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ABOUT
COMMON
GROUND

Sustainable Development Goals

Common Ground is the unprecedented commitment by the marketing and communications industry to put aside their usual fierce rivalry in order to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainable Development Goals

Coming together with the Secretary General of the United Nations at the 2016 Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, the CEOs of the big six holding companies all pledged to support the 17 goals. They also expressed their hope that this would inspire other industries to take on their own Common Ground.

 

Over the next few years, each has dedicated to help tackle one area both within their own organisations and through client work.

 

Havas has taken climate change, IPG safe water, Publicis has committed to food, Dentsu health, Omnicom education and WPP will take on gender equality.

 

Speaking at Cannes in 2016, a joint statement issued by the firms' chief executives, read: "The Common Ground initiative recognises that the global issues the UN has identified transcend commercial rivalry. By working in partnership to support the Sustainable Development Goals, we want to demonstrate that even fierce competitors can set aside their differences in order to serve a wider common interest. We hope others in and beyond our own business decide to do the same.