development