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, 19 February 2019 POLICY BRIEFS SDG Knowledge Weekly: Food, Nutrition and Genetic Resources The 17th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) is taking place in Rome, Italy, from 18-22 February 2019. This week’s brief explores the genetic resources for food and agriculture and broader issues relating to food security and nutrition as covered by SDG 2 (zero hunger). FEATURED ILO Trends Report Finds Progress Insufficient to Achieve SDG 8 13 February 2019: The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report that identifies poor working conditions as the main global challenge in the world of work. The publication finds that progress in reducing unemployment around the world is not matched by improvements in the quality of work, and progress towards SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) has been slower than expected. This situation makes SDG achievement “unrealistic for many countries,” with major gaps within and across countries. Nine Coalitions to Craft Transformative Outcomes from Climate Summit 14 February 2019: Nine coalitions are being established as part of preparations for the UN 2019 Climate Summit in order to ensure “transformative outcomes,” according to a briefing for Member States. The UN Secretary-General has asked several Heads of State and Government to lead in setting up the coalitions, with support from institutional bodies and the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Swedish Dialogue Series Addresses NDC-SDG Alignment February 2019: During the first half of 2018, the Swedish embassies in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda convened a series of dialogue forums that focused on the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change and their alignment with the SDGs. NEWS Consultations to Begin on Summit-level HLPF 13 February 2019: UN Member States will hold informal consultations to prepare for a summit-level meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) convening in September 2019. Ruben Armando Escalante Hasbun, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, will lead the preparatory consultations. Governments Planning UN’s 75th Anniversary Commemoration 13 February 2019: UNGA President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces has appointed the Permanent Representatives of Iceland and Singapore to lead intergovernmental consultations on an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN, in 2020. Espinosa suggested that the commemoration provides an opportunity to “reiterate our collective attachment to the Organization and multilateralism.” Global Ranking to Measure Contribution of Universities to SDGs 14 February 2019: Times Higher Education (THE), a data provider on higher education, is developing a global university ranking to measure institutions’ success in delivering the SDGs. The first edition of the ranking is expected to be launched at the company's Innovation and Impact Summit convening in Daejeon, South Korea, from 2-4 April 2019. UNECE Issues Guidance on Measuring Migration 14 February 2019: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has published a guide on using data from different sources to better understand migration flows and characteristics. The publication has been issued in advance of migration policy discussions in New York, including a high-level UN General Assembly (UNGA) debate in February, and the July session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which is expected to review migration-related targets in the 2030 Agenda. ECOSOC Changes Annual Theme to Align with HLPF 2019 14 February 2019: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) formally changed the theme of its 2019 session to ‘Empowering people and ensuring inclusivity and equality,’ in order to align it with the theme of the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Scientists from Five Countries Collaborate on Interdisciplinary SDG Research 14 February 2019: The Towards a Sustainable Earth (TaSE) research programme will support scientists from five countries on projects seeking to better understand the relationship between humans and their environment, to support achievement of the SDGs. The land-river interface, delta environments, and river basins as SDG "living laboratories" are among the focal areas of the selected research projects. Intergovernmental, Technical Preparations Underway for BAPA+40 13 February 2019: Ahead of the second High-level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40), which will take place in March, the co-facilitators of the informal intergovernmental negotiations on the outcome document circulated a second revised draft, while a regional technical workshop took place in Bangkok, Thailand. Informal consultations on the draft outcome resume on 19 February 2019. UN-supported Initiative Aims to Strengthen Climate-resilient Food Security, Reduce Poverty in Zambia 8 February 2019: A UN Development Programme (UNDP)-supported initiative has been launched to help the Government of Zambia strengthen climate-resilient food security and poverty reduction measures for smallholder farmers, contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, in particular SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth). WHO Report Highlights Knowledge Gaps in Climate and Health Research February 2019: The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report that brings together all the health-related information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15), and highlights knowledge gaps in climate change and health research. Dutch Investors Assess SDG Incorporation in Pension Funds December 2018: A limited number of large Dutch pension funds have been able to incorporate the SDGs into their investment policies, according to a survey undertaken by the Dutch Association of Investors in Sustainable Development (VBDO). The survey looked at the 42 largest pension schemes, and notes difficulties faced by smaller funds in particular. Also in the Netherlands, the UN Global Compact Network Netherlands has published its first report on progress made on the SDGs by Dutch companies. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 57th Session of the Commission for Social Development 11-21 February 2019 | New York City, US 4th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology 18-21 February 2019 | Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt AfricaSan5 18-22 February 2019 | Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa CGRFA 17 18-22 February 2019 | Rome, Lazio, Italy FSM5 18-22 February 2019 | Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa Climate Change and Oceans Preservation 19 February 2019 | Brussels, Belgium Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum: Energy Efficiency Finance Market Place 19-20 February 2019 | Brussels, Belgium Planetary Security Conference #Doable 19-20 February 2019 | The Hague, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands 2nd Latin American Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation 20-21 February 2019 | Lima, Peru Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction Annual Assembly 2019 20-21 February 2019 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada International Conference on Climate Change 2019 21-22 February 2019 | Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia World Resources Forum 2019 24-27 February 2019 | Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium Global Reporting Initiative Reporters' Summit: North America 2019 25 February 2019 | US 25th Session of the ISA Council (Part I) 25 February - 1 March 2019 | Kingston, Saint Andrew, Jamaica Sustainable Infrastructure for the Sustainable Development Goals 26 February 2019 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland TEEB for Agriculture and Food International Symposium 26-27 February 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya 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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