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Narte-Adjoka Nartey joins the Noor Medical vision to improve healthcare in rural regions in…
By: Noor Medical, Safe Surgery Anywhere
Tags: Africa, Entrepreneurship, Healthcare, Sdgs, Sustainable Development

Narte-Adjoka Nartey joins the Noor Medical vision to improve healthcare in rural regions in Sub-Sahran Africa

“Safe Surgery Anywhere” was the tagline that stirred up my interest and willingness to be part of the Noor Medical team’s vision. I am Narte-Adjoka Nartey, a 29-year old Ghanaian on the verge of completing my Master’s Degree in Environmental Governance at the University of Freiburg. Since late January 2019, I was given the opportunity to join the Noor Medical Team as an intern, focusing on medical compliance and regulation for the solar-hybrid Autoclave within the Sub-Saharan Africa Region.

Narte-Adjoka Nartey from Ghana

My experience so far has been very educative and enriching. The multi-faceted nature of the start-up, ranging from safe surgery to the application of renewable energy, and with a focus on the rural parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, is a step in the right direction vis-à-vis the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, goal 3 — good health and wellbeing, goal 7 — affordable and clean energy, goal 9 — Industry, innovation & infrastructure, as well as goal 12 — responsible production and consumption, all fit into the production and application of Noor Medical’s Autoclave. My time with Noor Medical till now has been a cornucopia of rich, inalienable experience. I have been made privy to the rules and regulations of registering a new medical device in Kenya, Ghana,Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ethiopia through extensive research. Hailing from Ghana, a developing country, I am no stranger to the effects of poor or inadequate healthcare and facilities. I have witnessed first-hand some of its dire effects. It is with this motivation that I hope to earnestly contribute to, and learn from, the fine work of Noor Medical. I am really satisfied with my experience so far as an intern and excited with the prospects of the Noor Medical’s Hybriclave, entering the market and contributing to safer surgery.

Author: Narte-Adjoka Nartey

To learn more about Noor Medical please visit our website: www.noor-med.com or follow us on facebook, linked in, twitter and instagram.
Are you ready for change? Nearly 80% believe ‘THEY ARE!’
By: Un Sdg Action Campaign
Tags: Forpeopleforplanet, Climatechange, Act4sdgs, Sdgs, Globalgoal

How ready are we to ‘turn things around’ in our already anomalous lives, today?

Large amount of waste that humans produce — Lynn / Canon Young People Programme

While the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing organizations, governments and businesses to rethink governance and business models in a more sustainable way, reports reveal a very positive and enthusiastic trend among individuals, willingness to make significant changes to lifestyle and adopt a more sustainable living in order to stop and reverse climate change.

Nearly 80 per cent of the 1,000 respondents from the UK and USA are keen to adopt lifestyle changes for a sustainable climate change, according to a survey by Futerra, a change agency promoting sustainability, in partnership with the innovative market researchers OnePulse.

Solitaire Townsend, co-founder of Futerra and a leading sustainability activist, sums up the survey saying,

“I have conducted a lot of research over the years in sustainability, but I was surprised at the strength of the positivity among respondents; an extraordinary 80 per cent of the people were ready for change. These results certainly make a case on ‘wastage’ to the people; wastage of energy, wastage of food, packaging, etc. This is something that people really understand now and are prepared to act upon. I’m also surprised at the high number of people ready to eat less meat and change their modes of transport to a more sustainable way. These emphasize the point that people are ready to change.”

Sorting through donations of shoes for refugees — Jana / Canon Young People Programme

Interestingly, the most unexpected finding for Townsend was a growing realization and conviction among individuals, that change was possible without making drastic sacrifices to one’s lifestyle, while enhancing the overall quality of life and health.

Marina Ponti, Global Director, UN SDG Action Campaign on how the time was right for a transformational change worldwide:

“Amid the pandemic, the optimism of the results really stands out, sending across a strong message that change is possible, change is now. It is time to turn things around. I would like to adjudge the survey as a sign of a butterfly effect that could take effect, if given the right push. “The pandemic has indeed driven people to look towards sustainable living and sustainable future and this is right moment to give wind to the flames of change in order to achieve sustainable development goals — for the people and the planet.”

These results can be a signal of change to invite entrepreneurs, corporates, governments and individuals to rethink climate-friendly solutions in our efforts for a green and sustainable living and for decision-makers to implement regulations to accomplish the sustainable development goals by 2030.

