Are cities on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030?

“What’s taking place in cities is of particular and increasing interest for many. (…) But with work on implementing the SDGs at the city level still in its early stages, we know very little about several basic questions: How feasible is the achievement of this agenda for cities around the world? Under current trends, how likely is it that cities will achieve these goals by 2030 — and what level of effort will be required?”

Citiscope

Bringing a wealth of knowledge to the fight against poverty

“NOPOOR conducted 18 original surveys, analysing qualitative and quantitative data, including modelling future scenarios. (…) NOPOOR highlights just how important data is for the pursuit of the new SDGs and its research aligns well with their indicators. Indeed, the project actually provided input to stakeholders developing Goal 16 on Governance, Peace and Security, for example drawing on its research on African populations’ perception of governance. In this way NOPOOR advocates for the ongoing importance of statistical surveys and so it also champions the support of National Institutes of Statistics (NIS).”

Cordis (European Commission)

Kayanja: With political will, Nigeria is well placed to achieve SDGs

“The Federal Government has started seriously by putting in place mechanisms to implement agenda 2030. Already, there is a special adviser to the president on SDGs. The government has also just published economic growth and development plan. The plan took into account the SDGs, which mean in the next five years, aspect of the goals will be implemented. The National Bureau of Statistics is also developing indicators that will be used for monitoring the SDGs. We have to mainstream the SDGs within the plans of every state.”

The Guardian (Nigeria)

SDG-5: Gender equality in planning and reality

“Gender equality remains a persistent challenge for countries worldwide and the lack of such equality is a major obstacle to sustainable development. Assuring women's rights through legal frameworks is a first step in addressing discrimination against them, writes Muhammad Abdul Mazid.”

The Financial Express (Bangladesh)

Consortia Identify Indicators to Make SDGs Work for Climate Change Hotspots

“The authors note that these hotspots cut across administrative boundaries, and therefore have limited political representation and are seldom a focus of direct policy action. (…) The authors propose using up to five technical indicators to fill gaps with regard to links and synergies between adaptation and resilience to climate change and sustainable development. The proposed indicators focus on measuring environmental impacts for each of the three categories of climate change hotspots.”

IISD

What does the 2030 Agenda mean for labour?

“These are huge tasks that have to be tackled by labour market institutions through social dialogue and collective bargaining. Bringing together workers’ and employers’ representatives, when making decisions that impact on social, economic and environmental conditions reinforces institutional stability. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many countries, especially in the Global South.”

Equal Times

UNGA Launches Global Conversation on Financing SDGs

“The UN General Assembly (UNGA) convened a high-level event on financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), (…) to “foment a global conversation” on mobilizing the needed resources from a range of sources. Opening the SDG Financing Lab on 18 April 2017, in New York, US, UNGA President Peter Thomson said financing the SDGs will require US$6 trillion per year, or US$90 trillion over 15 years, while the cost of inaction would be far greater.

IISD

Planet analytics: big data, sustainability, and environmental impact

“Things are different when it comes to sustainability. There is no business model for sustainability per se, rather this is an externality for pretty much every business model. (…) Hence the burden of measuring and promoting sustainability falls on the shoulders of governments, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations. And this can by and large account for the gap we observe in analytics applications for sustainability. Compared to businesses, these organizations are typically at disadvantage in every possible way. Case in point: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

ZDNet

Présidentielle 2017 : les sondeurs redorent leur blason

« Si les sondages se sont donc montrés globalement fiables, ils peuvent cependant se retrouver sous le coup d’un autre reproche, notent M. Lefébure et Mme Jadot, celui d’avoir eu une réelle influence sur la campagne et le choix des électeurs à travers notamment la thématique du « vote utile » à gauche. »

Le Monde (France)

Champions League stats: Ronaldo king of goals, Mbappe best teenager and the new Iniesta found?

Talksport.com

30th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings

26 – 29 April, Manila, Philippines

2017 Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development

3 – 4 May, Stockholm, Sweden