Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

How often have you tried to explain what it is you do at the UN only to find friends and families eyes gloss over? Do they really understand how important bracketing text is or a comma here or a full stop there? Or perhaps you have friends who want to follow you into intergovernmental negotiations and experience the wonders of the Vienna Cafe!! Well, now they can!! Great presents for anyone interested in sustainable development. Without understanding the history its difficult to understand the present or plan for the future. The Vienna Cafe trilogy is their opportunity to relive some of your wonderful moments. Not to be confused with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is in five parts, the Vienna Cafe trilogy isn't in another galaxy just a cafe in the basement of the UN or other intergovernmental venues. The latest volume of the trilogy is N egotiating the Sustainable Development Goals: A transformational agenda for an insecure world by Felix Dodds, Amb...

Raymond Saner & Lichia Yiu, of the Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development (CSEND) aims at promoting equitable, sustainable and integrated development through multistakeholder dialogues, institutional learning and free flow of information. This blog addresses the question of how SDGs can be successfully implemented at a local level particularly at the level of cities and larger municipalities. Specifically, the focus of this blog is about SDG 16 and two of its targets which provide the necessary instrumentality in carrying out the 2030 Agenda.  As such, two of the 169 SDG targets are of particular importance namely, Target 16.6 and Target 16.7. They set the institutional preconditions for a successful implementation of the SDGs. These two targets are aligned with good governance principles often deficient or under-developed in many countries. The two targets are: 16.6 Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels 16.7 Ensure responsive, inclus...