Click here to read the full article
OPEN CALL for immersive media creators to #TurnItAround for people and planet during the Global Week to ACT4SDGs
By: Un Sdg Action Campaign
Tags: Act4sdgs, Myworld360, Sdgs, Globalgoals, Turnitaround

OPEN CALL for immersive media creators to #TurnItAround for people and planet during the Global Week to ACT4SDGs UN SDG Action Campaign Jun 1·2 min read

We are at a turning point for people and our planet — and if we act collectively, we can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. MY World 360º is calling for immersive experiences — augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), 360° video and photography, to 3D design that take viewers anywhere in the world on a journey across the two sides of this Turning Point.

Creators of any background, country, age and language are invited to submit media by August 5, 2021 to be showcased during the Global Week to ACT4SDGs in September.

Creating media that inspires action

Creators are invited to use whatever tools are available in their location to create media, from augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), 360° video and photography, to 3D design to show the multi-dimensionality of their local communities and creative visions for a better world. Youth and first-time creators are strongly encouraged to apply.

Selected media will provoke viewers and users to feel the urgency to take action on inequalities, gender and climate to create a more peaceful, just and inclusive world and make this a turning point for people and the planet.

See submission guidelines and form here.

Why you should participate

Share your talent with the world and help us tell the stories that ignite positive action with the world.

Selected stories will be shared as part of the MY World 360º Selection and showcased as part of United Nations events and activations.

Connect with a growing community of creators from around the world, develop your skills and access mentoring and sharing opportunities.

How to submit your media

Submit your media using the online submission form

Share on social media tagging @SDGAction and @DigitalPromise and using #MYWorld360 #TurnItAround

Deadline: Submit by 5 August 2021.

Ready to become a MY World 360º Creator?

Here are some resources to help you get started!

Share with friends and networks! Click to tweet

About MY World360°

MY World360°, a collaboration between Digital Promise, Oculus from Facebook, and the UN SDG Action Campaign, invites creators worldwide to use immersive storytelling and design to share their perspectives and inspire positive action toward the Sustainable Development Goals. http://myworld360.org #MYWorld360
SeedShare's Commitment to Sustainable Development Goals
By: Kiki Ogawa
Tags: Seed Sovereignty, Sdgs, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, Environment

SeedShare is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, and as they are all interrelated and networked, we will create systemic solutions starting with an entry-point goal, where we can create cascading ripple effects in the system where we achieve many of these goals. Not in any significant order.

🌱 Our main goal is Life on Land:

We will serve to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

♾ Our next goal is Responsible Consumption and Production ensuring we are doing more and better with less. It is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency

💪🏼 Our goal after that is Good Health and Well-being. We will ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages essential to economic development. We will do this by enabling more local food sources and nutritional security, tackling the problem of highly processed and corporately subsidised meals

🍚 Zero Hunger to ensure that all parts of the population have access to local seed supply, tackling undernourishment

🌏 Finally, Climate Action is where we will serve to strengthen resilience, improve education and raise awareness in preparation for climate change mitigation and adaptation. We are already taking urgent action to prepare for future climate migrations.
How can we, together, #Act4SDGs?
By: Amy Au
Tags: Global Goals, Inclusion, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Equality

How can we, together, #Act4SDGs?

For the third year in a row, campaigners and advocates for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gather at the SDG Global Festival of Action in Bonn to celebrate and showcase action for the SDGs.

The Festival brings together leading experts, activists and practitioners from public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, civil society and more to explore how we can achieve the SDGs while leaving no one behind.

Opening Plenary of the SDG Global Festival of Action. (Photo: Alesse Nunes)

Ensuring the SDGs reach all people — including children, youth, elderly, indigenous peoples, refugees, people with disabilities, and so on — means engaging them as we make decisions about how we will meet the Goals.

Today, we opened the Festival by asking: How can we make the Global Goals everyone’s goals?

Here are 10 key messages on how to bring everyone on board for the SDGs:

“As we embark on this great collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind. Recognizing that the dignity of the human person is fundamental, we wish to see the Goals and targets met for all nations and peoples and for all segments of society.”— Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Towards the end of the Plenary, we were reminded that humanity matters, regardless of who we are. That’s why the advancement of the SDGs matters to each and every one of us.

Will you join us and #ACT4SDGs?
There are more young people in the world than ever before, creating unprecedented potential for…
Tags: Education, Sustainable Development, Sdg

There are more young people in the world than ever before, creating unprecedented potential for economic and social progress. Many of the global challenges to development are especially salient for children and youth. At the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015, 193 world leaders committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) to help make the world safer, fairer and more just for everyone. There are 17 goals with specific targets, which aim to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. The new Global Goals, and the broader sustainability agenda, go much further than the Millennium development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 in addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people. Unfortunately the world we are inheriting is in crisis. And we must start to realise our own ability to change this.

Our generation has the potential to finally change the world for the better. Until now, we have relied on adults keeping their promises to bring about change. world is calling on the youth to get involved. We must start creating the future we want to live in. Collectively we can do this. What better way better way to start taking action than through children? Through an exciting curriculum that motivates learners by adding relevance and dynamism to lessons about the SDGs, young people of all ages develop an appreciation of cultural diversity, allowing learners to enjoy a better understanding of the world. These experiences prepare young people to play a positive role in society. Project 17 hopes to build a network of young and vibrant individuals who will take action. Individuals who will enlighten the world about the 17 goals and collaborate to ensure that the goals are achieved by 2030.
Elkanodata becomes a partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
By: Working At Elkanodata
Tags: Sdgs, Elkanodata, Sustainable Development

Elkanodata is an information design agency that transforms complex information and data, into insightful, innovative, and attractive digital experiences for relevant topics and stories that matter.

Elkanodata’s mission is to leverage information design as a tool for social change, redefining the way people engage with relevant causes, and helping International and purpose-driven organizations make the most out of their information and data.

Priorities as a partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data

Elkanodata strives to build a more informed and inclusive society, raising awareness mainly around the Sustainable Development Goals. Some of Elkanodata’s notable and award-winning projects have been on raising awareness and engagement to support gender equality, climate action, the LGBTQI+ community, human rights, immigration, maternal mortality or immunization, among others.

Elkanodata has worked with prominent intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations Population Fund, World Health Organization, United Nations Sustainable Development Group and UN Women.
Never Ending Hunger
By: Lavanika Agrawal
Tags: Foodwastage, Food Waste, Sdgs, Hunger, Hungry

Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by a lack of food. About 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted per year. To take an initiative to stop food wastage I would be helping in my school cafeteria by suggesting the cafeteria lady to give healthy food, sliced fruits, and veggies, as children would then take only what they can eat. I would also encourage my school to team up with an organization, where the food which is getting wasted can be deposited.

Have you ever seen children and adults begging for food on the roads? Ever thought of giving these people donations? We have to start growing crops. I have started growing vegetables at my house, and I would be participating in a community garden, which can then be donated to the poor. Making donations might fulfill someone’s hunger for a day, but what about the next day?

To end hunger completely we need to look at the root cause, poverty. So providing education is important, it will not only promote gender equality but also provide employment opportunities, and with wages, people will be able to afford food. Education will help people take the right steps to combat climate change which is also a cause of poverty and hunger. Therefore to spread education I will be helping out at the local school in my neighborhood and spread the need for education through social media.

Also, people not able to put food on their table aren’t just hungry, but lonely and lack hope. Support is what they need. Hear them out and unite them by providing job opportunities. I believe you are capable of making great changes to help our earth. Stop being a bystander, put these new initiatives to use and help the UN achieve its second goal “No hunger” by 2030.
SWIFT publishes its 2018 Communication on Progress to the UN Global Compact
Tags: Global Compact, UN, United Nations, Sdgs, Sustainable Development

SWIFT publishes its 2018 Communication on Progress to the UN Global Compact

SWIFT has taken a series of initiatives which focus on reducing our impact on the environment, by reducing plastic waste by encouraging re-use and recycling, and on implementing measures to reduce our energy consumption. SWIFT encourages staff engagement in CSR activities, promotes diversity and inclusion and supports organisations aiming to provide equitable quality education and access to financial services. SWIFT Follow Mar 27, 2019 · 2 min read

SWIFT is pleased to announce the publication of our sixth annual Communication on Progress to the UN Global Compact, presenting our 2018 progress towards the Ten principles of the UN Global Compact, and herewith our support to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Photo by ANGELA BENITO on Unsplash

In October 2012, SWIFT became a signatory to the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest strategic corporate platform for companies to align strategies and operations with Ten universally accepted Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and take actions to advance societal goals. By joining the initiative, SWIFT also agreed to issue an annual Communication on Progress (COP), a public disclosure to stakeholders on progress made to implement the Ten Principles.

