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, 31 October 2017 GUEST ARTICLES Addressing Climate Change Means Addressing the Global Sanitation Crisis It is a global scandal that 2.3 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation facilities and services.1 This means, based on a back-of-the-envelope calculation, that several thousand tonnes of faeces are unsafely dumped into the environment each day – enough to fill Wembley Stadium! This is leading to enormous health burdens and economic costs disproportionately borne by the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, particularly women and girls. And now climate change threatens to make this crisis much worse. SDG Partnerships with the Private Sector: Three Dilemmas for Foreign Ministries (and how they could be solved) Ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets ask for multi-stakeholder solutions, but more often than not national governments and businesses are worlds apart. How to overcome these differences? FEATURED Climate Adaptation Finance Update: Barriers to Provision Identified 26 October 2017: During the month of October, projects funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) kicked off in the Pacific and Africa. Other adaptation finance news included a Caribbean risk insurance facility receiving additional grant funding, and the Brazilian state of Paraíba setting out to improve agricultural resilience through a World Bank loan. A policy brief from Adaptation Watch identified a number of barriers to the provision of adaptation finance in Southeast Asia. G-STIC 2017 Emphasizes Technological Innovations for Achieving SDGs 25 October 2017: The 2017 Global Science, Technology & Innovation Conference (G-STIC 2017) brought together over 1000 participants for discussions on technological innovations related to agroecology, urban mobility and building, water, carbon capture and use, and more to enable the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNFCCC Releases Climate Finance-related Documents Ahead of COP 23 24 October 2017: Various UNFCCC bodies will consider climate finance during the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, held from 6-17 November. Related issues include guidance to the operating entities of the Financial Mechanism, reviews of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) and the Adaptation Fund, and modalities for ex-ante and ex-post transparency of climate finance. In preparation for the two-week conference, the UNFCCC Secretariat has made available a number of documents. ESCAP Report Highlights Innovative Financing Mechanisms in Asia-Pacific to Advance SDGs 23 October 2017: Governments must adopt innovative financing models to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a report published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the Republic of Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI), a policy think tank in the field of science, technology and innovation (STI). NEWS ITPGR Hosts Biodiversity Liaison Group, Governing Body Session Opens 30 October 2017: The Secretariat of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR) hosted the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions in Rome, Italy, to discuss synergies in support of the global biodiversity and sustainable development agendas. The meeting took place in the lead up to the seventh session of the ITPGR Governing Body. UNSC, Global Index Address Women, Peace and Security 27 October 2017: During the UN Security Council's (UNSC) annual debate on implementation of Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, participants underlined the need for accelerated action on the WPS agenda, called for more funding and urged improving monitoring of progress through data. CMS COP12 Concludes, Lists Lions, Chimps, Giraffe and Leopards 28 October 2017: The twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) concluded with the adoption of 54 resolutions and a declaration on the links between sustainable development and migratory wildlife, including the adoption of the African Elephant Action Plan. Over 1,000 participants attended the week-long event, which met under the theme ‘Their Future is Our Future: Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People.' LAC Conference Calls for Regional Agenda on Social Inclusive Development to Achieve the SDGs 28 October 2017: Reducing the social footprint of the current development model and achieving inclusive social development are critical for advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to participants attending the Second Meeting of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Participants emphasized the need for: safeguarding, promoting and ensuring the efficiency of social investment; a more progressive tax burden to avoid setbacks; and equality to ensure sustainable development in the LAC region. CCAC’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership Releases Second Annual Report 27 October 2017: The second report of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) provides an overview of the organization’s 2016 activities and accomplishments, and contains summaries of company-specific annual reports submitted by OGMP’s eight 2016 members. Initiatives Support Adaptation Planning, Promote Gender in Adaptation 27 October 2017: The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Regional Training Workshop for African non-Least Developed Countries (LDCs) sought to support their medium- to long-term climate change adaptation planning processes. