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GUEST ARTICLES
SDG-Tracker: Tracking Global Progress Towards the 17 Goals
In 2015 the world set a new sustainable development agenda, with the heads of all UN Member States pledging to achieve 17 goals by 2030: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ranging from eradicating poverty to ensuring clean energy for all and reaching sustainable levels of consumption, 169 targets across these Goals were selected to drive efforts in the 15 years leading to 2030.
A Story of Community-Led Total Sanitation: Movement-based Change
Getting people to do the right thing is a tricky art. For a start, what is the right thing? And who says so anyway? For generations, “experts” have tried hard to persuade people to do what they deem is good for them. Be they development workers or missionaries, their zeal doesn’t often translate into results, and expert-led development has all too often failed to improve the lives of the world’s poor.

POLICY BRIEFS
Featured Image -200 SDG Knowledge Weekly: Coherence and Effectiveness in Financing Sustainable Development
Much attention was paid this past week to the EU, the future of its budget, the implications for development cooperation and its relation to the 2030 Agenda. This brief focuses on what is needed for a coherent approach to guiding public finance and fostering private investment for SDG implementation.

FEATURED
Photo by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth IPBES Plenary Approves Regional and Land Degradation Assessments
24 March 2018: More than 700 participants attended the sixth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-6), which approved the summaries for policy makers and the report chapters of four regional assessments, as well as a thematic one on land degradation and restoration.
Featured Image -161 UNGA Launches Ten-Year Action Plan on Water for Sustainable Development
22 March 2018: On World Water Day, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) launched the ‘International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development’ (2018-2028). Promoting the integrated management of water resources, the Decade aims to create a platform for sharing good practices, advocacy, networking and partnership-building at all levels.

NEWS
UN Photo/Mark Garten CSW 62 Stresses Urgency of Empowering Women and Girls
24 March 2018: The 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) agreed on a set of conclusions on the urgency of ensuring the rights, well-being and resilience of women and girls and reducing poverty among women and girls. The conclusions respond to the session's priority theme, ‘Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.’
UN Photo/Mark Garten World Water Forum Closes with Calls to Action on Justice, Human Rights and Youth
23 March 2018: The Eighth World Water Forum (WWF8) in Brasilia, Brazil has concluded. The conference, on the theme of ‘Sharing Water,' comprised several parallel processes that affirmed the respective roles of judges, local and regional authorities, parliamentarians and young people in the governance of water resources.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada Vigil WMO Report: 2017 One of Three Warmest, Most Costly
23 March 2018: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued the ‘WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2017,’ which confirms that 2017 was one of the three warmest years on record and the warmest not influenced by El Niño.
Featured Image - 117 Global Festival Promotes Innovative Action for SDGs
23 March 2018: The Global Festival of Action for Sustainable Development showcased approaches, innovations and tools to support SDG implementation. The Festival focused on how to put the SDGs into action through discussion on five key issues: innovation; citizen engagement; communication; mobilization; and multi-stakeholder engagement.
UN Photo/Martine Perret Fisheries Statistics, Ocean Database to Support Marine Resource Management
23 March 2018: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) launched Ocean+Data, an online library of ocean-related data resources meant to inform decision making. In parallel, the Asia-Pacific Commission on Agricultural Statistics launched the Pacific Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Fisheries Statistics (P-SPAFS).
Photo by IISD/ENB African Leaders Sign Free Trade Agreement
22 March 2018: African leaders signed the Kigali Declaration for the Launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The agreement creates one of the world’s largest trading blocks, and aims to dramatically increase intra-African trade by removing tariff and non-tariff barriers on goods and services.
UN Photo/Rick Bajornas Regional Adaptation Forum Outlines Challenges in Gulf Region, Contributes to Talanoa Dialogue
22 March 2018: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Adaptation Network (GAN) and Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), convened a regional forum that highlighted specific adaptation challenges facing Gulf States.
Photo by IISD | Lynn Wagner World Water Council Publishes Policy Recommendations for HLPF
21 March 2018: At the Eighth World Water Forum (WWF-8) in Brazil, the World Water Council and Korea Water Council launched a synthesis report on progress made since WWF-7. The report shows that agencies have accomplished 61% of their aims since WWF-7 took place in the Republic of Korea, and are continuing their efforts.
Photo by IISD/ENB Co-Facilitators Issue Zero Draft on UN Development System Reform
21 March 2018: The co-facilitators for negotiations on repositioning the UN development system circulated the zero draft of a UN General Assembly resolution, which responds to seven major changes proposed by the UN Secretary-General. Co-facilitators Sabri Boukadoum, Permanent Representative of Algeria, and Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark, will develop a "compiled overview of inputs" from UN Member States on the text.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider Prize Winners Advance Wastewater Treatment, Governance, and Water Quality
21 March 2018: In the lead-up to World Water Day on 22 March and in conjunction with the World Water Forum, three prominent water-related prizes were announced. The World Water Council and government partners announced the winners of the King Hasan II Great World Water Prize and the 5th Kyoto World Water Grand Prize, while the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) announced the Stockholm Water Prize laureates for 2018.
Photo by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu Water Future and UNU Support Capacity Development for Water Security
21 March 2018: The UN University (UNU) and Water Future, a part of the Future Earth research initiative, have launched a capacity development programme to promote water security. The programme, known as ‘2030WaterSecurity,’ aims to facilitate implementation of the water-related aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UN Photo/Gill Fickling IFPRI Report Discusses Impacts of Antiglobalism on Food Security
20 March 2018: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has released the 2018 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR). The seventh annual report, which was launched in Washington, DC, US, investigates how globalization and antiglobalism sentiments - such as trade protectionism, tightening borders, knowledge flow restrictions, stalled farm policy reforms, and weak global governance – impact food systems and nutrition security.
Photo by IISD | Lynn Wagner Pacific Islands Partner to Transfer Waste for Sustainable Treatment and Recycling
21 March 2018: A partnership to address waste management in the Pacific islands will enable recyclable waste to be transported to ports in the region for sustainable treatment and recycling. The China Navigation Company (CNCo) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) creating the Moana Taka Partnership.
Featured Image - 91 Publications Outline Resilience Strategies, Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity
19 March 2018: One element of successful SDG implementation is identifying and exploring workable synergies among global, regional and national environmental regimes. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has issued a public consultation version of an implementation guide for local resilience strategies, which also help implement the SDGs.
Photo by IISD | Lynn Wagner Global SDG Awards Competition to Increase Private Sector Engagement
15 March 2018: The Global SDG Awards, the first international, private-sector focused sustainability competition based on the SDGs, were launched at the GLOBE Forum 2018 in Vancouver, Canada. The competition will be open to companies and social enterprises with sustainability programmes and business models geared towards realizing the SDGs.
URBANIZATION IN ASIA UN-Habitat, Ford Foundation Report Highlights Potential of Migration in Arab Cities
14 March 2018: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and the Ford Foundation have issued a report titled, ‘Migration and Inclusive Cities: A Guide for Arab City Leaders,’ which aims to stimulate innovative approaches to address opportunities and challenges posed by migration to Arab cities.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe Pacific Islands Agree Elements of Regional NDC Hub
14 March 2018: Pacific island countries agreed to establish a regional hub to further implementation and enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The 3rd Pacific Regional NDC Dialogue fleshed out the elements of the Regional Pacific NDC Hub, and provided an opportunity for Pacific island States to discuss NDC-related experiences and needs.

CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE »
Preparatory Meeting for ECOSOC Special Meeting 2018
26-27 March 2018 | Prague, Hlavni Mesto Praha, Czech Republic
Sixth International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment
26-29 March 2018 | Paphos, Cyprus
2018 ECOSOC e-Discussion: From Global to Local: Supporting Sustainable and Resilient Societies in Ur...
26 March - 8 April 2018 | virtual
UNGA Informal Consultations on Repositioning of the UN Development System - Meeting 3
27 March 2018 | New York City, US
Arab Preparatory Meeting on Energy Related Issues for the 2018 AFSD and HLPF
27-28 March 2018 | Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Mapping Water Bodies from Space: 2nd Conference
27-28 March 2018 | Frascati, Lazio, Rome, Italy
OECD Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum
27-28 March 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Arab Preparatory Meeting on Water Issues for the 2018 AFSD and HLPF
28-29 March 2018 | Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD)
28-30 March 2018 | Bangkok (Krung Thep), Thailand
Climate, Land, Energy and Water Strategies to Support Implementation of NDCs
30 March 2018 | Addis Ababa, Adis Abeba, Ethiopia
Briefing on the Partnership Data for SDGs Initiative
3 April 2018 | New York City, US
UNGA Informal Consultations on Repositioning of the UN Development System - Meeting 4
3 April 2018 | New York City, US
Second Asian and Pacific Energy Forum
3-5 April 2018 | Bangkok (Krung Thep), Thailand
World Symposium on Climate Change and Biodiversity
3-5 April 2018 | Manchester, England, UK
Intergovernmental Negotiations on Migration Compact - April 2018
3-6 April 2018 | New York City, US
Deadline for Innovations for Third STI Forum
4 April 2018 | virtual