SWIFT’s sixth annual UNGC COP was submitted in March 2019. This report shows the main tangible actions taken by SWIFT and the outcome achieved in 2018 with regards to the Ten Principles. In particular, it describes how SWIFT has progressed on a series of initiatives, both internally and externally. Internally, we focused our efforts on reviewing our environmental strategy, reducing plastic waste by encouraging re-use and recycling, and on implementing measures to reduce our energy consumption. We also continued to encourage staff engagement in CSR activities and to promote diversity and inclusion. Externally, we continued to support a growing number of organisations aiming to provide equitable quality education and access to financial services.

These actions, their results and how they support the UN Sustainable Development Goals are described in more details in this Communication on Progress.

If you are interested to know more, please contact us.
Let’s turn our heads to Migration in the Developing World
By: India Migration Now
Tags: World Bank, Development, Sdgs, Remittances, Migration

We have started a series of blogs to share the important aspects covered in our Podcasts. This edition talks about migration from the Developing World. Listen to the INDIA MIGRATION NOW EXTRA: DILIP RATHA

As more and more countries reach middle income status, the rate of cross border migration has increased phenomenally. The unique challenges posed by the movement of people across the world must be urgently addressed by policy makers to make migration a safer and more secure decision for all.

Migration and development

Cross-border migration plays a key role in stimulating development in both sending and receiving states. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an excellent framework for maximising the developmental impact of increased migration. Goal 10 aims to achieve this by increasing remittance volumes, reducing the cost of sending remittances and decreasing recruitment costs for migrant workers. Countries should also focus on return migration and enact measures that encourage the re-integration of their citizens who return and cease to be migrants.

Dispelling migration myths

There is no conclusive evidence to prove that migrants take away jobs in host countries or overwhelm health and social security systems. In fact, migrants are a huge resource pool and have a net positive contribution to the economy of the host state. “If we expect our own citizens to be treated with respect in other countries, then we must do the same for those who migrate to India”

Managing emigration efficiently

Policy makers must understand prevailing cycles of migration and must incorporate the same in their migration policies. India needs to streamline its streamline its passport issuance services and also use its overseas embassies to cater to the needs of its migrants abroad. The government in coordination with NGOs should also provide migrants with language training and make them aware of their rights and entitlements in other countries.

Focusing on migrants apart from workers

Migration policy usually focuses only on workers. However, there is a need to concentrate on the needs of migrant family members and students as well. More often than not, the family members of migrant workers also take up employment in host countries and send money back home. With increasing middle class incomes, students are also moving out of their home states in search of better educational opportunities. We must find ways to keep them connected to India in order to maximize the overall benefits resulting from their education.

Future challenges

Climate change and socio-political disturbances are triggering unprecedented movements of people from the Global South towards developed countries. Policy makers must come up with solutions that can manage large and unanticipated migration flows in the near future.

Development and economic growth can proceed at an exponential rate if countries come together to ensure that migration is handled efficiently, effectively and empathetically.
Health Care Innovation
By: Sheriff Gbadamosi
Tags: Public Health, Healthcare, Sdgs, Health System Performance, Uhc2030

Health is one of the determinants for poverty.

In 2017, when I started working with Japan International Cooperation Agency, as operation manager in charge of one of the intervention, Automatic Appointment Reminder and Defaulter Tracing System.

It was part of my duties to visit, supervise, troubleshoot, engage, analyze data from 100 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in Lagos State.

At that point, I realized most of those PHCs were not mapped and see this as a problem not just for me but as for many people who are willing to access health care services. This was even one of our project deliverables, ensuring access to health care for all.

I signed up with Google local guide and at every of my visit to any of the PHCs, I ensured the hospital is mapped so that whenever anyone try to locate a PHCs near them or far away from them you can easily find the hospital.

Today, over 50,000 people have viewed those PHCs, and I am so excited about sharing this for I know definitely, at home point in time in the last four years, it would have been helpful for someone and save a life.

Lagos State currently have over 300 Primary Health Centers which I still feel it is not enough for us to really achieve Universal Health Care Coverage. Some of those PHCs however, needs infrastructural development and human resources to operate efficiently, just to mention a few of the challenges in the health system, not just in Lagos but across the entire country.

P.S: I believe in innovation and collaboration for health system strengthening, together we can do more to reduce to inequity in our health system and give access quality care to everyone, everywhere.
Let’s double down on measuring what we treasure
By: Al Kags
Tags: Sdgs, Datavalue, Data, Data4sdgs

By Jon Kapp

Early in my career, a mentor said to me, “we measure what we treasure, and we treasure what we measure.”

