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, 9 July 2019 GUEST ARTICLES The Ripple Effect of Rights-based Approaches: Creating Waves of Positive Change The 2030 Agenda is our roadmap to a world in which all human beings live free and equal in dignity and rights. With just over ten years left on the clock, and with political commitments too often flagging, human rights-based approaches can generate a surge towards achieving all SDGs. To Turn the Tide on Inequality, SDG Strategies Need to Build on Human Rights The discussions under the current session of the UN High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development (HLPF) will in many ways be defining for the future of sustainable development. The session takes place under the theme of “empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality,” but it will take place against the somber backdrop that we are not on track with the commitments of the 2030 Agenda. After Contentious Discussions, High-level Leadership, Stakeholder Voices and Agreement on Modalities Sets Stage for UN@75 On 14 June 2019, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus a “modalities resolution” (A/RES/73/299, titled ‘Commemoration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations’) that sets out the framework and practical arrangements for actions by various UN stakeholders to mark the UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020. Trends.Earth: An Open Spatial Data Tool to Support Country Reporting Needs for SDGs 11 and 15 The SDGs are an urgent call for action by countries to preserve our oceans and forests, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. The land management SDGs call for consistent tracking of land cover metrics. These metrics include productivity, land cover, soil carbon, urban expansion, and more. NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training program (ARSET) will host a webinar series highlighting a tool that uses National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth observations to track land degradation and urban development that meet the appropriate SDG targets. FEATURED Global Business Coalition Calls for Action to Reverse Nature Loss 3 July 2019: A group of stakeholders launched the ‘Business for Nature’ coalition, which aims to provide a united business voice at the negotiations on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to be adopted under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in 2020. According to the launching announcement, the coalition aims to “clearly demonstrate” that the protection of nature is “an economic as well as a moral imperative,” and to call on governments to adopt “an ambitious new deal for nature and people” in 2020 to protect and enhance the natural world, supported by specific sets of actions. France, China, UN Reaffirm Need for Enhanced Climate Action Ahead of Climate Summit 29 June 2019: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and UN Secretary-General António Guterres reaffirmed their “strong commitment” to enhancing international cooperation on climate change to ensure implementation of the Paris Agreement. The announcement came at the conclusion of a trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Osaka, Japan. Co-facilitators Issue SDG Coverage Map of UN Bodies 28 June 2019: A mapping of SDG coverage by the UN General Assembly (UNGA), UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and other UN bodies and fora in light of the 2030 Agenda has been shared with governments. The co-facilitators of this intergovernmental process also set out possible criteria for reducing overlaps and duplication between intergovernmental UN bodies and forums. NEWS OECD Finds Tax Automatic Exchange has Increased Transparency, Agrees on Digital Economy Taxation Roadmap 6 July 2019: In the lead up to the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released data that show that automatic exchange of information on financial accounts is improving tax compliance and delivering concrete results for governments worldwide. Also on international taxation, the 129 members of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) agreed on a road map for resolving the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy and committed to work toward a consensus-based long-term solution by the end of 2020. Forum Discusses New Urban Agenda for Pacific Region 3 July 2019: The Fifth Pacific Urban Forum called for accelerating implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) to achieve the SDGs in the Pacific region. The Forum agreed on an action plan that focuses on four areas: social equity; environment, resilience and urbanization; urban economy; and urban governance. ILO Warns of Work-Related Heat Stress Causing Job and Productivity Losses 2 July 2019: Climate change is expected to lead to an increase in work-related heat stress, damaging productivity and causing job and economic losses, with the poorest countries suffering the worst impacts, according to a report released by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The report warns that heat-related stress impacts could compromise achievement of many SDGs. OECD Publication Analyzes Teachers' Knowledge and Skills, Observes Increased Focus on Global Issues 19 June 2019: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a reflection on gaps and asymmetries in teachers’ training in information and communication technologies (ICT) across OECD countries, as well as changes to class composition and curricula brought by migration. The report argues that investing in teachers’ training and integrating global issues in curricula will be essential to ensure quality education for youth, to equip them