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, 13 June 2019 GUEST ARTICLES Why We Need ‘Real-time’ Multi-level Governance for the SDGs The Goals and visions of the 2030 Agenda are agreed at global level, but a large part of their implementation takes place locally. To make things work, we need all levels: the bold decisions required to achieve the SDGs can only be carried through when those who are governed feel included and understood by those who govern. SDG 16 calls for effective institutions at all levels, and progress towards this Goal will be reviewed during the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). One determinant of effectiveness is the way institutions work together across levels. This article explains three approaches to this “multilevel governance,” and indicates how they can be combined to serve the SDGs. Strengthening the Enabling Environment to Achieve SDG 6 Through Data and Evidence According to the latest assessment of SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), the world at large is not on track to reach the Goal by 2030. Indeed, it is unlikely that relying on enabling environments developed before the SDG era will lead to successful achievement of SDG 6. In the language of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthening and realigning enabling environments to drive successful implementation is a critical step for many countries. Yet data and evidence for policymakers and development actors to make this happen may still be missing, overlapping or fragmented while the urgency for actions is set to grow in the next years. FEATURED Major Groups Share Positions on Empowerment, Inclusion Ahead of HLPF 2019 June 2019: Major Groups and other stakeholders submitted a series of position papers on the theme of the July 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF): ‘Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.’ The executive summaries of the position papers are consolidated into a note by the UN Secretariat, which is available in an advance, unedited edition. NEWS Survey Explores National-level Stakeholder Engagement in 2030 Agenda 11 June 2019: Together 2030 and Newcastle University are conducting a survey of stakeholders' perceptions regarding national processes to follow up on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The online survey aims to contribute to discussions on ways to strengthen stakeholder engagement in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda. Speakers at World Circular Economy Forum Call for Shift to “Living Instead of Consuming” 4 June 2019: “Living instead of consuming” was a popular refrain heard during the 2019 World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF2019), a two-day event attended by more than 2,000 “doers and thinkers” who considered ideas to reduce the overuse of raw materials, stem overconsumption, and move from ownership to sharing, among other goals that fall under the circular economy framework. Report Identifies Opportunities for NDC-NAP Alignment 4 June 2019: A report from the NAP Global Network outlines opportunities to improve alignment between countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and their national adaptation plans (NAPs). NDCs and NAPs are complementary processes, both representing elements of countries’ responses to climate change in line with the Paris Agreement. As of November 2018, 131 of the 183 submitted NDCs included adaptation information. OECD Reviews Sweden’s ODA Performance for Sustainable Development June 2019: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted a peer review of Sweden’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), which highlights Sweden’s ambition to be a leader in implementing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. UN Note Outlines HLPF Lessons Learned Since 2016 June 2019: The UN Secretariat has issued a background note on lessons learned from the first four-year cycle of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), during which the HLPF will have reviewed progress on all 17 SDGs (2016-2019). The note outlines suggestions for improvement on the voluntary national reviews (VNRs), the reviews of specific SDGs, and the reviews of the yearly theme of the session, among other topics. UN Opens Platform to Collect SDG 'Acceleration Actions' Ahead of Summit 30 May 2019: In preparation for the SDG Summit in September 2019, the UN has set up an ‘SDG Acceleration Action’ platform, where countries and other actors can register voluntary initiatives that contribute to accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The platform was announced in an information note circulated by UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, ahead of a 14 June briefing on the scope and format of Summit activities. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » 18th Session of the WMO Congress 3-14 June 2019 | Geneva, Geneve, Switzerland 56th Meeting of the GEF Council 10-13 June 2019 | Washington D.C., US UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea 10-14 June 2019 | New York City, US XIII UNESCO Creative Cities Conference 10-15 June 2019 | Italy Global NDC Conference 2019 11-14 June 2019 | Berlin, Germany EAT Stockholm Food Forum 2019 12-13 June 2019 | Stockholm, Stockholms Lan, Sweden First Meeting of the Katowice Committee of Experts on the Impacts of the Implementation of Response ... 13-14 June 2019 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany First Meeting of the LCIPP Facilitative Working Group 14-16 June 2019 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth 15-16 June 2019 | Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan Expert Dialogue on Technologies for Averting, Minimizing and Addressing Loss and Damage in Coastal Z... 17 June 2019 | Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany World Day to Combat Desertification 2019 17 June 2019 | Ankara, Turkey (worldwide) 29th Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS 17-19 June 2019 | New York City, US ALTER-Net and EKLIPSE Conference: The EU Biodiversity Strategy Beyond 2020 17-19 June 2019 | Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium International Soil Congress 2019 17-19 June 2019 | Ankara, Turkey Ecosystem Services Partnership Regional Conference Africa 2019 17-20 June 2019 | Togo Asia Clean Energy Forum 2019 17-21 June 2019 | Manila, Philippines 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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