It was a simple play on words, a chicken-or-egg sort-of-statement, but the message resonated. At that moment, early in the MDG era, we realized that simply counting girls in and out of school was nowhere near enough. We needed to understand the whole child. Therefore, gender mattered, but there was so much more. Was she a teenage girl from a village who spoke a language other than the national language? Did she have special needs that required action to facilitate learning? Was she actually learning? Was she a citizen? Had her mother finished school? Did her family live above or below the poverty level? And, and, and. We needed measures — well beyond the superficial — for what we treasure.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

At the heart of we treasure what we measure, is a case for doubling and tripling our efforts to ensure no one is left behind in development data.

That we seek data and consider all dimensions and combinations of dimensions of the human condition to ensure that realities of everyone are brought into the light through data and treasured. And in doing so, perhaps there is hope for inclusion and equity in the realization of the broad goals for sustainable development.
Geothermal power sector gains steam 85 Degrees Renewable PLC
Tags: Geothermal, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Green Bond, Clean Water

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals are broken down into 169 targets and 231 unique indicators. Although framed for governmental responses, many of these targets and indicators are readily applicable to companies — particularly those seeking to address (as many are) the SDGs as part of their wider ESG programme. In this series of Briefing Notes, Sustainable Capital will draw on examples from some of our clients to illustrate how selected SDG targets and indicators are being addressed.

Doing no harm is a central principle of sustainable business practices and is a core principle of the EU Taxonomy. SDG 6 — Clean Water and Sanitation has a target (6.3) which states that:

“By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.”

The technology 85° is using is very well established and, thus, there is not anything new or challenging in the production process — it has been tried, tested and is trusted and it has been delivered many times without any issues. Technically speaking, 85° is producing hot water and not steam. These systems are low pressure and due to 85° operational excellence and expertise — they control and ensure 100% safe operations. Production process has no environmental impact and does not pollute the air.

85° is working closely with SodM, the Dutch mining authority, to ensure double layer protection inside the Wells — to ensure that the hot water from deep wells does not mix with groundwater.

It is important to remember that not all SDGs and certainly not all targets and indicators are relevant to every company. Companies are, in fact, pretty much free to choose which of the SDGs, targets and indicators are most relevant to their activities — the important thing is to be clear about this. There is, however, one caveat, to wit, the SDGs, their targets and indicators cannot be offset: companies cannot offset one SDG against another. Honesty and integrity is, after all, a key element of the G in ESG.
Young Sustainable Impact- Guide to apply
By: Mannan Tirmizi
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Youth, Sdgs, Startup, Social Impact

Your aim should solely not be profit driven. If your intention is for pure profit then there are plenty of business incubators out there. YSI is not just like any other innovation program. Real life problem solving and making a positive impact on society is at the core of YSI. YSI is not just an event, it’s a journey. A journey of a lifetime that the brave embark upon and never look back. Before hitting that apply button here are some questions that you need to ask yourself:

1. Am I passionate about changing the world?

If not, then the journey will take a toll on you and sooner or later you will burn out. Passion, perseverance and a 100% concentrated power of will to go against all odds is what keeps you going. A sense of purpose and passion is what wakes you up each morning and gets you going. You need to be ready to work on something much greater than yourself. Remember that you should be willing to move heaven and Earth to reach your goals.

2. Do I have time?

YSI is not just a five-month innovation program. Nope, that’s just the start. The innovation program is just a preparation for forming your team and floating an idea and perhaps launching a prototype. The real work comes down the lane, after the program. Launching a startup is no easy task. It takes a lot of coordinated effort and time. If you are a student, doing a job or have other responsibilities, you should consider your position in terms of the time that you have up your sleeve. If your commitment and priorities aren’t in line you might want to reconsider and apply when the time is right.

3. Am I ready for this?

It’s extremely important to be the right person, for the right job at the right time. There’s no shame in not being ready. Maybe you’re committed elsewhere and might want to consider applying when you are ready or you have your stuff sorted out till then. In the nutshell, you need to be ready mentally and physically. The rest will follow.

If the answer to all of the above questions is a YES! That means that you MUST definitely apply. If No, don’t sweat. YSI is here to stay and you can apply whenever you are ready.

This is the part where I share with you some tips on applying to YSI. Last year more than 10,000 people from all over the world applied to be a part of the 25 under 25 cohort for 2017. And truly so, I got to meet and befriend some of the most amazing, talented and driven individuals from around the globe. They weren’t only nerdily smart but also the coolest, craziest and funniest lot ever. When it came to partying, they knew how to party and when it came to working, these people really knew how to put their heads down and work for excellence. They really followed the mantra: Work Hard, Party Harder!
Advancing innovation is key for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
By: Development Goals Forum
Tags: Sdgs, Innovation, Sustainable Development, Sustainability

As various institutions and businesses around the world assess their progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it has become more clear that with the current pace of progress, it will be difficult to meet society’s growing needs. Without an acceleration of the achievement of the targets, we are all at risk of coming up short of the SDGs.

