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The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or Global Goals, include ending extreme poverty and combating climate change by 2030. You can help by taking action here.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is getting in on the hype of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by partnering with the Japan Sports Agency to promote the United Nations’ Global Goals, according to Reuters

The partnership will encourage sports fans to work toward ending extreme poverty and combating climate change by 2030.

"The sports community in Japan is fast approaching an exciting moment, as the eyes of the world will be on Tokyo as the Olympics get nearer," Gates said at an event last Friday. “I am excited that you are using this opportunity to raise awareness and be ambassadors for a better world.”

Take Action: Be the Generation to End Extreme Poverty

Gates did not reveal any in-depth details about the project, called “Our Global Goals,” but he announced on Tuesday that the program is set to launch in 2019.

“The whole world loves sports,” Gates said at the event in Tokyo. "We have to be creative in how we take those amazing achievements and use that to remind people that there are some who are facing big challenges.”

Read More: Bill Gates Just Unveiled the Toilet of the Future — And It’s a Game-Changer

Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and the second-richest person in the world, is a philanthropist and advocate for issues ranging from universal health care to promoting democracy. Via the Gates Foundation, he and his wife, Melinda Gates, support efforts to reach the Global Goals.

Recently, Gates presented a new design for a low-cost toilet that doesn't require a sewage system or sanitation infrastructure. This could provide easier restroom access for communities without reliable water sources or high-quality infrastructure.

He and Melinda Gates also donated $62.5 million to the European Union’s External Investment Plan last month. The money will be invested in EU diagnostic health services programs in sub-Saharan Africa, including laboratories that provide treatments for diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. It will also help to provide maternal and child health care in that region.

Read More: Bill & Melinda Gates Are Donating €54 Million to EU Efforts to Improve Health in Africa

Gates hopes to use the Olympics to create awareness about social justice and global activism. 

"The opportunity for Japan is, even in a time when many countries are turning inward, to continue to say that we need to help those that are not doing as well," said Gates.


Disclosure: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a funding partner of Global Citizen.


Editor's note: This piece has been updated to include a disclosure that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a funding partner of Global Citizen. We regret the oversight.

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