Click here to visit the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub knowledgebase.  SDG UPDATE A compilation of items recently posted to the SDG Knowledge Hub Wednesday, 24 May 2023 NEWS VNR 2023 Main Messages for 31 Countries, EU Available The UN Secretariat has issued a note (E/HLPF/2023/5) compiling the main messages for 32 out of the 40 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to be presented at the July 2023 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Most of the 31 countries are second-time presenters. Chile is a third-time presenter. Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as the EU as a region, are presenting their VNRs for the first time. G7 Leaders Recommit to Achieve SDGs by 2030, Net Zero by 2050 The Group of 7 (G7) leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, together with the EU, have concluded a three-day summit, united in their “determination to meet the global challenges of this moment and set the course for a better future.” Recognizing the linkages between poverty reduction and tackling the climate and nature crises, the leaders pledged to work to accelerate achievement of the SDGs. Sendai Midterm Review Urges Focus on Disaster Prevention, Not Response The High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) concluded with calls for “better governance, investments in resilience, and a focus on disaster prevention,” the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) reports. The meeting addressed the linkages between the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with many highlighting the importance of disaster risk planning to achieving the SDGs. UNEP Report Identifies Market Shifts Needed to Reduce Plastic Pollution A new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report argues that plastic pollution could be reduced by 80% by 2040 if countries and companies adopt concrete practices, market shifts, and policies that can inform government thinking and business action. The report seeks to enhance understanding of the severity, magnitude, and nature of the changes required, as well as lay out a roadmap for governments and an action plan for businesses to end plastic pollution by 2040. Webinar Links Circularity, Leakage, Legacy Plastics in Advance of INC-2 In advance of the second session of the International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2), Monaco, Seychelles, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in collaboration with Norway and Rwanda, Co-Chairs of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC), convened a webinar linking the issues of enhancing a circular plastics economy, eliminating release of plastic into nature, and cleaning up existing plastic pollution. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 76th World Health Assembly 21-30 May 2023 | Ch, Geneve, Switzerland Resumed Review Conference on the UN Fish Stocks Agreement 2023 22-26 May 2023 | New York City, US ECOSOC Operational Activities for Development Segment 2023 23-25 May 2023 | New York City, US Innovate4Climate 2023 23-25 May 2023 | Bilbao, Pais Vasco, Spain Climate and Clean Air Conference 2023 29 May - 2 June 2023 | Bangkok (Krung Thep), Thailand Plastic Pollution INC-2 29 May - 2 June 2023 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France 118th meeting of the CDM Executive Board 30 May - 1 June 2023 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany SDG 16 Conference 2023 30 May - 1 June 2023 | Rome, Lazio, Italy World Circular Economy Forum 2023 30 May - 2 June 2023 | Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland 5th meeting of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body 31 May - 3 June 2023 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Eighth meeting of the Katowice Committee on the Impacts of the Implementation of Response Measures 1-2 June 2023 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing 2023 5 June 2023 | worldwide World Environment Day 2023 5 June 2023 | worldwide RightsCon 2023 5-8 June 2023 | San Jose, Costa Rica 23rd meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea 5-9 June 2023 | New York City, US 26th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee 5-9 June 2023 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland 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 .