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, 3 April 2018 POLICY BRIEFS Monthly Forecast April 2018: Finance, Policy Coherence and Dialogue The Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group are an annual feature on the April agenda, and we expect that discussions at the 2018 event will frame discussions regarding finance for the coming months. Contributions to the first Talanoa Dialogue under the Paris Agreement on climate change are due in early April, and these ideas will seek to frame discussions at the UNFCCC intersessional meetings, which will open at the end of the month. SDG Knowledge Weekly: European Sustainable Development Policy and the Next EU Budget Last week saw significant press coverage of the next EU budget, as well as Europe’s progress on the SDGs and cross-regional impacts. This week’s brief reviews recent thought leadership on the budget, meetings and reports on development cooperation, and progress on child-related SDG indicators. FEATURED UN Security Council Discusses UN Peacekeeping in Context of Reform Processes 28 March 2018: The UN Security Council held a high-level open debate on improving UN peacekeeping operations. Over 70 speakers shared their perspectives on UN peacekeeping, with many highlighting the importance of shared responsibility and identifying synergies with UN reform efforts. Research on SDGs in Canada Recommends Prioritization Framework, Roles for Key Actors 6 March 2018: The Brookings Institution released a working paper that, through a focus on Canada, provides a framework for tracking SDG progress in advanced economies and taking policy action. The paper also identifies issues in the country that are “on track” for success as well as those that need a “breakthrough.” NEWS Bonn Challenge Celebrates First Achieved Pledge April 2018: The “Billion Tree Tsunami” project in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range became the first to fulfill a pledge towards the Bonn Challenge, by restoring nearly 350,000 hectares of deforested and degraded land. UN CC:Learn and Partners Raise Climate Change Awareness in Rio, CTCN Contributes to SDGs 8, 11, 13, 15 28 March 2018: This capacity-building and technology update outlines capacity-building initiatives that seek to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable urban development. They contribute to implementation of SDGs 13 (climate action), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 15 (life on land) and 8 (decent work and economic growth), among others. Bahrain Announces Consultations to Support VNR Preparation 30 March 2018: Bahrain announced that it will hold consultations with civil society and other stakeholders in preparation for its Voluntary National Review (VNR) on progress towards the SDGs. Bahrain is one of 47 countries that will present a VNR report at the 2018 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Additional Questions for Preparatory Phase of Talanoa Dialogue Released 27 March 2018: The Fijian Presidency of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UNFCCC and the incoming COP 24 Polish Presidency have provided detailed questions to guide the discussions under the Talanoa Dialogue’s preparatory phase to be advanced during the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Bonn, Germany, from 30 April to 10 May 2018. Shell Sky Scenario Outlines Pathway to Well Below 2°C 27 March 2018: Shell has issued a report titled, ‘Sky: Meeting the Goals of the Paris Agreement.’ The report introduces a scenario that aims to hold the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C through a combination of “mutually reinforcing drivers being rapidly accelerated by society, markets and governments.” World Meteorological Day 2018: ‘Weather-ready, Climate-smart’ 23 March 2018: Informed planning for day-to-day weather and hazards such as floods, as well as for naturally occurring climate variability and long-term climate change was the underlying message of World Meteorological Day 2018, held under the theme, ‘Weather-ready, climate-smart.’ UN Secretary-General Discusses Maximizing Security Benefits of Technology, Mitigating Dangers 23 March 2018: At a roundtable event organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan and the Stimson Center, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres highlighted the role of new technologies in enhancing peace and security. The roundtable met on the theme, ‘Managing the Frontiers of Technology,' and participants discussed maximizing the benefits of the technological revolution while mitigating and preventing its dangers. UNEP-WCMC Study Analyzes Needs, Drivers and Practice on Biodiversity Indicators in Extractive Sector 16 March 2018: A study published by UN Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) explores how progress might be made within the extractive sector in creating effective indicators to establish corporate biodiversity performance. SAICM Intersessional Considers Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020 15 March 2018: Participants at the Second Meeting of the Intersessional Process for Considering the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste Beyond 2020 heard preliminary results of an independent evaluation of SAICM. They suggested improvements that could be made before the evaluation report is finalized and forwarded to a SAICM working group. UNDP Administrator: International Financial Policies, 2030 Agenda Must be Aligned 21 March 2018: International financial policies and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development must be more aligned to mobilize financing and reduce systemic risks, according to UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner, who was addressing a meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors ahead of the November G20 Leaders Summit. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 2018 ECOSOC e-Discussion: From Global to Local: Supporting Sustainable and Resilient Societies in Ur... 26 March - 8 April 2018 | virtual 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 ECOSOC Partnership Forum 2018 4 April 2018 | New York City, US UNGA Informal Consultations on Repositioning of the UN Development System - Meeting 5 4 April 2018 | New York City, US CTI-CFF Public Private Partnership Preparation 4-5 April 2018 | Jakarta, Indonesia NAP Expo 2018 4-6 April 2018 | Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt North American Carbon World (NACW) 2018 4-6 April 2018 | San Francisco, CA, US 2018 OECD Global Forum on Development 5 April 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France UNGA Informal Consultations on Repositioning of the UN Development System - Meeting 6 9 April 2018 | New York City, US WHO Global Dialogue on Partnerships for Sustainable Financing of NCD Prevention and Control 9-11 April 2018 | Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark 8th Green Standards Week 9-12 April 2018 | Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania 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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