SDG Update – 1 February 2018

Jay OwenSustainability News

GENERATION 2030

ECOSOC Forum Calls on Youth to Accelerate SDG Action

Nathalie Risse, Ph.D., Thematic Expert for 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Canada)

31 January 2018: Opening the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, high-level officials stressed the importance of young people’s engagement in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs. UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Miroslav Lajcak said the youth dialogue he will convene in May 2018 will take forward many of the discussions and ideas arising from the ECOSOC Youth Forum.

FEATURED

AU Summit Focuses on African Transformation, Coordination of Sustainable Development Agendas

28 January 2018: The 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) discussed progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AU’s Agenda 2063. The Summit adopted decisions on transport, trade, the free movement of persons and accelerating gender equality. On the sidelines, a framework agreement was signed on coordination between the 2030 Agenda and the Agenda 2063.

NEWS

WMO Confirms Three Warmest Years on Record, Ocean Temperatures at Record Levels

30 January 2018: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2015, 2016 and 2017 are the three warmest years on record, with 2016 holding the global record at 1.2°C above preindustrial levels. Meanwhile, the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP CAS) has found that 2017 was the hottest year ever recorded for the world’s oceans.

Governments Flag Priorities for STI Forum

29 January 2018: Ahead of the third annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum), UN and government officials highlighted their priorities for the event. The Forum will convene from 5-6 June 2018, co-chaired by Juan Sandoval Mendiolea, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico, and Toshiya Hoshino, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan.

Meeting Considers Best Practices for SDG National Reporting Platforms

24 January 2018: The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) organized a meeting of data managers, SDG focal points, and representatives of national statistical offices (NSOs) to examine how countries can establish and manage national reporting platforms. UNSD has noted that many developing countries do not yet have fully functioning platforms.

International Community Looks at Migration-Related Data, Education, Role of Faith-Based Organizations

24 January 2018: In January, migration was high on the international community’s agenda, with the convening of the first International Forum on Migration Statistics, as well as the Fourth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith?Based Organizations in International Affairs. Pope Francis and the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) addressed migration in a private meeting. Recent publications focus on immigrants’ contribution to developing countries’ economies and the inter-generational transmission of disadvantage for native-born children of immigrants.

UNDP Administrator Highlights SDG, Gender Initiatives

22 January 2018: “The SDGs have raised the bar for us,” said UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner, as he highlighted the Programme’s support for the Sustainable Development Goals. Addressing the Executive Board of UNDP, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), he also presented UNDP’s business model, four-year strategic plan, and gender equality strategy.

Pakistan Explores Carbon Pricing Instruments

19 January 2018: Pakistan is exploring ways to price carbon, in order to induce investment and domestic action on climate change. Following a national consultation on the topic, the Ministry of Climate Change will launch a technical study on a possible carbon pricing instrument.