SDG Update – 11 April 2019

Jay OwenSustainability News, Latest Headlines

GUEST ARTICLES

Financial Education as Stepping Stone to Women’s Economic Empowerment: Reflections from CSW 63 Karessa Ramos, Social Media Data Analyst at BBVA Microfinance Foundation

“I always teach basic finance using my dolls. May I present Señora María, Señora Teresa and Señora Josefa. Each one has a different way to save money: Señora María has a formal savings account, Señora Teresa buys cattle to breed, and Señora Josefa stores her extra money in a tin can, kept in her house.” For a brief moment, Peruvian microfinance officer Rut Pelaiza transported participants at the 63rd session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to one of her training sessions with rural women.

POLICY BRIEFS

SDG Knowledge Weekly: Cities and Infrastructure

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

This edition of the SDG Knowledge Weekly looks at SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), with a focus on how infrastructure can undergird and support sustainable development as a whole, as well as sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).

FEATURED

Shifting to Below 2° Economies: Berlin Event Discusses Strategies for Just Energy Transitions

10 April 2019: The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) took the opportunity of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) 2019 to launch the IISD Strategy Document Real People Real Change: Strategies for Just Energy Transitions. In launching the guidebook, IISD also brought together a group of experts on Just Transition to share their views, with a focus on: ensuring workers are central to energy transitions (SDG 8); identifying the transition processes that have worked elsewhere (SDG 7); and sharing how international cooperation can build momentum for transitions around the world (SDG 17).

CEPA Discusses Institutional Aspects of SDG 16

9 April 2019: The UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) kicked off its 18th session discussing institutional aspects of SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), mainly on effectiveness, accountability and inclusiveness. Discussions focused on governance and public administration as they relate to the theme of 2019 session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.

NEWS

UNECE Event Recognizes Local Governments’ Role in Achieving SDGs 8 April 2019: Mayors attending the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) event titled, ‘Day of Cities,’ have reiterated the importance of cities for achieving the SDGs, emphasizing that local-level actions are closest to citizens and have the most immediate and visible impact on their lives.

Member States Exchange Ideas on UN’s 75th Anniversary

8 April 2019: UN Member States exchanged views on the commemoration of UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020, during the first meeting on the date and modalities for such an event. Governments also considered possible themes, the level of participation, the nature of the outcome and ways to engage stakeholders, in particular youth.

Negotiations on Governance of Marine Genetic Resources in the High Seas Move Forward

5 April 2019: Delegates at the second session of the Intergovernmental Conference to negotiate a new treaty for the high seas addressed options related to: marine genetic resources; area-based management tools including marine protected areas (MPAs); environmental impact assessments (EIAs); and capacity building and marine technology transfer.

UN Biodiversity Convention Launches Action Agenda Online Platform

5 April 2019: The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has launched an online platform that aims to raise awareness and inspire nature-based solutions to create a “groundswell” of multi-stakeholder actions in the lead-up to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in 2020 in China. The platform will highlight biodiversity efforts from around the world, drawing attention to success stories and best practices through a variety of means, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), community-level engagement, and inter-agency collaboration.

Deputy Secretary-General Flags Solutions to “Sobering” Financing Challenges

4 April 2019: Launching the 2019 Financing for Sustainable Development report of the UN’s Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development (IATF), UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed emphasized its “sobering message,” which points to low wage growth, rising inequality, debt distress and stagnating aid levels. In addition, she said, world economic growth seems stuck at 3%, many people have lost their faith in the multilateral system, due to inequality, and seven times more dollars’ worth of goods are subject to trade restrictions compared to a year ago.

Approach for Sound Chemicals and Waste Management Beyond 2020 Under Review

4 April 2019: Negotiations at the third meeting of the Open-ended Working Group of the International Conference on Chemicals Management reviewed progress towards the 2020 goal of sound management of chemicals, among other agenda items. This goal was set by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and was reaffirmed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).