Innovation has the potential to significantly shift the economics of potential solutions to the challenges we face globally, and the timeline for delivering them. In order to accelerate the achievement of the SGDs, it is vital that the environment is conducive to the enhancement of scientific research, domestic technology development and innovation.

Numerous examples show the potential impact innovation can have if it is lifted and enhanced with the help of actors in the private and public sectors:

Sanitation and safe disposal of waste is a huge challenge in many countries. New technologies, such as wet oxidation, dry combustion, and electrochemical processing are making sanitation sustainable, accessible and affordable. This is an important breakthrough, particularly for developing countries.

WWF has, with their partner, developed a platform that allows consumers to trace products through their supply chains. It allows consumers to verify how ethical and sustainable the production of certain products are, leading to more responsible consumption.

Development Goals Forum will be hosting a breakfast seminar on 4th of March 2020, as part of the DGF2020 Globalisation forum. Register to attend the event through the link here, to get insight into more ongoing innovative projects that are carving the way forward for the achievement of many of the SDG targets.
Invent Future Global Food Systems Challenge | 19–31 July 2021
By: Un Food Systems Summit
Tags: Youth, United Nations, Sdgs, Food Systems, Education

Invent Future Global Food Systems Challenge | 19–31 July 2021

The InventFuture.Global (IF.G) mission is to support and enable students to develop and improve their creativity and problem-solving skills, so that they will be able to handle and overcome the many problems and issues that they will face in their adult lives and careers.

As part of IF.G’s continuing series of programs addressing the various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students ages 9 to 18 years old from around the world will work together in multi-country teams during four different live, online sessions each covering an entire week to identify the issues of SDG 2 — Zero Hunger and Food Systems. The students in each team will work together to understand the current global situation, create a solution for a specific SDG 2 need and then give their project presentation to a worldwide audience of adults and, more importantly, other students.

For further information and to register please visit: https://inventfuture.global/food-challenge/

Contact: jake@jakemendelssohn.name
Bees for ESG Impact: How organizations can support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals with…
By: The Best Bees Company
Tags: Csr, Climate Action, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Esg

Sustainability Goals

Today, organizations of all sizes are challenged — no, expected — to contribute to sustainability. Investors, customers, and other stakeholders are holding companies accountable for affecting positive change locally and globally.

“The course of climatization — the process by which climate change will transform society — will play out in the coming years in every corner of society.” — Justin Worland, Time Magazine

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations in 2015 are helpful reference points for organizations setting and measuring Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets.

Leaders seeking to create a comprehensive plan for their company’s sustainability and societal impact often refer to the SDGs for guidance.

And yet, within this framework, “green teams” maintain a lot of latitude in how to interpret and apply the goals in a way that matches the organization’s culture and resources.

The need for effective and efficient ways to achieve SDGs has opened up a creative explosion of ecological services, and we are here for it.

The Plight of Pollinators

Environmentally-conscious citizens are mostly aware of the plight of pollinators and want to do something about it. Bees specifically are responsible for the fertilization of many flowering plants, including 75% of food crops. As biologists know from the last 15 years of scrutiny, bees are dying at an unprecedented rate due to disease, pesticides, loss of habitat, and climate change.

As a result, more and more organizations are embracing the idea of bringing honeybee hives to their properties as part of a broader sustainability program. (Bees prove to generate a lot of buzz among stakeholders.)

But it’s important to tie such an effort to strategic objectives to ensure it adds empirical value.
How is climate change affecting sugar content in grapes?
By: Oli Steadman
Tags: Czech Republic, Sustainability, Sdgs, Climate Change, Agriculture

Agriculture and human beings go hand in hand. The panic that sets in when considering how it changes, as certain resources are removed, overused, or destabilised in some other way… is palpable in parallel with how concerned I felt reading The Capitalocene[1] which introduces the topic from an ecology standpoint. Except that since 2017 we’ve seen ever more CSR brought in to address the SDGs. Which feels like progress — albeit limited in comparison to the length of time we’ve been aware of rising temperatures (some, including the paper being evaluated today[2], report the first year as 1880).

