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GUEST ARTICLES
India: Interlinking the SDGs through Electricity Access
India has been a global leader in providing electricity access to its population. A recent IEA report found that 500 million of the 1.2 billion people who have gained access globally since 2000 live in India. While 300 million rural Indians remain without power connections, the Indian Government has set a target of December 2018 for universal household electrification. Decentralized renewable energy solutions, such as rooftop solar and green mini-grids, will have to play a central role in achieving that ambitious target.

FEATURED
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn Gets Underway: 6 November Highlights
6 November 2017: The UN Climate Change Conference opened in Bonn, Germany, on 6 November 2017. Delegates elected Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, Fiji, as President of the Conference. The opening plenaries of the 23rd session Conference of the Parties (COP 23), the 13th session of the COP Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 13), and the second part of the first session of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 1-2) convened, including a joint plenary.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada German Pavilion, Talanoa Space Open at UN Climate Change Conference
6 November 2017: On Monday, 6 November, the German Pavilion at COP 23, which is organized around the theme, ‘Together for Climate Solutions,’ officially opened. The Talanoa Space, a zone provided by Fiji and Germany to showcase climate activities by non-state actors and encourage an exchange of ideas, also held its official opening. In addition, numerous side events addressed topics ranging from renewable energy in the Pacific, to implementation of Article 6 (cooperative approaches) of the Paris Agreement on climate change, to catalyzing implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Featured Image - 157 Plant Treaty Governing Body Stresses PGRFA Contribution to 2030 Agenda
3 November 2017: Held under the theme, 'The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Role of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture,' the seventh session of the Governing Body (GB 7) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) adopted a series of resolutions on general policy and implementation of the Treaty and its Multilateral System (MLS) of access and benefit-sharing (ABS). The meeting highlighted the contribution of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), and the Treaty in particular, to achieving the 2030 Agenda and several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NEWS
Photo by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada Vigil WMO Finds 2017 to be Among Top Three Hottest Years on Record
6 November 2017: The year 2017 is expected to be one of the three hottest years on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) provisional Statement on the State of the Climate, which finds that the average global temperature from January to September 2017 was approximately 1.1°C above preindustrial levels.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth SDG Fund Reports on Links Between Business and SDG 16
3 November 2017: A new report by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund examines the role of business in supporting the implementation of SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and links between the peace and the development agendas. The publication recommends ways for the private sector to incorporate SDG 16 into business planning as well as to improve corporate social responsibility, governance, transparency and accountability.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum Discusses Entrepreneurship and Innovation for SDG Implementation
2 November 2017: Participants to the second World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum (WEIF) called on the global community to support entrepreneurship and innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Photo/R Marklin IAEA Conference Announces More Nuclear Power Needed to Achieve Paris Climate Goals
1 November 2017: Participants to the fourth Ministerial Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreed that an expansion of nuclear power could improve energy security and reduce emissions related to climate change and local air pollution.
UN Photo/Mark Garten 1-Gigaton Coalition Report Highlights Potential of Renewable Energy to Contribute to Multiple SDGs in Developing Countries
31 October 2017: Developing countries can benefit in multiple ways from energy efficiency and a shift towards renewable energy, including positive impacts on the environment, public health and economic growth, in addition to making a substantial contribution towards filling the emissions gap of current mitigation commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Photo courtesy of SDG Fund Lancet Commission: Action on Climate Change Brings Health Benefits
31 October 2017: The Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change has published a report titled, ‘The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: from 25 years of inaction to a global transformation for public health.’ It describes how climate change is impacting public health, and finds that reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can mitigate health risks.
URBANIZATION Subnational Actors Localize SDGs, Highlight Role of Culture and Transport in Achieving SDG 11
31 October 2017: In order to ensure more sustainable and inclusive urban development, cities across the globe are undertaking efforts to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), improve sustainable transport, foster innovation and creativity, and consider the needs and priorities of women. The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Governments of the Norway and the Netherlands and others are helping with these efforts.
ENVIRONMENT-AIR POLLUTION Carbon Pricing and Markets Update: Private Sector Participation Rises
31 October 2017: October carbon pricing and market news included a major national carbon market simulation in Mexico, plans by the Netherlands to set a carbon price floor and additional moves in the EU to safeguard the environmental integrity of its Emissions Trading System (ETS) from a Brexit. Studies and analyses released in October indicated that, while companies are pushing forward with internal carbon pricing, national jurisdictions are still lagging behind, with price levels in most cases not supporting a below 2°C world.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu ESCAP Calls for Inclusive Trade Liberalization
30 October 2017: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched its annual report on trade and investment in the region, forecasting 4.5% growth in exports for the next year, and anticipating an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) to the region, recovering somewhat from the previous downturn. Developing countries in the region are expected to experience export growth of 4.8%, while developed countries will see 3.3% growth.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth Initiative to Support US Climate Pledge under Paris Agreement
29 October 2017: California Governor Jerry Brown and Michael Bloomberg have launched an initiative titled, ‘America’s Pledge on Climate Change,’ to compile and quantify the actions of US federal states, cities and businesses in order to help them reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, and reaffirm “Americans’ collective commitment” to climate action.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Governments Exchange Views on UN Development System Reform
25 October 2017: Governments stressed that reforms to the UN development system should address the imbalance between core and non‑core resources, strengthen South‑South cooperation and focus on delivering on national development priorities, during a meeting of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on the topic of operational activities for development.
Featured Image -160 Accelerate2030 Selects SDG Innovation Finalists
12 October 2017: Accelerate2030 announced the selection of the nine best ventures to implement innovative solutions towards social, economic and environmental needs. The Accelerate2030 programme of Impact Hub Geneva and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) aims to scale up the impact of ventures that contribute to the SDGs internationally, and to leverage the potential of entrepreneurs to play a pivotal role in the 2030 Agenda.

CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE »
39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference
30 October - 14 November 2017 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France
People’s Climate Summit 2017
3-7 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
2017 CityNet Congress
5-8 November 2017 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
ESCAP Regional Preparatory Meeting for Global Compact on Migration
6-8 November 2017 | Bangkok (Krung Thep), Thailand
Gender Summit 11 – North America
6-8 November 2017 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada
UNFCCC COP 23
6-17 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
31st ASEAN Summit
10-14 November 2017 | Philippines
GCA Thematic and High-level Days
10-15 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Development & Climate Days 2017
11-12 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Sixth Meeting of IAEG-SDGs
11-14 November 2017 | Manama, Al Manamah, Bahrain
Sustainable Innovation Forum 2017
13-14 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Public Good App House Festival
13-15 November 2017 | Washington D.C., US
CCAC High Level Assembly
14 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA-2017)
14-17 November 2017 | Addis Ababa, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia
Public Policies and Innovation in Public Service Delivery for SDGs in Latin America
14-17 November 2017 | Madrid, Spain
Energy-Efficient Lighting, Appliances and Equipment: Opportunities for Developing and Emerging Econo...
15 November 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany