UN Goodwill Ambassador Beckham brings voices of children

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon(L) and English soccer star and United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF) goodwill ambassador David Beckham attend a press conference unveiling a digital installation created for UNICEF by Google, using mobile technology and social media to deliver messages of children from across the globe at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Sept. 24, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Earlier this year, Beckham marked his 10th year as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with the launch of The David Beckham UNICEF Fund to use his powerful voice, influence and connections to raise vital funds, fight inequality, and rally for lasting positive change for the world's most vulnerable children.

Also speaking at the ceremony were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

"The Sustainable Development Goals speak to all people in all countries, especially children," the UN chief said. "The voices of young people helped forge the bold new 2030 agenda. Now the world must do more to involve young people in achieving the goals and building a world of peace, prosperity and justice for all on a healthy planet."

Despite the progress made toward realizing the Millennium Development Goals, millions of children are still left behind. Nearly 6 million children under the age of five still die every year from mostly preventable causes.

More than 120 million children and adolescents are still not in school and many millions more are not receiving a quality education.

The Sustainable Development Goals present a critical opportunity to extend progress to every child, but only if the world makes reaching the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children a policy and political priority.

"Unless we invest in the most disadvantaged children from the earliest years, we will continue to see in the next generation the same poverty and inequalities that divide and destabilize our world today -- and rob us of the potential of so many young people," Lake said.

"To realize tomorrow's goals, we need to listen to children and young people today -- for who knows better than children and young people themselves what their needs are? And we must do more than hear these voices, we must heed them."

Data displayed in the installation is drawn from U-Report, a free SMS-based system that allows young people to speak out on the issues they face and what is happening in their communities. Data is also derived from outreach to children and young people across UNICEF social media channels.