The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced an agreement to co-sponsor a series of Global Forums with the Narrating Behavior Change Program of the World Bank to promote the growth of edutainment programming around the world; the use of entertainment media with educational objectives.

“This partnership seeks to connect Hollywood with the global development community by developing new creative programming with the goal of helping to promote important sustainability goals, which improve the lives of millions of people struggling with healthcare, environmental and other challenges,” said Helen Hoehne, president of the HFPA. “The power of the Golden Globes® brand internationally over the past 80 years gives us the unique ability to reach audiences and governments interested in harnessing the power of edutainment.”

Edutainment promotes and supports programs designed to combat poverty, gender inequality and climate change, among others. These issues are at the core of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks of investors, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries to address today’s global challenges.

The first HFPA-World Bank Global Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, 2022, from 11 AM-1 PM PT (2-4 PM ET) and will be made available on Zoom for a global audience. Panelists will include spokespeople from the HFPA and the World Bank, as well as development and entertainment representatives.

Founded in 1947 and with 189 member countries, the World Bank works in every major area of development with the goals to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity in a sustainable way. In partnership with researchers, development practitioners and media firms, the World Bank’s edutainment program is rigorously testing edutainment innovations in the main entertainment hubs of developing countries, including India, Mexico and Nigeria. 

“High-quality edutainment can positively reshape attitudes and behaviors of millions, from empowering girls to preventing gender-based violence, COVID-19 and HIV. However, its potential remains largely untapped. This series of Forums aims to help catalyze more interest and investment in this sector in the entertainment industry, building on HFPA’s strong commitment to the SDGs and global presence,” said Victor Orozco, Senior Economist and lead of the World Bank’s edutainment research program.   

These new HFPA-WB forums will tackle issues such as harnessing the power of entertainment and popular culture to support development goals and help educate, empower and motivate communities around the world to action.

While previous World Bank forums had focused on publicly funded productions for audiences in developing countries (see WB forum “Using Entertainment Media to Reach the SDGs”), the new HFPA-WB forums will explore the challenges and opportunities for public-private partnerships to systematically scale up investments in edutainment, including with the LA-based industry and its celebrities. 

The working group for the global forums includes HFPA, the World Bank, and Michael Carbajal, an LA-based creative advisor.