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, 27 November 2018 POLICY BRIEFS SDG Knowledge Weekly: Private Sector Action, Blended Finance for LDCs With a recent IPCC report calling for “unprecedented” societal transitions and a US government report on national climate impacts projecting major reversals to economic and social progress, this brief looks at the kind of action that can deliver the change needed, and the actors that are poised to have such impacts. Among these actors are private companies that are taking corporate sustainability reporting more seriously and investors with an eye on delivering sustainable development. FEATURED US National Climate Assessment Projects Sectoral Losses to Exceed US$100 Billion by End of Century 23 November 2018: The US Global Change Research Programme has released the second volume of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4 2018) titled, ‘Impacts, Risks and Adaptation in the United States,’ which assesses a range of potential climate change-related impacts, with an aim of helping decision makers identify risks that can be avoided or reduced. BASIC Ministers Call for Just Transition, New Finance Goal Ahead of Katowice Climate Change Conference 20 November 2018: Ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) have issued a joint statement ahead of the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December 2018, emphasizing that global climate action “should promote climate justice and a just transition” by recognizing the equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development. Business and Biodiversity Forum Calls for Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Business Operations 16 November 2018: The second Business and Biodiversity Forum, which convened on the sidelines of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), called for creating an enabling environment for mainstreaming biodiversity and sustainability considerations into business operations and models. The Forum focused on the theme, ‘Investing in Biodiversity for People and Planet.’ IAEG-SDGs Approves Methodology for SDG Indicator on Marine Acidity 15 November 2018: The UN Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) has formally recognized the data gathering approach and methodology for SDG indicator 14.3 on marine acidity. The indicator will help track national efforts to tackle ocean acidification. NEWS Mercury COP Establishes Secretariat in Geneva, Approves MoU with GEF 23 November 2018: Delegates at the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP2) to the Minamata Convention on Mercury agreed on the permanent arrangements for a stand-alone Secretariat, to be based in Geneva, Switzerland. Among other decisions, the COP also approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Environment Facility (GEF). CBD COP 14 Side Events Discuss Recommendations for Post-2020 Framework 22 November 2018: Several side events during the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have discussed the post-2020 biodiversity framework and developed recommendations for CBD COP 15, which will take place in Beijing, China, in 2020, and is expected to take a decision on the issue. GHG Concentrations Reach Record Highs, WMO Warns Ahead of Katowice Climate Change Conference 20 November 2018: Atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) levels have reached a record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The Organization has determined that this trend shows no signs of reversing. Landesa Launches Global Campaign to Close Gender Gap in Land Rights 20 November 2018: Land rights organization Landesa and its partners have launched a global advocacy campaign aimed at increasing legal protections for women to use, manage, own and inherit land. With an initial focus on Tanzania, the partners aim to extend the campaign to Liberia, India, Brazil and Kenya, followed by other countries around the world over the coming decade. Range States Launch Jaguar Conservation Roadmap 20 November 2018: Fourteen jaguar range States and international conservation organizations launched the ‘Jaguar Conservation Roadmap for the Americas’ at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Roadmap seeks to protect key jaguar corridors while also contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Marrakech Partnership Yearbook Highlights Global Climate Action by Non-Party Stakeholders 20 November 2018: The UNFCCC Secretariat and the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action have published the Yearbook for Global Climate Action, which emphasizes that all actors must urgently accelerate the pace of climate action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change and avoid the worst effects of climate change. Climate COP 23, Incoming COP 24 Presidencies Synthesize Talanoa Dialogue Inputs Ahead of Political Phase 20 November 2018: The UNFCCC has published the Talanoa Dialogue Synthesis Report, which reflects the information shared during the preparatory phase of the Dialogue, and will provide the basis for the Dialogue’s political phase. The synthesis report consists of key messages that respond to the three Talanoa Dialogue questions: Where are we? Where do we want to go? and How do we get there? BIP Launches Biodiversity Data Visualization Platform 19 November 2018: The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP) has