SDG Update – 16 July 2019

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, Sustainability News, Beyond GDP, Latest Headlines

GUEST ARTICLES

Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting Provides Impetus to Focus on Economic Opportunities of Climate Action

Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment

The Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting provided new impetus to make 2019 a year to focus on the economic opportunities of climate action. The UAE was proud to host the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting, the precursor to the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019. António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, presided over the gathering, sending a clear signal that we are once again raising our level of ambition.

POLICY BRIEFS

Why Biodiversity Matters: Mapping the Linkages between Biodiversity and the SDGs

Elsa Tsioumani, Ph.D., Thematic Expert on Biodiversity (Greece)

Biodiversity is a concept difficult to understand or appreciate, let alone regulate and communicate. Defined in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as “the variability among living organisms from all sources including … diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems,” the term attempts to reflect the variation of, and interaction among, all life on Earth.

FEATURED Abu Dhabi Meeting Takes Stock of Progress Ahead of UN Climate Action Summit

1 July 2019: The Abu Dhabi Preparatory Meeting for the UN Secretary General’s UN Climate Action Summit brought together representatives from government, business, local authorities, civil society, the UN system and youth to take stock of progress ahead of the Summit. The meeting assessed progress across the Summit’s nine action areas, and identified and developed proposals for initiatives for announcement at the Summit.

“No Accidental Outcomes”: SDG 16 Review Shows Need for Policy

12 July 2019: For the first time since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, governments and stakeholders conducted an in-depth review of SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions. Lead discussant Edward Thomas Porokwa, Pastoralists Indigenous NGOs Forum, said a one-size-fits-all strategy for SDG 16 implementation is guaranteed to leave indigenous peoples behind.

HLPF Participants Reflect on Four Years of VNRs

15 July 2019: As part of the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), countries, UN officials and stakeholders shared views on the four first years of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), during which 142 countries presented reports. The discussion highlighted the VNRs’ areas of added value, challenges and lessons learned, as well as specific initiatives taken at the regional and national levels to make progress on the 2030 Agenda.

Delegates Discuss GSDR Ahead of SDG Summit

11 July 2019: A thematic review during the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) addressed the science-policy interface (SPI), with several UN Member States welcoming the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). The co-chairs of the group of scientists that produced the GSDR briefed participants.

NEWS

Concerns on Financing Sustainable Development Cited Ahead of UNGA Dialogue

12 July 2019: The UN’s Interagency Task Force on Financing for Development (FfD) held a discussion on the findings of its 2019 Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR). Meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), speakers drew attention to technology, data and digital finance, which will be in focus in the 2020 edition of the report.

Progress in Fight Against Inequalities in HLPF Spotlight

11 July 2019: UN Member States and stakeholders reviewed progress towards SDG 10, which calls for reducing inequalities based on income, age, sex and other categories, as well as reducing inequalities between countries, which are driven by migration, development assistance and representation in international bodies, among other factors.

UNDP Multi-Dimensional Poverty Report Reveals Wide Inequalities Among the Poor

11 July 2019: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released its 2019 report on multi-dimensional poverty, which uses ten indicators to assess the severity and nature of deprivation around the world. The report goes beyond income to consider indicators of health, education, threat of violence, quality of work and standard of living, thus providing a single “headline measure” of countries’ progress on at least seven different SDGs.

HLPF Side Event Highlights Community-based Model of Landscape Management

15 July 2019: An event on the sidelines of the 2019 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) highlighted the ways in which a community-based model of landscape management can enhance the resilience of local ecosystems, protect biodiversity and support sustainable livelihoods of rural communities.

Panels Discuss 2030 Agenda under G20 Japanese Presidency, Reveal Priorities for Saudi Arabia’s Presidency in 2020

15 July 2019: An event on the sidelines of the 2019 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) focused on the G20’s role in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and provided insights into the G20 development agenda.

Strengthening Science-Policy Interface Can Help Meet Climate, Sustainable Development Goals

12 July 2019: On the sidelines of the 2019 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), a side event addressed the need to strengthen the science-policy interface (SPI) to integrate climate change, resilience and the SDGs.