It should be noted that in Europe [during the 20th century], temperatures rose by an average of 1.2 °C, the average number of summer days doubled, and the average number of tropical days tripled.[3]

After introducing the importance of the wine industry as one niche of the wider agriculture being affected by climate change (2018 was a record year for wine production with so many new producers coming online, especially in China), the authors run through the indices being used to correlate sugar content with temperatures & sunlit hours… after all, viticulture is one of the most temperature-sensitive elements in the wider agrarian complex:

Huglin (developed in France; focussed on weather impact Apr-Sep)

Winkler (developed in California and more nuanced wrt temps Apr-Oct)

Others (Branas Heliothermic, Branas Hydrothermic, Bioclimatic, Dryness, Cool Night, Continentality, and the Selyanin Hydrothermal “Coefficient”)

… the two main labelling methods in use across the EU:

Germanic in which quality is paramount

Romanesque in which origin is paramount

… and geographically which bits of the Czech Republic are mainly involved in viticulture:

Bohemia (subregions Litoměřice and Mělník)

Moravia (subregions Znojmo, Mikulov, Velké Pavlovice, and Slovácko)

The key overall trend determined by those indices in those regions, is one of increasing sugar content with incresaing temperatures 2011–2019 (Bohemia up 1.9°NM from 20.5–22.4; Moravia up 1.1°NM from 24.9–26.0.)

Glossary

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) developed by the UN and brilliantly presented as an infographic wonderland by RELX here

Viticulture being the production of wine by agricultural methods

Mustmeter being the kit used to measure sugar content in grape must

°NM = degrees of standardized mustmeter

References
The biggest #SDGGlobaFest ever! Festival-goers commit to concrete action for the SDGs
By: Un Sdg Action Campaign
Tags: Sdgglobalfest, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Sdgglobalfest 2019

“We cannot change where we came from but we can change where we’re going”, Marina Ponti, Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign

Looking beyond the promises of Agenda 2030, the third edition of the SDG Global Festival​ of Action ​saw more than 1,700 participants from over 150 countries come together to make the impossible possible and create a step-change in behaviour to catalyse collective action around the Goals. THANK YOU for participating in the SDG Global Festival of Action!

Were you at the Festival? We want to hear from you!

The Festival in numbers

Over 60 interactive sessions featured, focussing on 7 core thematic areas: Connections, Campaigning, Mobilization, Inclusion, Visualisation, Storytelling and the Creatives

Over 250 speakers

Over 1,700 participants in attendance — 60% of whom were female!

Over 145 countries represented

Over 30 innovations and exhibitions showcased, 20+ Film screenings and VR /AR experiences, 30+ SDG Studio Talks, 10+ Art and Musical Performances

4 Million people reached through social media channels and over 37M impressions generated over the days of the Festival

8 SDG Action Awards Winners, 21 SDG Action Awards Finalists, 4 Honourable mentions and 2,000 applications

Highlights of the Festival

“Governments can use the SDGs as a framework for political action” in words of Cristina Gallach, High Commissioner for Agenda 2030 for the Government of Spain. On the local level, the City of Milan made a commitment to prepare their first Voluntary Local Review taking into account citizens’ feedback.

Augmented Reality, 360º media, and digital storytelling were experienced across the Festival. “We are on the brink of another moment, a climate moment. This is not a future projection — it is happening right now,” mobile journalist Yusuf Omar showed us how quick and impactful creative content can be: watch video

Climate was front and center, including discussions on deforestation, extreme weather, climate challenges and solutions. “Humans are like rivers: they get bigger and stronger when they get together” — Estevao Ciavatta, called for more collective action.

“We are not just the beneficiaries of this Agenda, we are the leaders of this Agenda”, Eddie Ndopu, award winning, internationally acclaimed activist and humanitarian, UN Secretary-General Sustainable Development Goals Advocate

Best Festival reads

SDGs engagement reaches new heights at the largest ever Global Festival of Action

Meet the 8 Winners of the UN SDG Action Awards 2019!

How can we, together, #Act4SDGs? 10 key messages from the Opening Plenary

Highlights of the Festival
New Project: Communicating women’s rights movement building organizations’ achievements and the Sustainable Development Goals
By: Impactmapper Team
Tags: Feminism, Sustainability, Sdgs, Sustainable Development, Womens Rights

ImpactMapper is thrilled to announce a new research project, focusing on building the evidence base of global women’s rights movements’ outcomes and exploring their alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)!

