POLICY BRIEFS
Monthly Forecast July 2018: HLPF and SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 15 and 17
Content Editors, SDG Knowledge Hub
For those following policy related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as we at the SDG Knowledge Hub do, July has become the month we wait for each year.
FEATURED
HLPF Side Event Launches Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production
10 July 2018: On the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the board of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP) organized an event on implementing SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).
Sovereign Wealth Funds Publish Framework to Help Meet Paris Agreement Goals
10 July 2018: To help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, six sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) representing more than US$3 trillion in assets have committed to only invest in companies that incorporate climate risks into their strategies, and have published a framework to this end.
Synthesis Report Previews “Urban Goal” for HLPF
9 July 2018: The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and partner custodian agencies of the Sustainable Development Goal on cities and communities (SDG 11) unveiled a Synthesis Report outlining progress as well as challenges towards the “urban goal.” The SDG 11 Synthesis Report presents “a joint position from the UN family” on critical issues related to urbanization as a cross-cutting area, and provides insights for building effective partnerships to address the data collection and monitoring needs of all related indicators.
Stakeholders Share Views on HLPF Effectiveness Ahead of 2019 Review
9 July 2018: On the sidelines of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), participants exchanged views on the value, role and future of the HLPF, including an upcoming process to review its format and organizational aspects. The side event titled, ‘Stakeholder Engagement in the HLPF and its Review in 2019,’ was organized by the Major Groups and Other Stakeholder (MGOS), and took place on the first day of the HLPF.
NEWS
HLPF Reviews SDG 7 on Energy, Anticipates “End of Coal”
10 July 2018: The 2018 session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) continued at UN Headquarters in New York, US, with review of implementation of SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy. Several developing countries showcased their own achievements in improving energy access domestically, and many countries highlighted their commitment to increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix.
FAO Report Projects Climate Change Impacts on World’s Fisheries
10 July 2018: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released a publication predicting that climate change will affect the productivity of the world’s freshwater and marine fisheries. The report urges countries to meet their adaptation commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to minimize the impacts of climate change on the world’s fisheries and the livelihoods of the world’s poorest people.
Governments Reach Agreement on Review of ECOSOC
10 July 2018: UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Miroslav Lajcak has announced that no UN Member State broke the silence procedure related to the final draft of the resolution on the review of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Following this informal agreement process, the draft resolution will be considered at a plenary meeting of the UNGA, Lajcak notes in his letter to Member States.
SLoCaT Finds 2018 VNRs “Fall Short” on Sustainable Transport
10 July 2018: The Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) reported on preliminary findings that gaps persist in country reporting on transport and its contribution to sustainable development in the Voluntary National Reports (VNRs) submitted to the 2018 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
HLPF Side Event Considers How to Leverage Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Cities
9 July 2018: On Monday, 9 July, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the UN organized an event themed, ‘The Future of Cities: Leveraging Frontier Technologies for Sustainable Development.’
HLPF Side Event Considers Gender in SDG 7
9 July 2018: On Monday, 9 July, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), ENERGIA and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) organized a side event on gender in SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and closing the knowledge gap.
HLPF Side Event Considers How to Define Poverty with Those Left Furthest Behind
9 July 2018: Discussants at a side event on the theme, ‘How to Define Poverty with Those Left Furthest Behind’ presented on key aspects of poverty that go beyond financial measures. Organized by ATD Fourth World and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), Oxford University and the Permanent Missions of Ecuador and France to the UN, the event highlighted research on causes and consequences of poverty, considering elements such as education, health, data and participatory governance to improve policymaking.
State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report Highlights Impacts of Fisheries on 10 SDGs
9 July 2018: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a flagship report showing that nearly 60% of the world’s fisheries are sustainably harvested, a decreasing trend from 90% of fisheries in 1974. The report underscores the contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to combating hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2), fighting poverty (SDG) and contributing to economic growth (SDG 8), among other Goals.
UNGA Adopts Management, Peacebuilding Restructuring Proposals Following Fifth Committee Approval
5 July 2018: The UN General Assembly has endorsed the establishment of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Department of Peace Operations, as proposed by the UN Secretary-General. It also approved the reorganization of the current Department of Management and Department of Field Support into the proposed new Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance, and Department of Operational Support. Following agreement on these matters in the (UNGA) Fifth Committee (Budgetary and Administrative). Following agreement in the Fifth Committee on resolutions outlining these decisions, the UNGA met to adopt the text.
Vatican Launches International Ecology Conference
5 July 2018: The Vatican launched an international conference on ecology, marking the third anniversary of Pope Francis’s Encyclical ‘Laudato Sì.’ Political and religious leaders, scientists, economists and civil society organizations (CSOs) discussed ways to increase awareness among the general public on the gravity of the environmental crisis that the world is facing.
UNFCCC Publishes Agendas for Additional Bangkok Session
4 July 2018: The UNFCCC Secretariat has published the agendas for the Bangkok Climate Change Conference, including the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA).
SBSTTA Side-event Discusses Measuring Agrobiodiversity
3 July 2018: Participants discussed the application of the Agrobiodiversity Index to accelerate progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets during a side event at the 22nd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 22). The Agrobiodiversity Index is a tool to measure and manage agricultural biodiversity (agrobiodiversity) in sustainable food systems.
ESCWA Reports on Migration and Sustainable Development
July 2018: Both labor migration as well as protracted conflicts in the region have led to an increase in the migrant population of Arab states, according to a report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The report covers developments from 2015-2017 on migration and sustainable development in the region, and identifies SDG targets that are directly and indirectly related to human mobility.
WMO Takes Leadership of World Water Data Initiative
25 June 2018: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) took on the leadership of the World Water Data Initiative at a meeting of the WMO Executive Council in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Water Data Initiative is a global effort previously launched by the Government of Australia to promote hydrometry as a basis for implementing SDG 6 on access to clean water and sanitation.
New Energy Outlook Forecasts Cheaper Renewables and Batteries, Shrinking Role of Fossil Fuels
19 June 2018: Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has published its ‘New Energy Outlook 2018,’ which focuses on technologies that drive change in energy markets. The report includes price forecasts to 2050 for coal, oil and natural gas, and looks at how changes in both production and demand will impact the use of fossil fuels and renewables alike.