Click here to visit the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub knowledgebase.  SDG UPDATE A compilation of items recently posted to the SDG Knowledge Hub Thursday, 20 January 2022 GENERATION 2030 Can Vertical Farming Stand the Test of COVID-19 and Food Insecurity? By Zo Hasina Mbolatiana Alison Raharinarivonirina, Graduate Student in International Public Management at Sciences Po Paris, in exchange at The George Washington University (ESIA), and Courtney Wheeler, MPH, Graduate Student in Sustainable Urban Planning, The George Washington University The COVID-19 pandemic hit the world’s health, economic, and social system, as many people were pushed back into poverty. Cities hit the hardest by the virus account for 95 percent of positive cases[1]. Currently, over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and by 2050, cities will be home to two-thirds of the global population[2], yet the urban food system, distribution, and retail were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic[3]. With up to 70 percent of the global food supply intended for urban consumption, most countries experienced temporary shortages in basic foods[4] regardless of the income level. These developments directly challenge the achievement of SDG 11, which focuses on cities being inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. SDG target 11.5, which focuses on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations, has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic’s impacts, which exposed weaknesses in the food system. NEWS Moment for Nature to Provide Assessment Amid High-level Meetings The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) outlined priorities for the remainder of the 76th session (January-September 2022). Among the high-level meetings convening in the coming months, he noted the 'Moment for Nature' that will take place in July. 2030 Agenda Statistics Group Takes Stock of Cape Town Plan The UN’s High-level Group for Partnership, Coordination and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB) met to review implementation of the Cape Town Global Action Plan for sustainable development data, in light of needs for capacity development and financial resources for national statistical offices (NSOs). VLR Lab Adds Four Recent Local SDG Reviews In December 2021, the online Voluntary Local Review (VLR) Lab added four VLRs to its collection. The reports were prepared by Tokyo, Yokohama, Kaohsiung, and Orlando. The VLR Lab is an online platform offering information about actions that cities and regions are taking to implement the SDGs.  CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 [Postponed] 17-21 January 2022 | Davos, Graubunden, Switzerland UNLDC-V: Fifth UN Conference for the Least Developed Countries [Postponed] 23-27 January 2022 | Doha, Ad Dawhah, Qatar International Day of Education 2022 24 January 2022 | worldwide 17th Meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee 24-28 January 2022 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland ECOSOC Partnership Forum 2022 2 February 2022 | New York City, US World Wetlands Day 2022 2 February 2022 | worldwide World Pulses Day 2022 10 February 2022 | worldwide International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022 11 February 2022 | worldwide 55th Session of the IPCC (IPCC 55) and WGII AR6 Approval Plenary (WGII-12) 14-18 February 2022 | TBA World Day of Social Justice 2022 20 February 2022 | worldwide UNEA-5 (In-person session) 28 February - 2 March 2022 | Nairobi, Kenya Regional Climate Week for the Middle East and North Africa 28 February - 3 March 2022 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates Africa Environment Day/Wangari Maathai Day 2022 3 March 2022 | worldwide World Wildlife Day 2022 3 March 2022 | worldwide Special Session of UNEA-5 3-4 March 2022 | Nairobi, Kenya Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 2022 3-5 March 2022 | Kigali, Rwanda 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 .