Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

UNEP have just put up a set of power points (as pdfs)  about the way it works for new delegates and I would suggest this is good reading for everyone. PowerPoint presentation-Introduction to UN Environment Programme: History, structure and place in the UN System        Uploaded: 26 September 2018 PowerPoint presentation-The work of the Governing Bodies of UN Environment        Uploaded: 26 September 2018 PowerPoint presentation-Access to the UN Environment Assembly, Committee of Permanent Representatives Websites and Papersmart portal        Uploaded: 26 September 2018 PowerPoint presentation-Brief introduction to the work of Divisions:- Science Division        Uploaded: 26 September 2018 PowerPoint presentation-Brief introduction to the work of Divisions:-Law Division        Uploaded: 26 September 2018 PowerPoint presen...

Guest Blog o riginally published here.  by   Namit Agrawal ,  Uwe Gneiting and  Ruth Mhlanga   who introduce a  new Oxfam report  on business and the SDGs Business has become a fixture in discussions around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  This week in New York we will see the familiar picture of executives of the world’s largest corporations convening around the UN’s General Assembly week for a series of high-profile events and conferences to discuss their contributions to the SDGs. If the past couple of years are any indication, we already know what we can expect – a presentation of accomplishments and high-flying rhetoric on business’s willingness and ability to help tackle the world’s most urgent challenges. But is it true? This year’s discussions will be accompanied by more somber undertones around the limited SDG progress to date (see  here  and  here ). Even voices close to the called  for a reali...

Today the World Benchmarking Alliance will be launching in and around the UN General Assembly One year ago, the New York Public Library provided a beautiful backdrop for the start of the WBA’s global consultations during the 72nd United Nations General Assembly. Today, the library will act as the platform from which we take the next step. Over the past 12 months, we have seen first-hand that together we are greater than the sum of our parts. From New York to Nairobi, Buenos Aires to Bonn, we have listened to and worked with a wide-reaching network of individuals to mobilise a global community of over 10,000 advocates and supporters, including over 70 Allies. While this is a good start, we know that the real work is just beginning, as we strive to scale our efforts and deepen our impact. The Alliance brings together a broad, balanced group of stakeholders with SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals) at its core. Allies represent a large mix of voices aligned with the universali...

Monday the 24th of September sees the High Level Meeting on Financign the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent tremendous investment opportunities, in the order of trillions of dollars. Yet, despite growing momentum for investments in sustainable development, the financing gap is significant.  A major challenge in financing the 2030 Agenda will be attracting and directing public and private investments to areas that support the achievement of the SDGs.  Financing for sustainable development, guided by the SDGs, including SDG 17, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda will require action by diverse actors – Governments fostering enabling environments for financing and investment; the private sector mobilizing for long-term investment; and champions of innovation developing new solutions for financing the SDGs.  More information about financing for sustainable development can be found here. The Secretary-General’s ...

On the 10th and 11th of September at the UN t he Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development in cooperation with UN-DESA Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development   held an expert meeting for reviewing how to improve the High Level Political Forum (HLPF). attending were governments, UN, Major Groups and Other Stakeholders. The title of the workshop was:  "Advancing the 2030 Agenda: Lessons learnt from the first cycle of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)– how far can we go?"  The power points as PDFs can be viewed on the Friends web site here.  Papers based on the presentations will be available at the end of October for groups to use to have their own internal discussions on the key subjects. 1.  Rethinking the UN intergovernmental bodies after the creation of the HLPF: the roles of the General Assembly, ECOSOC and HLPF In 2019, the High-Level Political Forum will complete i...

The integrated technological solutions targeted by G-STIC need the attention and efforts of the entire community of SDG stakeholders, whether they come from the private sector, technological research institutes, socio-economic organisations, governments or intergovernmental organisations. G-STIC 2018 presents a golden opportunity to work together to discover new integrated tech routes to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to help define and deploy the technologies of the future and to help shape new markets and opportunities . Selected examples of strategic technological challenges, gaps and opportunities to advance the achievement of the SDGs will be discussed at G-STIC 2018. We invite you to seize this opportunity. Read this newsletter to discover the programme for some of the G-STIC 2018 themes, and join the conversation about technological innovation for the SDGs. The programme can be found here. Agroecology for sustainable food systems ...

The UN Joint Inspection Unit has completed its report on the United Nations system: private sector partnerships arrangements in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It clearly does not go far enough in the due diligence recommendations. It does suggest a role for rating systems of companies as an outside commentary on companies which the UN could use. " Organizations also note there are obvious benefits stemming from external due diligence assessments, and that the United Nations system should continue to engage private sector companies that specialize in rating the sustainability of prospective United Nations partner companies based on their environmental, corporate and social performance (including on human rights) ." This could be very important if the organization uses the Corporate Benchmark on Human Rights and the work of the World Benchmarking Alliance . I share the recommendations as a whole below and the full report can be read here. Recomm...