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, 12 March 2019 GUEST ARTICLES Green Growth is at the Heart of Efforts to Achieve Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment While Delivering on the SDGs and the Paris Agreement On this International Women’s Day, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) would like to propose that inclusive green growth can serve as a crucible for the transformational change necessary to simultaneously achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment while implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Inclusive green growth is a promising new development model where countries integrate economic, social and environmental priorities to achieve even more in each area. POLICY BRIEFS SDG Knowledge Weekly: Gender Gaps With International Women’s Day (IWD) having been marked on 8 March and the 63rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) under way from 11-22 March 2019, this week’s brief provides a snapshot of recent reports and thought leadership relating to SDG 5 (gender equality). FEATURED G20's Osaka Summit to Grapple with Technology Governance 11 March 2019: The 2019 Group of 20 (G20) summit in Osaka, Japan will focus on harnessing the power of technological innovation as an overarching theme and cross-cutting debate topic. Japan’s representative for the G20 (“Sherpa”), Koji Tomita, briefed the UN General Assembly on preparations for the Summit, stressing that all plans are still preliminary. FAO, World Bank Provide Update on Data-Smart Agriculture Initiative 6 March 2019: On the margins of the 50th session of the UN Statistical Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Bank provided an update on the 50 x 2030 Initiative on Data-Smart Agriculture. The Initiative aims to address key data gaps for the implementation of SDG 2 (end hunger) by implementing agricultural and integrated household-agricultural survey programs in 50 low and middle income countries to promote evidence-based decision-making. Experts and Officials Discuss Ways to Achieve Zero Carbon Emissions 6 March 2019: Government officials, experts and other stakeholders discussed the ‘Race to Zero Carbon,’ including ways and tools to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Participants emphazised the need to take action, noting that it is more expensive “to do nothing” than to “do something” to address climate change and its impacts. NEWS UNEP, REVERB Engage Music Fans in Climate Mitigation, Environmental Action 7 March 2019: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and REVERB launched a partnership to encourage music fans to take action in support of the environment. The partnership began at the 2019 Fleetwood Mac tour, where fans can visit an action village and take the UN CleanSeas pledge to eliminate plastic waste. Special Envoy for Oceans Urges Agreement on Ending Fisheries Subsidies in 2019 6 March 2019: As World Trade Organization (WTO) members continue negotiations on ending fisheries subsidies, in line with SDG 14 (life below water), UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, commended the WTO’s progress on the issue while continuing to urge for an agreement in 2019. WWF Urges Accountability Across Value Chain to Solve Plastic Crisis 5 March 2019: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) released a report that argues that actors across the plastics value chain should be held accountable for the “true cost of plastics to nature and people.” WWF released the report in advance of the the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4). UNEP, Japan Announce Marine Litter Initiative 4 March 2019: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Government of Japan have announced an initiative on tackling marine plastic litter in Southeast Asia and India. The initiative focuses on tackling plastic pollution at its source. Minamata Convention Reaches 105 Ratifications 1 March 2019: The Minamata Convention on Mercury has reached 105 ratifications. The Marshall Islands, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia and Uganda have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession between January and March 2019. SDSN Issues Guide to Help Cities Implement the SDGs 1 March 2019: The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has issued a guide to help cities in the US implement the SDGs. The guide outlines ten steps to support sustainable development planning, and provides case studies and examples from American cities that have begun to use the SDGs in their planning processes. World Bank Report Finds “Great Progress” Towards Legal Gender Equality March 2019: The World Bank’s annual report on Women, Business and the Law (WBL) describes "great progress" towards legal gender equality over the past decade. The report uses ten years of WBL data to examine how legal gender discrimination influences women’s employment and entrepreneurship choice across 187 economies. By the current global average, women have only three fourths the legal rights of men. UNECE, Partners Developing Traceability Tool for Garment Supply Chains March 2019: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the European Commission (EC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and private sector partners are developing a ‘Decent Work and Transparency and Traceability Tool,’ UNECE announced during the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Forum. This collaboration is part of efforts to advance