with the skills they will need to adapt to the fast-changing, globalized job market. Japan’s Long-term Strategy Pledges Emission Reductions Through “Virtuous Cycle of Environment and Growth” 26 June 2019: The Government of Japan has become the 12th country to submit its long-term strategy (LTS) for low-emission development to the UNFCCC Secretariat, which covers the period 2018-2050. Japan’s Low Emission Development Strategy (LEDS) highlights the country’s intent to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, while realizing “a virtuous cycle of environment and growth” with business-led disruptive innovation, rapid implementation of actions, and efforts from other countries. G20, World Bank Explore Financing for Universal Health Coverage 27 June 2019: A report launched by the World Bank Group ahead of the G20 Summit finds that people in developing countries spend half a trillion dollars annually (over USD 80 per person) out of their own pockets to access health services, with these expenses most affecting the poor, and proposes solutions. The publication informed a first-ever G20 Finance and Health Ministers joint session hosted by Japan as G20 President, on 28 June 2019 in Osaka. Water Europe Advocates for Role of European Water Sector in 2030 Agenda 5 July 2019: Water Europe has put forward recommendations on the role that the EU, the European Commission and science, civil society and industry actors in the water sector can play in contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its report, published in partnership with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlights the potential for information technology, social innovation, and business action on water stewardship to achieve water-related targets in Europe and beyond. FAO, ETH Zurich Highlight Potential of Tree Restoration for Climate Change Mitigation 5 July 2019: A group of scientists and experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and ETH Zurich identified nearly one billion hectares of degraded land and forests that could be restored to help tackle climate change, and proposed country-level targets for forest restoration. World Bank, Japanese Securities Company Launch Bond for SDG 12.3 3 June 2019: The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) and Okasan securities have launched a Sustainable Development Bond to raise awareness for food loss and waste in Japan. The three-year bond is aimed at supporting SDG target 12.3, on food waste and loss. Designed for Japanese retail investors, the bond is denominated in RUB. Technical Commission Releases 2019 Ocean Observing Report Card 1 July 2019: The Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO) released a report card on the ocean observing system. They presented the report card during the IOC’s 30th General Assembly session. FFEM Calls for Project Proposals on ESM of Chemicals and Hazardous Waste June 2019: The French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) has launched a call for project proposals on the “environmentally sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste” in developing countries. Proposed projects must address one or more of the following agreements: the Basel, Bamako, Rotterdam, Stockholm or Minamata Conventions, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). German Council for Sustainable Development Hosts Meeting Focused on SDG Solutions May 2019: Participants from multi-stakeholder bodies and initiatives, CSOs and networks, the business sector, academia, regional and local levels, and parliaments gathered for the second meeting of the Open SDGclub.Berlin at the invitation of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE). Participants exchanged solutions-oriented ideas, discussed what is being done at the local, national, regional and global levels to implement the SDGs, and highlighted challenges and discussed ways to deal with them. CURRENT & UPCOMING EVENTS SEE MORE » Open-ended Online Discussions on the Post-2020 Implementation Plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Bio... 8-19 July 2019 | virtual Driving Transformative Change: Foreign Affairs and the 2030 Agenda 9 July 2019 | New York City, US Peer Learning Summit: Engaging the Private Sector in National Adaptation Planning Processes 9-11 July 2019 | Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2019 Convened by ECOSOC 9-18 July 2019 | New York City, US 2019 Global Multi-stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue 10 July 2019 | New York City, US Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) 2019 10 July 2019 | New York City, US Launch of State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2019 15 July 2019 | New York City, US UNGA Informal Plenary: Gender Equality and Women's Leadership for a Sustainable World 15 July 2019 | New York City, US 25th Session of the ISA Council (Part II) 15-19 July 2019 | Kingston, Jamaica 25th Session of the ISA Assembly 22-26 July 2019 | Kingston, Jamaica Species on the Move 2019 22-26 July 2019 | Limpopo {greater region}, South Africa Pacific Community Workshop on the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 23-25 July 2019 | Noumea, New Caledonia International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem 26 July 2019 | worldwide Twelfth Meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole on the Regular Process for Global Reporting... 29-30 July 2019 | New York City, US UAE SDG Photography Award 31 July 2019 | virtual Regional Planning Workshop for the North Pacific and Western Pacific Marginal Seas Towards the UN De... 31 July - 2 August 2019 | Tokyo, Japan 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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