Parent Spotlight: Claudia Romo Edelman

About Claudia:
Claudia Romo Edelman is a Special Adviser at the United Nations and the We Are All Human Foundation, whose mission is to advance an agenda of equity, inclusion and representation. She is also the Co-Host of Global GoalsCast, a podcast that highlights global progress by sharing stories from the champions who are making a difference. Prior to podcasting, Claudia worked as a Mexican-Swiss diplomat seconded to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to lead communications and advocacy for Sustainable Development Goals. She and her two children moved to the United States from Europe four years ago. Immediately after the move, her two children, who did not speak English, began working with Oxford Tutors.

Claudia on Oxford Tutors:
I credit Oxford Tutors as my heroes for integrating my children into US culture and making them feel at home so quickly. They knew from start to finish how to ease my children into their new home and make them feel comfortable learning a new language in a new place. I will always be grateful for the role they played in my life.

Claudia, tell us why you started Global GoalsCast.
Having had the privilege of working with and for the UN and several UN agencies throughout my career, I hear about and witness the progress that is being made around the world on a regular basis. Outside of the “tree-hugger” universe in which I work, however, this progress is less visible and the positive stories often get drowned out by the negative news that is constantly reported. While our world is far from perfect and we should not turn a blind eye to the negative realities, there IS beauty out there and it deserves to be shared. This is the basis and motivation for the Global GoalsCast.

What do you discuss on the podcast?
Global GoalsCast is a podcast that aims to inspire listeners to take action by sharing the stories of known and unknown heroes who are making positive change, specifically as it relates to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or Global Goals (hence our name). These 17 goals provide a framework for the global changes that are necessary to protect all people and the planet, set to be achieved by 2030. When one reads through the 17 SDGs, some of which include “no poverty” and “zero hunger,” it can be hard to believe that they’re achievable...but they are! And while we are bombarded with news of negativity and disaster, there are champions around the world who are forging new paths and making change to advance these goals.  

Achieving these objectives, however, is only possible if the global population works together. The goals are interconnected through industry, country, and age group, and necessitate full involvement and consideration from every stakeholder. In order to reach this level of global participation, everyone needs to know about the SDGs. That’s what motivated us to make this podcast! Podcasts whisper right into listeners’ ears and the number of podcast consumers is growing like crazy! We want to attune this growing audience to our inspiring goals, so that SDG awareness spreads like wildfire and motivates every individual to act.

At the moment, we are in the middle of a Green Mini-series within Global GoalsCast, which chronicles an expedition by British explorers Robert and Barney Swan, father and son who, just a few months ago, walked 600 miles, in 60 days, across Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole. This trek is just the beginning of a 7-year challenge filled with world-wide climate action projects. My complaints about cold in New York diminished quite a bit upon hearing the extreme conditions they endured! But one of the most interesting aspects of their story is that they completed the journey using only renewable energy.  They are true climate action heroes and, if they can complete a 600-mile trek sustainably, surely we can update our habits to live our daily lives likewise.  We don’t all have to walk across a frozen continent, but everyone has a role and can do something!

Thanks, Claudia! Please check out Claudia’s podcast, Global GoalsCast, to learn more. And check back next month for another Parent Spotlight!