The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition is the only official United Nations report that monitors global progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Using the latest available data and estimates, the report provides a comprehensive midpoint assessment of the 2030 Agenda, highlighting not only impacts of multiple crises affecting people’s lives and livelihoods, but also areas of progress where acceleration is needed. This annual SDG Report was prepared by The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the entire UN Statistical System, consisting of more than 50 international and regional agencies, based on data from over 200 countries and territories
The relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities around the world last year, compounding threats to people’s lives and livelihoods, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a new report on climate change..
WMO latest State of the Global Climate report shows that the last eight years were the eight warmest on record, and that sea level rise and ocean warming hit new highs. Record levels of greenhouse gases caused “planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere”.
The organization says its report echoes UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for “deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius”, as well as “massively scaled-up investmentsin adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis”.
In his message on Earth Day 2023, UN chief Guterres warned that “biodiversity is collapsing as one million species teeter on the brink of extinction”, and called on the world to end its “relentless and senseless wars on nature”, insisting that “we have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions” to address climate change.
Sustainable development prospects continue to diverge between developed and developing countries. The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report finds that SDG financing needs are growing, but development financing is not keeping pace. The war in Ukraine, sharp increases in food and energy prices, and rapidly tightening financial conditions have increased hunger and poverty and reversed progress on the SDGs. If left unaddressed, a “great finance divide” will translate into a lasting sustainable development divide.
Stakeholders must maintain a long-term focus on resilient and inclusive development, while addressing near-term crises. Delaying investment in sustainable transformations is not an option – not only because it would put the 2030 Agenda and climate targets out of reach, but also because it would exacerbate financing challenges down the line. This report calls on the international community to take advantage of this moment to align financing with sustainable development through three sets of actions, including:
Scale up development cooperation and SDG investment: These can support the UN Secretary-General’s call for an SDG Stimulus.
Strengthen the international financial architecture by bringing different reform processes together, strengthening effectiveness, ensuring full alignment with the SDGs and climate action.
Accelerate national sustainable industrial transformations: Countries need to chart their own national paths to achieve the SDGs with a new generation of sustainable industrial policies, supported by integrated national financing frameworks.
The world is at a crossroads. The international community must deliver on the outstanding promise of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, deliver sustainable transformations, and achieve the SDGs.
According to a new United Nations report, there are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. Details are discussed by scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fueled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño. According to the World Meteorological Organization, there is a 66% likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year. There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record. The Paris Agreement refers to the 1.5°C threshold for long-term warming over many years. This report predicts the level will be breached temporarily, with increasing frequency, but not permanently.
The first Unite Nations water conference in decades, the UN 2023 Water Conference was held in New York in March. The conference was designed to mobilize member states, the UN system, and stakeholders alike to take action and to develop successful solutions on a global scale.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations called for innovative drought financing mechanisms to help deal with the rising frequency and severity of drought events amid intensifying climate extremes that often damage fragile communities the most.
“The lack of adequate, timely and innovative financial resources remains a major barrier to proactive and integrated drought management,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu told a special event at the conference
The opening day of the March 22-24 conference coincided with World Water Day 2023, an annual UN event designed to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis.
Since conventional financial sources, mechanisms and instruments may not be sufficient to support investments in drought risk reduction and resilience building, “responsive and innovative drought financing mechanisms need to be clearly identified as a component of overall climate finance,” Qu told the conference.
The director-general also called for an increase in private sector participation, as well as a greater global knowledge base to ensure that investment decisions reflect current needs and foresee trends. “We cannot end poverty and hunger unless we get ahead of the curve on droughts,” Qu said.
The together beat hate (tbh) initiative is a program supported by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. The movement centers on a belief that an effective way to overcome antisemitism is to build bridges between people and communities through direct engagement and compassionate, impactful education. This requires each of us to listen intentionally to perspectives that differ from our own and create spaces for uncomfortable conversations in the spirit of building connection and understanding. #StandUpToJewishHate
Learn more from The Foundation To Combat Antisemitism
The Division for Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA/DSDG) and the New York Office of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), are organizing the 2023 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice – a series of capacity building and knowledge learning sessions held annually as a special Event to the HLPF, featuring speakers and experts from many sectors on crucial topics related to the implementation of the SDGs under review in 2023 HLPF as well as supporting discussions leading up to the SDG Summit in September.
