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, 5 December 2017 POLICY BRIEFS SDG Knowledge Weekly: Climate and Development Finance A number of tangible financial pledges and commitments were announced during the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 23), and the thought leadership space also has been abuzz with new reports on, and analyses of, climate and development finance. Publications featured in this week’s 'SDG Knowledge Weekly' unpack climate financing impacts in small island developing States (SIDS), global investment, climate-related financial disclosures, transparency and carbon pricing. GENERATION 2030 Developing the SDG Dashboard for San Jose Stanford University began working with the City of San Jose, California, in the spring of 2017, as an opportunity for students to gain experience on real-world projects in the urban systems analytics space. After San Jose was chosen as one of the three pilot cities for the USA Sustainable Cities Initiative, the team focused on developing a digital dashboard to track the city’s progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This virtual and interactive tool would collect, organize, and help visualize various sets of data to allow the public and local policy makers to better understand and address the SDGs. FEATURED LAC Principle 10 Negotiations Incorporate Protections for Defenders of Human Rights in Environmental Matters 4 December 2017: Representatives from 24 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) resumed negotiations on a regional agreement that will enable access to information, participation and justice in environmental matters, and the promotion of a new development paradigm that prioritizes equality and environmental sustainability. During the week-long meeting, they agreed to incorporate protection for people fighting to defend human rights in environmental matters in the regional agreement. IRP Reports Trends in Global Material Resource Use 3 December 2017: In conjunction with the Science-Policy Business Forum and in advance of the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3), the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP or UN Environment) released a report titled, ‘Assessing Global Resource Use; A systems approach to resource efficiency and pollution reduction.’ NEWS ITTC-53 Adopts Work Programme and Budget, Policy Guidelines on Gender Equality 5 December 2017: The 53rd session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-53) and associated Committees sessions adopted, among other decisions, the biennial work programme and budget, and policy guidelines on gender equality. ITTC-53 also reviewed projects and activities, such as on the Emerald Triangle Protected Forests Complex and a microcredit pilot scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises. CITES SC69 Adopts Decisions on Pangolins, Rosewood 4 December 2017: The sixty-ninth meeting of the Standing Committee (SC69) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) established 27 intersessional working groups that will report back to its next meeting in 2018. Mexico Hosts Migration Stocktaking Meeting 4 December 2017: UN Member States are gathering to take stock of inputs to the global compact on migration, on which they will enter negotiations in early 2018. The preparatory stocktaking meeting convenes in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from 4-6 December 2017. GEF Council Approves Over US$500 Million in Project Financing 30 November 2017: The 53rd meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council adopted a Policy on Gender Equality, which will come into effect on 1 July 2018, as well as a new Policy on Stakeholder Engagement, for which guidelines will be developed through a consultative process that will seek to harmonize existing best practices. Council members also discussed and adopted the proposed November 2017 Work Program, which includes over US$500 million in project financing. UNIDO Conference Focuses on Partnerships for Achieving ISID, Gender Equality 1 December 2017: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) announced several partnerships and donor agreements that will help scale up its work on inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) and promote gender equality in industry. Among the announcements made during its 17th General Conference, Switzerland pledged to contribute CHF 17.35 million to UNIDO’s Global Quality and Standards Programme, and China pledged to contribute €24 million over the next four years. South-South Expo Launches Collaborative Initiatives for 2030 Agenda 30 November 2017: Participants at the Global South-South Development Expo 2017 launched initiatives and publications on South-South cooperation to help countries make progress on the SDGs. According to the UN, over 90 institutional and individual partners expressed interest in nine initiatives, and six publications were launched. Bloomberg Report Finds Decrease in Renewable Energy Investment in Developing Countries as New Capacity Increases 30 November 2017: The Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Climatescope 2017 report finds that clean energy investments in developing countries decreased in 2016, due to falling prices, unclear policy environments and market risks, but it notes that growth in renewable energy capacity has nonetheless accelerated. Climate Mitigation Finance Update: Progress in Mapping and Financing Wind Power; Financing Call for Renewable Energy Projects 28 November 2017: The latest updates in climate mitigation finance include financing for projects in solar, wind, and geothermal energy in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, India and Afghanistan. Other notable developments include initiatives to improve enabling conditions for renewable energy deployment through the launch of a global tool for mapping wind power potential and a US$50 million call for developing country funding applications from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). UNDP Organizes 2018-2021 Plan around SDGs 28 November 2017: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) launched a four-year plan that aligns its work with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Plan 2018-2021 sets out direction for a "new UNDP," one that is "optimized to help countries" achieve the Agenda. UNDP, Wilson Center Launch Index on Women’s Leadership 28 November 2017: A UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) initiative and the Wilson Center’s Women in Public Service Project launched the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative Index. The Index seeks to improve the accountability, effectiveness and inclusiveness of public institutions, and is expected to support and accelerate progress on the SDGs. UNISDR Agrees to Create Expert Group for Global Risk Assessment Framework 23 November 2017: The UN's disaster risk reduction body has decided to create an Expert Working Group to form a global risk assessment framework, in order to support Member States in implementing several international agreements reached in 2015 and 2016, and ensure coherence across them. The agreements are: the Sendai Framework on DRR, the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. SADC Holds Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Water-Energy-Food Nexus 22 November 2017: Supported by the EU Water-Energy-Food Nexus Dialogue Program, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) hosted a two-day meeting to promote resource-use efficiency in water, land and energy planning. The meeting, which took place from 21-22 November, in Johannesburg, South Africa, sought to support governments' and stakeholders' use of balanced decision-making considering the inter-dependencies of water resource management, agriculture and energy generation. Cities Adopt Declaration for Global Compact on Migration 17 November 2017: Over 50 cities from Europe, North, Central and South America, Asia and Africa were represented at the Global Conference on Cities and Migration, which sought to create a more positive narrative on migration from the perspective of local and regional authorities. The outcome of the Conference - the Mechelen Declaration - sought to capture the vision of mayors and governors of regional and local governments with regard to cities and migration. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence 25 November - 10 December 2017 | worldwide 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security 3-6 December 2017 | Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa International Conference on Resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya: Developing Solutions towards a Sustainabl... 3-6 December 2017 | Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal Preparatory Stocktaking Meeting for a Global Compact on Migration 4-6 December 2017 | Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Third Meeting of the UN Environment Assembly 4-6 December 2017 | Nairobi, Kenya 158th Session of the FAO Council 4-8 December 2017 | Rome, Lazio, Italy 2017 International Civil Society Week 4-8 December 2017 | Suva, Central, Fiji Global Forum on Just Transition 5 December 2017 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland The Role of Circular Economy in the Transition Towards a Pollution-Free Planet 5 December 2017 | Nairobi, Kenya World Soil Day 2017 5 December 2017 | worldwide Expert Group Meeting for 2018 VNR Countries 5-6 December 2017 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland Expert Group Meeting on Innovation and Technology for Achieving the 2030 Development Agenda 5-7 December 2017 | Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon Communities of Ocean Action on Marine Pollution: Implementation of SDG 14 6 December 2017 | Nairobi, Kenya GAIN Conference: Just Transition 6-7 December 2017 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland International Symposium and Annual Conference of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme 7-9 December 2017 | Kasane, North-West, Botswana Sustaining Peace: Partnerships for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding 8 December 2017 | New York City, US 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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