SDG Update – 9 October 2018

Jay OwenSustainability News

SDG UPDATE 

A compilation of items recently posted to the SDG Knowledge Hub

Tuesday, 9 October 2018

POLICY BRIEFS

SDG Knowledge Weekly: Fighting Climate Change, Financing Climate Action

Adam Fishman, Thematic Expert for 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (US) Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 48th Session in Incheon, Republic of Korea, this week’s brief reviews a selection of papers and initiatives released around the meeting. We focus on analyses of actions needed to deliver on the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

GENERATION 2030

AFSD – 2018: Highlighting the Role of Youth in the Arab World in Fostering Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies

Anne Dalitz, Associate Expert 2030 Global Goals, UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

The UN’s 2030 Strategy and Global Partnership Initiative for Youth was launched the day before the opening of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly to create a surge of interest in the ways youth can be agents of transformative change in their societies. In this year’s Arab Forum for Sustainable Development (AFSD), this focus was front and center, and participants explored the role of youth in a larger framework, linking natural resources, the common good and inter-generational justice.

FEATURED

IPCC Special Report: Limiting Global Warming to 1.5°C Will Require “Unprecedented” Transitions

8 October 2018: The 48th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-48) has approved a Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) and its Technical Summary, and adopted a Summary for Policymakers (SPM), following its line-by-line discussion. According to the Panel, limiting the global average temperature rise to 1.5ºC is still possible; however, it will require “unprecedented” transitions in all aspects of society, including: the transformation of energy, agricultural, urban and industrial systems; engagement of non-state actors; and integration of climate action into broader public policy and development frameworks.

UNECE Publishes Assessment of Progress on Water Convention

4 October 2018: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has published a progress report on implementation of the Water Convention, showing that Parties have made “significant progress” towards cooperation on transboundary waters. The report titled, ‘Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation under the Water Convention,’ is based on self-assessments submitted by 38 of the 40 countries that were Parties at the time of the reporting exercise in 2017.

Nine Countries, EU Sign Agreement to Prevent Unregulated Fishing in Central Arctic Ocean

3 October 2018: The Governments of Canada, China, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Norway, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea and the US and the EU signed an agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing on the high seas in the central Arctic Ocean. This agreement is the first to use a legally binding, precautionary approach to protect an area from commercial fishing before fishing has begun in the area.

NEWS

African Statisticians Reflect on Data Needs for SDGs, Agenda 2063

4 October 2018: Participants at the Sixth Statistical Commission for Africa (StatCom-Africa VI) urged African governments to allocate increased resources to the production, dissemination and use of statistics to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and national development plans. An accompanying symposium offered countries the opportunity to share national progress on statistics for implementing the SDGs and Agenda 2063 and to discuss regional indicators for the two agendas.

PwC Index Finds Decarbonization Rates Are “Less than Half” Needed to Meet Paris Agreement

4 October 2018: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Low Carbon Economy Index (LCEI) 2018 finds that national decarbonization rates do not match the level needed to achieve commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change. The top performing countries on the Index are China, Mexico, Argentina and the UK, all of which grew their economies while reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

UN Urges Tackling Waste Management on World Habitat Day

1 October 2018: The UN recognized World Habitat Day with calls for increasing imagination and innovation to address global waste management challenges. The Day focused on the theme, ‘Municipal Solid Waste.’

Kew Report Showcases Potential of Fungi to Tackle Plastic Pollution

1 October 2018: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has released a report that describes how a plastic-eating fungus could help to tackle the world’s growing plastic waste problem. The report underscores the “fundamental importance” in understanding the contribution of fungi to biodiversity and its ecological functions.

WIPO Illustrates How Innovation, Intellectual Property Can Support SDGs

October 2018: The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has highlighted how diffusion of innovative technologies can play a critical role in achieving many of the SDGs. The publication describes the relationship between intellectual property, innovation and the SDGs, and showcases examples of WIPO’s contributions to the SDGs.

Post-Conflict, Fragile States Exchange Lessons on Economic Resilience

28 September 2018: Conflict-affected and fragile countries shared their experiences in pursuing peace, inclusivity and economic resilience, during an event held in the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Organized by the permanent missions of Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste and the g7+ Secretariat, the event focused on ways for g7+ member countries to exchange with non-members on lessons in building resilience.