launched an online platform to help governments make evidence-based decisions regarding biodiversity. The ‘BIP Dashboard’ brings together the BIP indicators with information technology and data visualization to enable the measurement and visualization of progress towards global, regional, and national biodiversity targets. ‘Protected Planet Report’ Finds World On Track to Meet Aichi Target 11 19 November 2018: The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the National Geographic Society issued the 2018 ‘Protected Planet Report,’ which finds that the world is on track to meet conservation targets. The report reviews progress towards Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which aims to achieve effective and equitable management of ten percent of coastal and marine areas and 17 percent of terrestrial areas by 2020. EU Plans Diplomacy Through Water as Tool for Peace, Security and Stability 19 November 2018: EU foreign affairs ministers have adopted a set of conclusions on water diplomacy, calling for high-level political engagement to prevent and alleviate potential international tensions over the water-related consequences of climate change. Alliance for Zero Extinction Assessment Finds 43 Percent of Critical Sites Unprotected 16 November 2018: The international Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) released an assessment that finds concerted action is necessary to protect sites that are home to highly threatened species. AZE released the assessment in advance of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). EU Announces Africa-Europe Alliance for Increasing Investments in Sustainable Energy 8 November 2018: During the Africa Investment Forum in Johannesburg, the European Union and African Union launched the EU-Africa high-level platform on sustainable energy investments in Africa. The platform initiative connects key players from the sustainable energy sector from the public and private sectors of Europe and Africa. UNDP, GEF Publication Explores Access and Benefit-sharing for SDGs 7 November 2018: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has published a book that illustrates the impact of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) and national ABS laws and policies on SDG achievement. The publication finds that ABS is being used by the private sector, researchers, indigenous peoples, and local communities to develop innovative products that contribute to SDG implementation. 'Accelerating Change' Event Focuses on HLPF Summit, Climate Links 5 November 2018: A high-level event on ‘Accelerating Change/Wandel beschleunigen’ for sustainable development worldwide and in Germany considered the summits on the SDGs and climate change that will take place back-to-back in September 2019. Speakers and participants also stressed the need to ensure that the SDGs bring real transformation, rather than incremental change. SOFO 2018 Provides Strengthened Evidence on Role of Forests in Achieving SDGs November 2018: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released its biennial report on the state of the world’s forests (SOFO), which examines ways to strengthen the contributions of forests and trees to sustainable development in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 2018 report titled, ‘The State of the World’s Forests: Forest Pathways to Sustainable Development,’ quantifies the contributions of forests to the SDGs, and provides recommendations for strengthening forest pathways in support of sustainable development. UN Establishes 17 Academic Impact Hubs for SDGs 24 October 2018: The UN has identified 17 universities around the world that will serve as 'Academic Impact' Hubs for each of the 17 SDGs. Each university will be charged with promoting scholarship and best practices for its respective Goal. The partnerships are managed through the UN Department of Public Information's (DPI) project on UN Academic Impact (UNAI). UNESCO Launches Guide to Climate-resilient Water Infrastructure Development 23 October 2018: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published a guide to climate risk-informed decision making that provides a bottom-up approach to risk assessment and planning. The guide titled, ‘Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA): Collaborative Water Resources Planning for an Uncertain Future,’ is intended as the first step in establishing a global community of practice that will implement the CRIDA approach in water-related infrastructure. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference 14-29 November 2018 | Sharm el-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt 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 World Forum on Urban Forests 28 November - 1 December 2018 | Mantova, Lombardia, Italy World Smart City Forum 29 November 2018 | Santa Fe, Argentina 2018 G20 Leaders' Summit 30 November - 1 December 2018 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina Global Landscapes Forum 2018 1-2 December 2018 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 2 December 2018 | Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Katowice Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 24) 2-14 December 2018 | Katowice, Slaskie, Poland Expert Group Meeting on SDG 4 3-5 December 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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