United Nations Development Programme Announces 'The Lion's Share' Fund With Founder FINCH And Founding Partner Mars To Tackle Crisis In Wildlife Conservation And Animal Welfare

- ANNOUNCED TODAY AT CANNES LIONS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY, 'THE LION'S SHARE' FUND SEES MARS JOIN AS THE FOUNDING PARTNER. PROJECT FOUNDED AND INITIATED BY PRODUCTION COMPANY FINCH

- THE FUND AIMS TO RAISE $100m A YEAR WITHIN THREE YEARS

- CALL FOR WORLD'S BIGGEST ADVERTISERS TO CONTRIBUTE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ADVERTISING SPEND FROM ADVERTISEMENTS FEATURING ANIMALS

- LION'S SHARE SPECIAL AMBASSADOR, SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, URGES COMPANIES TO 'STEP UP' AND DO MORE TO SECURE THE HEALTH OF THE PLANET  

CANNES, France, June 21, 2018 /CNW/ -- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), FINCH and founding partner Mars, Incorporated today announced an initiative aimed at transforming the lives of animals across the world by asking advertisers to contribute a percentage of their media spend to conservation and animal welfare projects.

The initiative, a fund called The Lion's Share, will see partners contribute 0.5 percent of their media spend to the fund for each advertisement they use featuring an animal. Those funds will be used to support animals and their habitats around the world. Mars is the first advertising partner in The Lion's Share.

"Animals are in 20 percent of all advertisements we see. Yet, they do not always receive the support they deserve. Until now," said Lion's Share Special Ambassador Sir David Attenborough.

"The Lion's Share shows that by making a small difference today, we have an opportunity to make an unprecedented difference tomorrow," Sir David added.

The Fund, which will be hosted by UNDP, is seeking to raise $100m a year within three years, with the money being invested in a range of wildlife conservation and animal welfare programs to be implemented by United Nations and civil society organizations. Other partners include advertising network BBDO and leading measurement company Nielsen.

"Wildlife and their habitats are in crisis right now. We are losing species at an unprecedented rate, estimated to be 1,000 times the natural extinction rate. The Lion's Share is an idea that is as innovative as it is simple, and which will make a real impact on the future of animals, their habitats and our planet," said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

Andrew Clarke, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer at founding partner Mars, said the fund would be a powerful way for business to leave a lasting legacy. He said: "The Lion's Share is exactly the sort of ambitious initiative we need to take in order to ensure we foster a healthy planet on which everyone – including animals – can thrive. For Mars, it's another step in living the commitments of our Sustainable in a Generation plan."

"We're passionate about wildlife conservation and maintaining the biodiversity absolutely necessary for our planet. And animals need our help closer to home, too. We urge other companies and brands to join us in The Lion's Share to help build a movement to tackle these critical issues," Mr. Clarke added.

Rob Galluzzo, founder of FINCH, who initiated the idea with film director Christopher Nelius, said: "Nine out of the 10 most popular animals we see in commercials are actually endangered or threatened and they do not always receive the support they deserve. In fact, it's usually the opposite. Christopher had this amazing idea to solve this and we at FINCH set out to make it happen. We have partnered with Clemenger BBDO to bring the concept to life."

The Fund has a joint steering committee that will take decisions on priority programs.

The Lion's Share will work to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN's universal call to action to end poverty and protect the planet. Supporting animals and helping to conserve their habitats is key to achieving Goal 14, Life Underwater, and Goal 15, Life on Land.

"It is our responsibility as humans to safeguard all life on our planet," said actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who kicked off The Lion's Share fund's launch in Cannes with an on-stage interview with South Africa's first mostly female anti-poaching unit, the Black Mambas.

He added: "We cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals launched by the UN and world leaders to protect the future and ensure prosperity for all people without preserving natural habitats for all living beings—from wildlife to marine life."

Collette Ngobeni, of the Black Mambas said: "The Lion's Share is a very exciting initiative because it has huge potential to help grassroots conservation work just like ours. We are working hard every day to prevent poaching and support some of the world's most endangered species, and look forward to being backed by The Lion's Share."

Notes to Editors:

About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

For more information on UNDP, visit undp.org.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With more than $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About FINCH

FINCH is a production company made of filmmakers, artists, and engineers, working at the crossroads of storytelling, entertainment and technology. They believe in impacting culture through work that makes them proud. Finch has offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. FINCH make documentaries, live experiences, TV commercials, feature films and digital content. They hold more than a dozen patents and actively develop and license products and innovations that push the boundaries of conventional storytelling. Founded in 2011, their work has been recognised with advertising's top honours including Gold Cannes Lions, a D&AD Black Pencil and several Yellow Pencils.

For more information about FINCH, please visit finchcompany.com. Join us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

ABOUT CLEMENGER BBDO MELBOURNE:
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne is one of Australia's largest and most creatively awarded agencies, having been named World's most creative agency at Cannes Lions and D&AD; the region's most effective agency at the APAC Effies over the past 12 months. A member of the global BBDO network, the agency's mantra is "The Work. The Work. The Work." You can find more information on the agency at: www.clemengerbbdo.com.au.

About Nielsen

Nielsen is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. By integrating information across our Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90 percent of the world's population.

For more information, visit nielsen.com.

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated

Adam Cathro, UNDP, [phone], [email protected], or Anjali Kwatra, UNDP, [phone], [email protected]; Denise Young, MARS, [phone], [email protected], or Kimberly West, MARS, [phone], [email protected], http://www.mars.com