The Clifford Chance United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Award 2025 recognises and supports outstanding contribution to the UN SDGs.
The award is a £50,000 donation from the Clifford Chance Foundation and 500 hours of pro bono support – a package designed to help scale impact and accelerate progress towards a more just world.
The winning organisation Vita Impact aims to deliver climate justice, social impact and gender equality in East Africa through innovative, community-driven programmes. These include repairing waterpoints for clean water access, introducing fuel-efficient cooking, community-led forest restoration and promoting climate-smart agriculture.
This year's Award will focus on NGOs whose work contributes towards:
- SDG: 11 Sustainable communities and cities
- SDG:13 Climate action
- SDG: 14 Life below water
- SDG: 15 Life on land
The judging panel was led by Senior Partner Adrian Cartwright, alongside other Clifford Chance partners, strategic pro bono partners, and select client representatives.
On behalf of the judging panel, Tom Dunn, Global Director of Community and Pro Bono commented: Vita Impact's Award submission stood out to the judges because of the clarity of their strategic vision and the sense that this is an important moment in the organisation's development and therefore an exciting time for Clifford Chance to support them. The organisation is already creating lasting opportunities and making a significant difference to many people's lives. We look forward to working with them as they advance their plans. Congratulations to the team."
About our 2025 UN SDG Award Winner: Vita Impact
Vita Impact's circular carbon finance model enables a fairer way of working, where environmental gains and financial returns stay within the communities that generate them. The organisation partners with rural communities to deliver clean cookstoves, safe water, sustainable agriculture and large-scale community-led forest restoration. Each element strengthens the others: the stoves reduce pressure on forests, clean water reduces the need to boil, and trees restore degraded land and protect ground water. Together, these programmes help to advance climate resilience and improve livelihoods bringing substantial health, gender equality and social benefits.
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About the 2024 winner
Clifford Chance has named not for profit organisation BarefootLaw as the winner of its United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) award 2024. BarefootLaw's work involves leveraging digital technology and legal expertise to promote accessible, inclusive, and effective access to justice, particularly among underserved and marginalized communities in Africa.
About the 2023 winner
Clifford Chance has named not for profit employment organisation Alive and Kicking as the 2023. Alive and Kicking's core operation is the production of ethically and sustainably made sports balls to help adults in vulnerable job groups, including refugees, by creating employment opportunities across sub-Saharan Africa.
About the 2022 winner
Clifford Chance has named humanitarian, digital connectivity charity Jangala as the winner of its United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) award. Jangala is a British charity which works internationally with grassroots and large aid and development organisations to enable internet access for people in need of urgent aid or longer-term development assistance across the humanitarian crisis, education, healthcare and refugee fields.
About the 2021 winner
Clifford Chance named environmental protection charity and voluntary carbon standard, Plan Vivo as the winner of its first ever Sustainable Development Goal award, developed with the objective of supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) whose work contributes to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Plan Vivo, based in Scotland received a £50,000 donation and 500 hours of pro bono support over an 18-month period to support the next stage of its growth, in particular, its ability to measure and evaluate impact and better incorporate the inclusion of marginalised groups at the project design stage.