sustainable production patterns and a circular economy approach, in line with SDG 12. International Dialogue on Migration Focuses on Youth Needs, Contributions 28 February 2019: The first International Dialogue on Migration (IDM) of 2019 focused on engaging youth as partners in migration governance. The event aimed to provide a platform for youth to engage with policymakers, decision-makers and relevant international, regional and national actors, as well as with businesses, scholars and diaspora groups. Samoa Launches Public-Private Partnership on E-Waste 27 February 2019: Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has launched a partnership with the Samoa Stationary and Books (SSAB) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HP) in New Zealand to minimize the impacts of e-waste on the island. UN Official Outlines Elements of Inclusive, Sustainable Transitions 26 February 2019: UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed highlighted the importance of socially just transitions with regard to achieving both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Citing examples of recent action taken by the governments of Germany and Spain, Mohammed called for a “well-managed just transition through climate-resilient and inclusive development” to drive economic growth, create jobs, eradicate poverty and facilitate inclusion and prosperity for all. 2019 STI Forum Launches Calls for Innovations, Side Events 21 February 2019: The fourth annual multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum) launched a call for innovations to accelerate progress towards education, job creation, peace and reduced inequalities. The 2019 STI Forum's organizers also opened a call for side events. Countries Resume Discussion of VNR Preparations at Second Global Workshop 20 February 2019: A second workshop took place for countries that will report on national progress to implement the SDGs at the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Participants took stock of preparations for the Voluntary National Reviews (VNR), outlining areas of progress and challenges faced. A total of 50 countries are expected to present VNRs in 2019. Tuvalu Launches National Environment Data Portal 12 February 2019: The Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment (MNREE) of Tuvalu, in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), has launched an environment data portal as part of the Inform Project, which seeks to assist Pacific island countries in enhancing their national capacity to report to the various multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). UN Secretariat Reports on Indigenous Issues and 2030 Agenda 5 February 2019: A report from the UN Secretariat highlights developments in enhancing the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions in relevant UN bodies, and better integrating the rights of indigenous peoples into the 2030 Agenda process at global, regional and country levels. The report, titled ‘Update on the activities of the members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch' (E/C.19/2019/4), was issued ahead of the 18th session of the PFII, which will take place in April and May 2019. UNEP Updates on Progress on Lead Paint and Waste Lead-acid Batteries February 2019: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director has issued a progress report on eliminating exposure to lead paint and promoting environmentally sound management of waste lead-acid batteries. The report was issued ahead of the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4). CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » Sustainable Innovation Expo 10-15 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya Scenarios Forum 2019 11-13 March 2019 | Denver, CO, US Fourth Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) 11-15 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya 63rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women 11-22 March 2019 | New York City, US EMG Nexus Dialogue Series 2019: Sustainable Food Systems: Ensuring Food Security for Future Generati... 12 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya Innovative Actions Towards a Pollution-free Planet: Implementing the UNEA-3 Resolution on Soil Pollu... 12 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya Sustainable Investment Forum Europe 12 March 2019 | Paris, Ile-De-France, France Women in Power Summit 12 March 2019 | New York City, US 33rd Meeting of the Adaptation Fund Board 12-15 March 2019 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany Cities Summit 13 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya EMG Nexus Dialogue Series 2019: Sustainable Consumption and Production of Electrics and Electronics 13 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya UNEA Media Roundtable on SWITCH to Green 13 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya Advancing the Biodiversity Agenda: Ministerial Roundtable on Main Outcomes of the 2018 UN Biodiversi... 14 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya One Planet Summit 14 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya UNEA-4 Leadership Dialogue 1: Environmental Challenges Related to Poverty and Natural Resources Mana... 14 March 2019 | Nairobi, Kenya UNEA-4 Leadership Dialogue 2: Life-cycle Approaches to Resource Efficiency, Energy, Chemicals and Wa... 15 March 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). Click here for further information on the IISD's SDG Knowledge Hub .