The 2023 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice also aims at sharing concrete tools, methodologies and good practices that can support the mid-term review of the implementation of the SDGs and the preparations for the 2023 SDG Summit – the HLPF to be convened under the auspices of the General Assembly in September 2023.
National governments and stakeholder organizations interested in organizing a SDGs Learning, Training & Practice session are invited to submit one learning session proposal for the 2023 edition.
The application form for submission of proposals can be accessed online . Only submissions in English will be considered. Applicants will be asked to indicate their preference for virtual or in-person sessions.
The selection of learning sessions will be based on the quality of proposals, relevance to the HLPF theme and focus of the 2023 SDG Learning, Training and Practice priorities (as indicated above), the expertise of the organizers, and willingness to produce the desired output. There is no fee for submission or approval of proposed courses.
Learning Session proposals should be submitted no later than March 30 2023. The application form can be accessed through this link. Organizations of selected course proposals will be notified by May 15, 2023.
A BBC report says Nijmegen in the Netherlands is a clean, compact city with a number of green initiatives that rival Amsterdam. Residents prioritize quality of life and sustainability, and the historic city center is car-free. The city also has bicycle “superhighways,” buses running on green fuel, and programs to encourage car-sharing. Learn more about Holland’s oldest city.
This short report from the Financial Times highlights some of most innovative ideas for sustainable development across retail, city planning, policy, technology and construction. Ideas that will truly change the way we think about sustainability in 2022
A historic agreement to protect biodiversity was reached at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada. Nations agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land, oceans and coastal areas by 2030. The agreement is critical to protecting biodiversity and restoring ecosystems.
Last Updated: August 27, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition is the only official United Nations report that monitors global progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Using the latest available data and estimates, the report provides a comprehensive midpoint assessment of the 2030 Agenda, highlighting not only impacts of multiple crises affecting people’s lives and livelihoods, but also areas of progress where acceleration is needed. This annual SDG Report was prepared by The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the entire UN Statistical System, consisting of more than 50 international and regional agencies, based on data from over 200 countries and territories
Last Updated: July 2, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
UN Report > Impact of Climate Change on the Planet
The relentless advance of climate change brought more drought, flooding and heatwaves to communities around the world last year, compounding threats to people’s lives and livelihoods, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in a new report on climate change..
WMO latest State of the Global Climate report shows that the last eight years were the eight warmest on record, and that sea level rise and ocean warming hit new highs. Record levels of greenhouse gases caused “planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere”.
The organization says its report echoes UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for “deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius”, as well as “massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis”.
In his message on Earth Day 2023, UN chief Guterres warned that “biodiversity is collapsing as one million species teeter on the brink of extinction”, and called on the world to end its “relentless and senseless wars on nature”, insisting that “we have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions” to address climate change.
Posted: June 4, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
United Nations Report > Financing for Sustainable Development
Sustainable development prospects continue to diverge between developed and developing countries. The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report finds that SDG financing needs are growing, but development financing is not keeping pace. The war in Ukraine, sharp increases in food and energy prices, and rapidly tightening financial conditions have increased hunger and poverty and reversed progress on the SDGs. If left unaddressed, a “great finance divide” will translate into a lasting sustainable development divide.
Stakeholders must maintain a long-term focus on resilient and inclusive development, while addressing near-term crises. Delaying investment in sustainable transformations is not an option – not only because it would put the 2030 Agenda and climate targets out of reach, but also because it would exacerbate financing challenges down the line. This report calls on the international community to take advantage of this moment to align financing with sustainable development through three sets of actions, including:
The world is at a crossroads. The international community must deliver on the outstanding promise of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, deliver sustainable transformations, and achieve the SDGs.
Download the 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing Sustainable Transformations
Posted: May 20, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
Diffusing the Climate Change Time Bomb
According to a new United Nations report, there are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. Details are discussed by scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fueled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Niño. According to the World Meteorological Organization, there is a 66% likelihood that the annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will be more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year. There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record. The Paris Agreement refers to the 1.5°C threshold for long-term warming over many years. This report predicts the level will be breached temporarily, with increasing frequency, but not permanently.
