SDG Update – 20 November 2018

Jay OwenGreen Prosperity, Sustainability News

GUEST ARTICLES

Filling the SDG Financing Gap: IsDB Provides New Model of Development Bank

Bandar Hajjar, President, Islamic Development Bank Group

From Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Accra to Bamako, Africa is accelerating. With 60% of global population growth until 2050 set to come from the continent, the rate of return on foreign investments is higher in Africa than any other developing region – 9.3% and growing fast. However, without sustainable development plans, these investments will fail.

Localizing the SDGs: Securing Land Access for Women in Burkina Faso

Larissa Stiem-Bhatia, Project Coordinator at TMG Research gGmbH

Indisputably, the SDGs cannot be reached if women – half of the world’s population – are left behind. Achieving gender equality implies, inter alia, giving women equal access to and control over resources to enable them to equally benefit from sustainable development. If the SDGs are to make a real difference for gender equality, however, the global vision they enshrine will have to be realized at the local level. This article provides an example of what such processes of localizing the SDGs can look like.

On World Toilet Day, Let Us Speak Plainly About An Issue That Is Often Neglected

Rolf Luyendijk, Executive Director, UN-hosted Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)

As we mark World Toilet Day and there is more and more discussion about the importance of dealing with human waste, many people will become embarrassed or shocked, and some would rather avoid the subject altogether.

POLICY BRIEFS

SDG Knowledge Weekly: Biodiversity’s Linkages to Climate, Conservation Assessments, Africa, Finance

Adam Fishman, Thematic Expert for 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (US)

With the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) under way in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, a number of thought pieces have been released on the topics under discussion, ranging from climate to governance to food and water security in Africa, and connecting to the key theme of COP 14, ‘Investing in biodiversity for people and planet.’

FEATURED

Egypt, China, CBD Launch Action Agenda for Nature and People

18 November 2018: The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Egypt and China launched an action agenda for nature and people to catalyze actions in support of biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use. The agenda aims to support achievement of the CBD’s Vision of Living in Harmony with Nature by 2050.

UN Biodiversity Conference High-level Segment Emphasizes Need for Integrated Action

15 November 2018: The High-level Segment (HLS) of the UN Biodiversity Conference brought together leaders from national governments and international organizations during a two-day event immediately preceding the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Parallel sessions addressed ways and means to mainstream biodiversity into the energy and mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and processing, and health sectors. Participants also exchanged views on the transformational path needed for the new global biodiversity framework to be adopted in 2020.

Inaugural African Ministerial Summit on Biodiversity Adopts Regional Agenda for Accelerated Ecosystem Restoration

15 November 2018: African ministers meeting on the eve of the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference adopted an action agenda aimed at ensuring a coherent approach to addressing the interlinked challenges of biodiversity loss, land degradation and climate change. The Ministerial Summit on Biodiversity brought together 30 African ministers responsible for the environment and related sectors.