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmBH (GIZ) issued a report linking NAP processes and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Workshops advanced the integration of gender in NAP processes in Zambia and Nepal. Countries, Scientists and Stakeholders Meet on DRM, Sustainable Development 27 October 2017: Disaster risk management (DRM) and sustainable development featured prominently on the agendas of several recent events. Meetings among scientists focused on improved Earth system predictions, and on advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Group of 7 (G7) countries held discussions on climate and fragility. A social media conversation, hosted by Climatelinks and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), explored the benefits of integrating biodiversity conservation and adaptation. UNICEF Report Recommends Key Investments to Achieve Africa's Demographic Dividend 26 October 2017: The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a report that calls for investments in health, education and the protection and empowerment of women and girls in Africa. The report argues that the right investments can set the foundation for a demographic dividend that could lift hundreds of millions of Africans out of extreme poverty and contribute to enhanced prosperity, stability and peace. ECOSOC Addresses Recent Disasters, Urges Countries to "Build Back Better" 24 October 2017: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has urged that the humanitarian responses to recent hurricanes, floods and earthquakes be complemented by medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts that put countries “on a sustainable path toward achieving a risk-informed and resilient 2030 Agenda.” UNFCCC Showcases TNA Success Stories, NDE Germany Introduces Technology Needs Database 23 October 2017: The UNFCCC Secretariat and partners issued a report titled, ‘From Needs to Implementation: Stories From the Technology Needs Assessments,’ presenting success stories of implementation of climate technology projects based on the outcomes of countries’ technology needs assessments (TNAs). The National Designated Entity (NDE) Germany published a briefing paper introducing the Technology Needs Database (TND). Special Rapporteurs Identify Poverty as Key Obstacle to Human Rights 23 October 2017: Special Rapporteurs identified poverty as the main obstacle to realizing basic human rights during a discussion of the UN General Assembly's (UNGA) Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural). In a series of presentations, Special Rapporteurs observed that millions of people globally lack access to food, education and housing and called for targeted approaches to address the needs of vulnerable populations. Conference Discusses Evaluation's Role in Achieving SDGs 20 October 2017: Participants underscored the importance of strengthening country-level evaluation capacities to measure progress and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the 2017 International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities (NEC). The Conference focused on the theme, ‘People, Planet and Progress in the SDG era,’ with the aim of supporting and intensifying momentum towards attaining the SDGs. Second Committee Discusses Global Partnerships for SDGs 20 October 2017: Governments discussed the important role of partnerships in financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development during a meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Global Partnerships. Participants also stressed the need for transparent business principles and respect for national priorities. OECD Report Calls for Preventing, Mitigating Inequality in Aging Population 18 October 2017: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a report that finds inequalities are being exacerbated by population dynamics, as people are living and working longer, but may face long periods of unemployment or low income, and may not have family members to take care of them in old age. The report calls for preventing and mitigating inequalities through improvements to health services, promoting the employment of older workers, designing pension systems appropriately and providing affordable home care for the aged while also better supporting informal carers. Initiatives Promote Role of Higher Education Institutions in SDG Implementation October 2017: In celebration of Canada 150, the 150th anniversary of Canada, the Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES) has launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Youth Training Canada Series, a project that mobilizes 10,000 Canadian youth to advocate and implement the SDGs. The project mobilizes UN staff with extensive experience in designing, communicating or implementing the SDGs to train students in SDG advocacy and implementation. Report Outlines Steps Towards Climate Neutrality October 2017: The Wuppertal Institute has published a policy brief outlining the efforts of countries, cities and corporations to achieve climate neutrality goals. Titled ‘Steps Towards Carbon Neutrality: An Overview of Strategies and the Role of Offsetting,’ the brief shows that an increasing number of non-state actors have set themselves carbon neutrality goals, which could provide a significant source of demand for international carbon credits. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 2017 Solar World Congress 29 October - 2 November 2017 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 11th Meeting of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics (11th IAEG-GS) 30-31 October 2017 | Rome, Lazio, Italy EAT Asia-Pacific Food Forum 30-31 October 2017 | Jakarta, Indonesia ESCWA Regional Capacity-building Workshop: Water-Energy Nexus Operational Toolkit: Technology Transf... 30-31 October 2017 | Amman, Jordan Latin American Learning Conference on a Holistic Implementation of the 2030 Agenda 30 October - 1 November 2017 | Cartagena de Indias, Bolivar, Colombia Seventh Session of the Governing Body of the ITPGR 30 October - 3 November 2017 | Kigali, Rwanda 39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference 30 October - 14 November 2017 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France 2017 World Cities Day 31 October 2017 | Guangzhou, Guangdong, China Introduction to Resilience for Development 31 October 2017 | virtual 2017 Sustainable Development Transition Forum (SDTF) 31 October - 1 November 2017 | Incheon, Republic of Korea Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable World (SW4SW) 31 October - 1 November 2017 | Rome, Lazio, Italy Pacific Workshop on Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 1-2 November 2017 | Apia, Tuamasaga, Samoa South and South-West Asia Forum on Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 1-2 November 2017 | Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal Strategic Materials in a Low-Carbon World: From Resource Scarcity to Availability 2-3 November 2017 | Oxford, England, UK UNECE 4th Session Group of Experts on Renewable Energy 2-3 November 2017 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland People’s Climate Summit 2017 3-7 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany 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). 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