Click here to visit the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub knowledgebase.  SDG UPDATE A compilation of items recently posted to the SDG Knowledge Hub Tuesday, 3 March 2020 GUEST ARTICLES Praia Group Handbook is a Long-awaited Stepping Stone to Governance Statistics Osvaldo Borges, Secretariat of the Praia Group on Governance Statistics; and Celso Ribeiro, Secretariat of the Praia Group on Governance Statistics; and Malene Almeida, Secretariat of the Praia Group on Governance Statistics; and Alexandra Wilde, UN Development Programme - Oslo Governance Centre The Praia Group has published a Handbook on Governance Statistics, an important stepping stone towards achieving international standards in all areas of governance statistics. This article reviews the evolution of the Praia Group, the important role of government statistics, and highlights of the new Handbook, which will be formally launched in March 2020. An Accelerator Under-Used? New Report Explores the Place of Culture in SDG Implementation Jordi Pascual, Coordinator of the Culture Committee, United Cities and Local Government; and Stephen Wyber, Manager, Policy and Advocacy, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions; and Ege Yildirim, SDGs Focal Point, International Council on Monuments and Sites It is already clear that work on the SDGs in 2020 is going to be characterised by a new sense of urgency. FEATURED Regional Events Identify Accelerators for Africa’s Decade of Action Africa’s preparatory event for the 2020 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) adopted a package of priority actions and policy measures to speed up implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It followed on the heels of the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit, which focused on the 2020 theme, ‘Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s Development.’ NEWS UNGA, ECOSOC Launch Panel on Financial Systems for 2030 Agenda The UN General Assembly (UNGA) President and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President have launched the High-level Panel on International Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity for Achieving the 2030 Agenda (FACTI). The 15-member Panel is convened to help address the financing gap for implementing the SDGs by 2030. IDDRI Brief Identifies Priorities for Biodiversity Framework Negotiations The Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationals (IDDRI) has published a policy brief analyzing the zero draft of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. The brief calls for a concise final text, the mainstreaming of biodiversity across all relevant sectors, as well as the mobilization of States and other stakeholders to achieve the highest ambition possible. Report Warns of Climate Change Induced Global Security Risks National security, military and intelligence experts are warning of high to catastrophic threats to security at different warming scenarios, and urging a rapid reduction and phasing out of global emissions.  CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 26th Session of the International Seabed Authority Assembly and Council (Part I) 17 February - 6 March 2020 | Kingston, Jamaica Africa Environment Day/Wangari Maathai Day 2020 3 March 2020 | worldwide World Wildlife Day 2020 3 March 2020 | worldwide 51st Session of the UN Statistical Commission 3-6 March 2020 | New York City, US 3rd Latin American Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation 5-6 March 2020 | Puebla, Mexico International Women's Day 2020 8 March 2020 | worldwide CSW64 / Beijing+25 9 March 2020 | New York City, US World Ocean Summit 2020: The New Ocean Agenda [Cancelled] 9 March 2020 | Tokyo, Japan AELERT-INECE Conference 2020 10-13 March 2020 | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia ASEAN Conference on Biodiversity [Postponed] 16 March 2020 | Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia Land and Poverty Conference 2020: Institutions for Equity and Resilience [Cancelled] 16 March 2020 | Washington D.C., US Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources [Virtual] 17-20 March 2020 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada (virtual) Informal Negotiations on an Intergovernmentally Agreed UN Ocean Conference Declaration [Virtual] 18 March 2020 | New York City, US (virtual) Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region 2020 [Virtual] 19 March 2020 | virtual International Day of Forests 2020 21 March 2020 | worldwide World Water Day 2020 22 March 2020 | worldwide Funding for the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub has been provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) The IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub is a knowledgebase tracking implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Click here for further information on the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub .