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, 22 November 2018 FEATURED UN Member States Debate UNGA's Working Methods, Effectiveness 15 November 2018: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) held a meeting on the revitalization of its work, with remarks and interventions addressing the need to strengthen multilateralism, the UN's upcoming 75th anniversary in 2020, and transparency in selecting the UN Secretary-General. UNGA President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés noted the importance of the revitalization process to leave no one behind to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Paris Peace Forum Recognizes Climate Change, Food Insecurity, Water Scarcity as Challenges for Peace and Security 13 November 2018: A declaration signed by heads of UN agencies and French President Emmanuel Macron at the conclusion of the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum highlights climate change, pandemics, food insecurity and water scarcity among “the most pressing challenges in terms of peace and security.” The statement urges strong collective action and enhanced collaboration and partnerships to promote the “common goal of a lasting security and development that benefits all.” OECD Paints Bleak Finance Outlook, Calls for Smarter Policy Design 12 November 2018: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released the first edition of an outlook report on sustainable development financing. The publication titled, ‘Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development 2019: Time to face the challenge,’ reveals resource constraints in developing countries and a lack of understanding on how new instruments can mobilize funds for sustainable development in an increasingly complex global financial system. NEWS UN, 2020 Olympics Plan to Advance Sustainability, SDGs 14 November 2018: The UN and the organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games will work to raise awareness of the linkages between the SDGs, sport and sporting events around the world, as well as focusing on tangible contributions to specific SDGs. The collaboration will highlight the contribution of sport in reaching the SDGs and the power of the Olympic Games to promote peace and development. African Ministers Adopt 10-Year Plan on Health and Environment Priorities 9 November 2018: African ministers for health and environment adopted a ten-year framework to direct funds toward joint health and environment initiatives, supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), partners and donors. The Strategic Action Plan to Scale Up Health and Environmental Interventions in Africa 2019-2029 is expected to promote government investment in addressing environmental problems that affect human health, such as air pollution, contamination of water sources, and ecosystem damage. World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Team Up on Sanitation 6 November 2018: The World Bank has announced a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate innovative sanitation services through a programme that seeks to make available US$1 billion of financing. The Urban Sanitation Innovative Partnership seeks to increase sanitation access, especially by poor households, through a combination of policy reforms, financing, infrastructure and technology. UN Launches Website on Three Areas of Ongoing Reform November 2018: The UN launched a website providing information, news and resources on the ongoing UN reform processes related to development, management and peace and security. The landing page of the website also outlines job openings in the three areas of reform. UN Toolkit Collates Resources for SDG Monitoring and Reporting November 2018: A toolkit launched by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ (DESA) Statistics Division aims to support national governments in their efforts to monitor and report on progress towards the SDGs. As a "live document," the toolkit will be continuously updated as new resources become available. WWC Marks World Cities Day with Guide for Local Authorities 31 October 2018: The World Water Council (WWC) launched the Spanish and French language versions of its guide for local authorities on planning water-sensitive cities, to mark World Cities Day on 31 October. The guide titled, ‘Start with Water: Putting Water on Local Action Agendas to Support Global Change,’ provides recommendations and case studies of local authorities’ implementation of international policy frameworks, including the SDGs. Development Initiatives Updates Platform for Poverty Data 29 October 2018: Development Initiatives (DI), an independent organization using data to help eradicate poverty, has launched the latest version of its Development Data Hub. The tool focuses on financial and resource flow data, utilizing the most recent available data on official development assistance (ODA), while also including poverty, social and vulnerability indicators. World Bank Shifts to Online Reporting for Development Indicators 22 October 2018: The World Bank has launched the World Development Indicators (WDI) online portal, marking a shift in indicator reporting, as the Bank’s development indicators have been released only via print or PDF format since the 1990s. Described as the Bank's "premier compilation of cross-county comparable data on development,” the site hosts nearly 1,600 indicators across 217 economies. Poverty Report Urges Development Finance Action to Achieve the SDGs 11 October 2018: Development Initiatives has presented an agenda to better target aid to support the 2030 Agenda’s ambitions, by focusing on the poorest people first. The publication titled, 'Investments to End Poverty: Meeting the Financing Challenge to Leave No One Behind,' argues that meeting financing commitments and targeting those most at risk of falling behind is critical in delivering sustainable development for all. IEA Renewables Market Forecast Highlights the Role of Bioenergy for the Energy Transition 8 October 2018: The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a report titled, 'Renewables 2018 Market Analysis and Forecast Report,' concerning the growth of renewables to ensure a more secure and sustainable energy system. The market forecast finds that modern bioenergy derived from biomass will drive the growth of renewable energy until 2023. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference 14-29 November 2018 | Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP2) 19-23 November 2018 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland Africities 8 Summit 20-24 November 2018 | Marrakesh, Marrakech, Morocco 2018 European Forum on DRR 21-23 November 2018 | Rome, Lazio, Italy International Symposium on Agricultural Innovation for Family Farmers 21-23 November 2018 | Rome, Lazio, Italy 2018 CVF Virtual Climate Summit 22 November 2018 | virtual 6th Global Biodiversity Summit of Cities and Subnational Governments 23-24 November 2018 | Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt Climate Finance Day 26 November 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France Sustainable Blue Economy Conference 26-28 November 2018 | Nairobi, Kenya UNEP FI Global Roundtable 26-28 November 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France 101st Meeting of the CDM Executive Board (EB 101) 26-29 November 2018 | Katowice, Slaskie, Poland Natural Capital Week 2018 26-30 November 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France 6th OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy 27-29 November 2018 | Incheon, Republic of Korea Fourth Meeting of the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation 27-29 November 2018 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Green Growth and Sustainable Development (GGSD) Forum 2018 27-29 November 2018 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France Global Science, Technology and Innovation Conference (G-STIC) 2018 28-30 November 2018 | Brussels, Belgium 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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