Posted: April 2, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
Uniting the world for water: United Nations conference
The first Unite Nations water conference in decades, the UN 2023 Water Conference was held in New York in March. The conference was designed to mobilize member states, the UN system, and stakeholders alike to take action and to develop successful solutions on a global scale.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations called for innovative drought financing mechanisms to help deal with the rising frequency and severity of drought events amid intensifying climate extremes that often damage fragile communities the most.
“The lack of adequate, timely and innovative financial resources remains a major barrier to proactive and integrated drought management,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu told a special event at the conference
The opening day of the March 22-24 conference coincided with World Water Day 2023, an annual UN event designed to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis.
Since conventional financial sources, mechanisms and instruments may not be sufficient to support investments in drought risk reduction and resilience building, “responsive and innovative drought financing mechanisms need to be clearly identified as a component of overall climate finance,” Qu told the conference.
The director-general also called for an increase in private sector participation, as well as a greater global knowledge base to ensure that investment decisions reflect current needs and foresee trends. “We cannot end poverty and hunger unless we get ahead of the curve on droughts,” Qu said.
Read the vision statement of the Water Conference
Last Updated: March 31, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
New Coalition Fighting Rise in Antisemitism & Hate
The together beat hate (tbh) initiative is a program supported by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. The movement centers on a belief that an effective way to overcome antisemitism is to build bridges between people and communities through direct engagement and compassionate, impactful education. This requires each of us to listen intentionally to perspectives that differ from our own and create spaces for uncomfortable conversations in the spirit of building connection and understanding. #StandUpToJewishHate
Learn more from The Foundation To Combat Antisemitism
Last Updated: March 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
United Nations Action: Last Minute Call for Session Proposals Focused on Sustainability
The United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held in New York from July 10 – 19, 2023.
The Division for Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA/DSDG) and the New York Office of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), are organizing the 2023 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice – a series of capacity building and knowledge learning sessions held annually as a special Event to the HLPF, featuring speakers and experts from many sectors on crucial topics related to the implementation of the SDGs under review in 2023 HLPF as well as supporting discussions leading up to the SDG Summit in September.
The 2023 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice also aims at sharing concrete tools, methodologies and good practices that can support the mid-term review of the implementation of the SDGs and the preparations for the 2023 SDG Summit – the HLPF to be convened under the auspices of the General Assembly in September 2023.
National governments and stakeholder organizations interested in organizing a SDGs Learning, Training & Practice session are invited to submit one learning session proposal for the 2023 edition.
The application form for submission of proposals can be accessed online . Only submissions in English will be considered. Applicants will be asked to indicate their preference for virtual or in-person sessions.
The selection of learning sessions will be based on the quality of proposals, relevance to the HLPF theme and focus of the 2023 SDG Learning, Training and Practice priorities (as indicated above), the expertise of the organizers, and willingness to produce the desired output. There is no fee for submission or approval of proposed courses.
Learning Session proposals should be submitted no later than March 30 2023. The application form can be accessed through this link. Organizations of selected course proposals will be notified by May 15, 2023.
Last Updated: March 7, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
Nijmegen, the Oldest City in the Netherlands, Is a Trendsetter in Terms of Green Initiatives and Sustainability
A BBC report says Nijmegen in the Netherlands is a clean, compact city with a number of green initiatives that rival Amsterdam. Residents prioritize quality of life and sustainability, and the historic city center is car-free. The city also has bicycle “superhighways,” buses running on green fuel, and programs to encourage car-sharing. Learn more about Holland’s oldest city.
Last Updated: March 7, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
8 Sustainability Ideas That Will Change the World
This short report from the Financial Times highlights some of most innovative ideas for sustainable development across retail, city planning, policy, technology and construction. Ideas that will truly change the way we think about sustainability in 2022
Last Updated: January 16, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment
New > United Nations Agreement To Protect Biodiversity
A historic agreement to protect biodiversity was reached at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Canada. Nations agreed to preserve 30 percent of the planet’s land, oceans and coastal areas by 2030. The agreement is critical to protecting biodiversity and restoring ecosystems.
Learn more from the United Nations
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