It’s an exciting time to focus on this relationship with so many inspiring women’s rights movements and organizations around the world advancing transformative social change, peace and equality and justice. The project will focus specifically on collecting data from a long-term perspective, and understanding what has worked and what has not in achieving their goals. We will also be exploring the extent to which women’s rights movements and groups are framing their work with the SDGs and highlight effective innovations in this space.

The ImpactMapper team will work together with over 300 groups over 15 months to collect data to strengthen the evidence base of contributions of women’s rights groups to the SDGs; improve the data analysis and outcome monitoring of qualitative data; and disseminate our findings to build knowledge with our partners.

We’ll kick off with a series of workshops, and move on to the research and communications phase. We’ll prepare a publicly available report with the key findings, and share a specially designed interactive data portal.

Throughout the project, we’ll share case studies, stories, and important information with you through the blog. Since we want this incredible project to contribute to learning in the field, we’d love for you to be involved, to hear your thoughts on how it’s all going, and what you feel is most important for your organisation — please fill out our online survey, email us or comment below!
ZANZIBAR IS BETTING ON STEM TO PROGRESS GIRLS’ FUTURES
By: The Partnership, Psipse
Tags: Tanzania, Sdgs, Science, Education, STEM

Students on the STEM Club at Mikindani Secondary School in Zanzibar. Such clubs across Zanzibar are made possible by the STEM For Success project.

The STEM students are at the height of excitement as they prepare to present their recent science projects.

Farhat, a senior 4 student, is the first to step up. This eighteen-year-old math and chemistry wiz and her partner have built a radio transmitter that allows them to broadcast their school’s radio station at 100.7 MHz.

Farhat is one of the many high-achieving girls that are part of the STEM club at Mikindani Secondary School, a science and technology-focused school on the archipelago of Zanzibar.

The club is the result of a new pilot program, STEM For Success, that aims to improve the underperformance of girls and the underrepresentation of women in STEM-related fields at the tertiary and professional levels here in Zanzibar.

“I decided to join STEM club because I wanted to be more creative in science subjects and I also want to receive a good score,” she said.

But Farhat, and the other girls that excel in STEM club, are not common.

“Evidence shows that girls in primary school are on par with boys [in science subjects], but as they move up they perform less and less,” said Ali Mohamed Abdallah, STEM For Success project coordinator for the Milele Zanzibar Foundation. It is a local organization that works to improve the quality of life for the people of Zanzibar by addressing some of its most persistent development gaps.

“If you take the number of qualified doctors, qualified engineers, or qualified pilots here…you will see the number of women very, very, very low,” he added.

With support from the Ministry of Education, Milele Zanzibar Foundation is working alongside the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) and the Forum for African Women Education (FAWE) to pilot and implement STEM For Success.

For the pilot, each organization brings with them 5 school, with the goal of reaching 300 form 1 to form 3 students. Through competitions, camps and regular career fairs in which the students meet professional women in STEM, the goal is to raise the girls’ interest in the sciences and to show them that they, too, can reach those heights.

Farhat, the student at Mikindani Secondary, says that her interest in becoming a pilot spiked after meeting a female pilot at a STEM For Success event.

“She helped me decide the coursework I need to take to go into aviation,” she said. Other past career presentations have looked at Marine biology and agriculture.

“I want to one day see Zanzibar have an adequate number of female scientists in the STEM-related fields,” said Abdallah. “I want to see a good number of qualified female doctors, not just nurses. I want to see female electricians. I want to see female marine scientists… I want to see women in all these fields.”
PROFILE: A PARENT SEES CHANGE
By: The Partnership, Psipse
Tags: Kenya, Sdgs, Life Skills, Fgm, Education

Joseph Nilole started to see the immediate effects of the Youth First Kenya program on his daughter soon after it started.

The girl had just joined Olooltepes Primary School in class 8 after moving over from a nearby boarding school. Before she started the program, she was insolent and a less than average performer, he says. By the time she arrived at Olooltepes Primary School, she had to repeat class 8 due to her KCPE score of 186 in 2017 (The top national performer scored 455 out of a total 500 points that year).

Nilole says that he started to see a change in his child soon after. She appeared to be more obedient, more confident and to have more focus and direction.

One day, she also told him that she did not want to be circumcised, a common custom for girls in their community here in Kajiado County. By then, he says the community was already being educated on the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), so he proudly supported her decision.

But Nilole was further convinced that the program was life-changing when her new KCPE score was released later that year. His daughter scored a 288, over a 100-mark jump from the previous year.

She continues to be a successful student at a nearby secondary school.