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, 2 October 2018 POLICY BRIEFS SDG Knowledge Weekly: Global Progress on the SDGs, Health Interventions As outlined in our primer on Global Goals Week 2018, a number of SDG-focused conferences, summits and report launches took place in the margins of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly. Reviewing a subset of these, this week’s brief looks at where the world stands three years into the SDGs. And with much of the week’s attention on aspects of SDG 3 on health, we also consolidate recent reporting on these issues. FEATURED High-Level Meeting on NCDs Commits to Action on Tobacco, Alcohol and Sugar 27 September 2018: A UN high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) resulted in a political declaration pledging 13 actions to prevent and control NCDs such as cancer, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes. Country leaders agreed that national actions should encompass restrictions on smoking, unhealthy foods, alcohol and sugary drinks, including controls on the marketing of such products. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the risk of premature death from NCDs has somewhat declined, but the world is not yet on track to achieve SDG target 3.4 (reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030). UN Secretary-General Releases Strategy for Financing 2030 Agenda 24 September 2018: The UN Secretary-General has released a four-year strategy for financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategy underscores the UN’s critical role in supporting and accelerating the mobilization of finance and focuses on three objectives to accelerate progress from global to local levels, linked to areas where the Secretary-General’s leadership can galvanize action. World Bank Announces Trust Fund to Support Healthy, Productive Ocean 26 September 2018: On the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 73), the World Bank Group announced the creation of a multi-donor trust fund to tackle marine pollution, manage fisheries and facilitate the sustainable growth of coastal economies. The trust fund aims to support a healthy and productive ocean, in line with SDG 14 (life below water). Major #SDG2 Data Initiative Launched 24 September 2018: The largest-ever financial commitment on agricultural data for development was announced at a high-level side event on SDG 2 on zero hunger. Officials from governments, international organizations, and philanthropic organizations discussed aligning country visions and donor commitments to deliver SDG 2 and grow enough food to feed the world. The event served as the launch of the '50 X 2030' initiative to make data from farming households widely available and address the needs of the world's 500 million smallholder farmers. NEWS Economist Group Joins Partnership that Uses Advertising Funds to Support Conservation 26 September 2018: The Economist Group announced it will join ‘The Lion’s Share,’ an innovative partnership through which media groups contribute funding when they feature an animal in an advertisement. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) hosts the initiative in partnership with the FINCH production company. UK Government Calls for Protecting 30 Percent of World’s Oceans 25 September 2018: The Government of the UK has called for protecting 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030. UK Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey urged other countries to designate 30 percent of the world’s oceans as marine protected areas (MPAs) to address challenges posed by climate change, plastic pollution and overfishing. UN Environment Announces Global Plastics Platform, Highlights Countries’ Commitments 25 September 2018: The EU and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) held a high-level event on the theme, ‘Fighting Plastic Pollution: A Global Race to the Top,’ featuring countries’ latest plans for addressing plastic pollution. The side event served as the launch of UNEP’s Global Plastics Platform, which will encourage and support commitments to reduce plastic pollution. Rio Events Highlight Contrasting Approaches to Land Rights in Brazil’s Favelas 24 September 2018: A blog published on the Land Portal provides a critical review of two events focusing on land rights that convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: ‘A Simpler Brazil,’ which addressed the role of property rights in addressing poverty; and ‘Peripheral Perspectives,’ which critiqued the focus on “land regularization” as a solution to poverty and exclusion in informal urban settlements. SDGs Center for Africa Establishes Zambia Center for Southern Africa 23 September 2018: The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa is adding a sub-regional center of excellence to support countries in the Southern African region in achieving the SDGs and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063. The center will be located in Lusaka, Zambia, with the Government of Zambia providing facilities and services. High-Level Event Builds Momentum Ahead of Migration Conference 26 September 2018: A side event during the 73rd UNGA's high-level week sought to "build a bridge" between UN Member States' agreement on the Global Compact on migration and its adoption in December 2018 at a conference in Marrakech, Morocco. During the high-level event organized by the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for International Migration, some countries urged implementation of the Compact's provisions. UN Secretary-General Looks Forward to 2019 Climate Summit to Mobilize Climate Action, Finance 26 September 2018: The Informal Leaders Dialogue on Climate Change called for accelerated action and increased ambition to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Dialogue took place on the margins of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) high-level debate and New York Climate Week. UN Environment Award Ceremony Honors Champions of the Earth 26 September 2018: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment) hosted its 2018 Champions of the Earth Awards Ceremony, honoring young people and world leaders for their efforts to create positive environmental impact. The event, held in the margins of the 73rd UNGA's high-level week and Global Goals Week, highlighted the 2018 Champions’ work and emphasized the importance of youth, innovation and collaboration to achieve environmental goals. UNGA Side Event Elicits Ways to Break Conflict-Hunger Cycle 25 September 2018: Officials from governments and international organizations discussed ways to address the link between conflict and hunger, in order to reduce both. They called for increased investments in resilience building, including in agriculture and food security, as well as better data and analyses on the link between conflict and hunger, and strengthening the interlinkages between the work undertaken to end hunger and the UN Security Council. #10Things Campaign Raises Awareness on Climate Action 24 September 2018: Climate Week NYC launched the ‘10 Things’ campaign. The campaign has released each of the ten Things to raise awareness of climate change and accelerate climate action in the days between the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) and Climate Week NYC. Step Up Declaration Launched to Harness Technology, Reduce Emissions 14 September 2018: A coalition of 21 companies representing US$750 billion in market capitalization announced the launch of the Step Up Declaration during the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS). The Declaration, which cuts across industries, is dedicated to “harnessing the power of emerging technologies” to reduce carbon emissions. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 73) 18 September - 5 October 2018 | New York City, US Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention (MGISC) 29 September - 2 October 2018 | New Delhi, Delhi, India Women 20 Summit (W20 2018) 30 September - 3 October 2018 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina UNECE Regional Conference on Enabling Choices: Population Dynamics and Sustainable Development 1-2 October 2018 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland 2018 Climate Alliance International Conference 1-3 October 2018 | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain Third Meeting of the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of the Energy Transformation 1-3 October 2018 | Reykjavik, Iceland Trade for Sustainable Development (T4SD) Forum 1-3 October 2018 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland 48th Session of the IPCC 1-5 October 2018 | Incheon, Republic of Korea CITES SC70 1-5 October 2018 | Sochi, Krasnodar, Russian Federation IUFRO 2018 Posadas 1-5 October 2018 | Argentina 3rd International Conference on Water and Climate 2-3 October 2018 | Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France ATAG 2018 Global Sustainable Aviation Summit 2-3 October 2018 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland Asia Water Forum 2018 2-4 October 2018 | Manila, Philippines International Expert Workshop on Blue Natural Capital 3-4 October 2018 | Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal 12th Meeting of the CTCN Advisory Board 3-5 October 2018 | Vienna, Wien, Austria 5th Green Industry Conference for Sustainable Development 3-5 October 2018 | Bangkok (Krung Thep), Thailand 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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