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, 7 December 2017 GUEST ARTICLES Global Workshop Propels Integrated SDG 6 Monitoring The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) that has many interlinkages with other SDGs and therefore, a key role in realizing the Agenda. UN-Water is a body that coordinates the efforts of UN entities and organizations working on water and sanitation issues - more than 30 UN agencies whose mandates and programmes include responsibilities on water and sanitation. GENERATION 2030 Localizing the SDGs at the Grassroots in Nigeria On 18 October 2017, we selected 50 participants as SDGs champions for an awareness-raising workshop at the Government Girls Secondary School, which is located in Kaduna, Nigeria. The training was aimed at bringing closer, localizing, stepping down and spreading the message of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the root beneficiaries at the grassroots level, and to deliver the training by young people, to young people. FEATURED Carbon Pricing and Markets Update: Discussions Advance on Markets under Paris Agreement 6 December 2017: November carbon pricing and market news included the World Bank’s annual state of carbon pricing report, which brought both positive and less positive news. The UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, also known as COP 23, included discussions on carbon markets on both the intergovernmental negotiating agenda and at several side and special events. Also, the EU reached agreement on the reform of its emissions trading scheme (ETS) for the post-2020 era. FAO Launches Soil Organic Carbon Map on World Soil Day 5 December 2017: The annual observance of World Soil Day, on 5 December, took place under the theme, ‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground.’ To mark the Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released a ‘Global Soil Organic Carbon Map,' noting the importance of soils to addressing climate change and preserving critical ecosystem functions. Integrated Benefits Calculator Enables Decision Makers to Estimate Benefits of Mitigation Action 4 December 2017: Launched at the 3rd session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3), the Integrated Benefits Calculator (IBC) will expand the capabilities of the Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) tool enabling governments and other organizations to assess pollutant emissions, build mitigation scenarios, and understand the benefits of emission reductions. NEWS UNEA-3 Adopts 11 Resolutions and a Ministerial Declaration 6 December 2017: During its closing plenary, the third session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) adopted 11 resolutions submitted by Member States. Delegates also adopted, by consensus, a negotiated Ministerial Declaration, through which they agreed to address the pollution of air, land and soil, freshwater, and oceans. Climate Adaptation Finance Update: COP 23 Spurs Action on Resilience 5 December 2017: In November, multilateral development banks (MDBs) approved a number of large development projects with climate resilience benefits. Support was also confirmed to support disaster risk resilience and recovery in small island states. Also in November, the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, also known as UNFCCC COP 23, served as a launchpad for a number of new funding and project launch announcements. 14th Meeting of IRENA Council Focuses on Increasing Renewable Energy Deployment and Investments 4 December 2017: Discussions at the 14th Meeting of the Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) centered on scaling up renewable energy deployment and investment. OECPR-3 Negotiates on Plastics, Pollution, HLPF Contributions 1 December 2017: In a three-day meeting before the UN Environment Assembly convened, the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives to UNEP reviewed progress in implementing previous UNEA decisions, and finalized several draft resolutions and a ministerial outcome document for adoption by UNEA. Opening the meeting, UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim highlighted UNEA-3’s focus on pollution as an opportunity to bring together many SDGs into one, forward-looking agenda. Arctic States Highlight SDGs for Sustainable Economic Path 1 December 2017: Representatives from Arctic States discussed the role of the SDGs in increasing economic development in the Arctic region during a high-level conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Participants focused on identifying opportunities to ensure the Arctic region is on a path towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable future. HSBC Issues World's First SDG Bond, Shell Increases Clean Energy Spending 1 December 2017: Recent SDG news about actions taken by the private sector includes a commitment by Royal Dutch Shell to halve its carbon footprint by 2050. HSBC has launched the world’s first corporate sustainable development bond, to directly support the SDGs and Paris Agreement on climate change. And Moody’s credit agency has warned US state and local governments to brace for climate shocks that may negatively affect their credit ratings, and to adopt mitigation and adaptation strategies in order to lessen those impacts. Countries Agree to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in Central Arctic Ocean 30 November 2017: Delegates from Canada, China, Denmark, the European Union (EU), Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, the Russian Federation and the US have concluded negotiations on an agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the high seas area of the central Arctic Ocean. The agreement also establishes a joint program of scientific research and monitoring to improve understanding of the potential for sustainable fisheries harvesting and management. Iceland, Qatar to Co-facilitate ECOSOC Review Negotiations 30 November 2017: The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) has appointed Einar Gunnarsson, Permanent Representative of Iceland, and Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar, as co-facilitators to lead intergovernmental consultations on the review of Resolution 68/1, regarding reform of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). DESA Presents Updated Capacity Building Approach 29 November 2017: The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has updated its approach to capacity building for UN Member States to support the realization of the SDGs. DESA describes its "new vision" as enabling Member States to "adopt an integrated, transformative, people-centered approach to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the AAAA that leaves no one behind." Report Reviews Progress on Agenda for Humanity 28 November 2017: The Agenda for Humanity, a platform managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported on progress on its five core responsibilities: prevent and end conflict; respect the rules of war; leave no one behind; work differently to end need; and invest in humanity. The annual synthesis report finds that collective efforts illustrate “evidence that change is underway,” but have not yet resulted in improved outcomes for people affected by crises. Conference Jump-starts 2018 Discussions on SDG Financing 19 November 2017: The State of Qatar, in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), held the first joint preparatory meeting for the 2018 meetings of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Forum on Financing for Development Follow-up (FfD Forum) and UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Participants agreed on a set of ten ‘Doha Messages’ on strengthening coherence and cooperation for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on FfD. AGWA Proposes Water Resilience Framework for Meeting SDG, Climate Targets 13 November 2017: The world’s leading water agencies called for coordinated action on water resource resilience, to meet several SDG and climate targets including those on zero hunger (SDG 2) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11). The agencies propose that financing of implementation actions under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change should require a full evaluation of water resources and their integration into policy. UN-Habitat Engages Urban Planners in Climate Action 11 November 2017: UN-Habitat's recent work to ensure that urban development is sustainable, and in line with the New Urban Agenda (NUA), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other instruments, has addressed resilience for cities, gender-sensitive urban planning in Bahrain, and climate change as it affects urban planners, among other topics. The UN Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Committee on Housing and Land Management adopted a declaration on Sustainable Housing and Urban Development. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence 25 November - 10 December 2017 | worldwide 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 Expert Group Meeting on Innovation and Technology for Achieving the 2030 Development Agenda 5-7 December 2017 | Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon 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 Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference 10-13 December 2017 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina Climate Finance Day 2017 11 December 2017 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France International Mountain Day 2017 11 December 2017 | Rome, Lazio, Italy Regional Migration Governance in Africa: Concepts, Trends and Policies 11 December 2017 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany International Workshop on Water Scarcity 11-12 December 2017 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland UNEP FI Asia Pacific Regional Roundtable 11-12 December 2017 | Tokyo, Japan Mountain Partnership Fifth General Assembly 11-13 December 2017 | Rome, Lazio, Italy Trade and Sustainable Development Symposium 2017 11-13 December 2017 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina Near East Forestry and Range Commission 11-14 December 2017 | Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon 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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