Climate information services, integrated knowledge systems and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious plan for &#8220;people, &#8220;planet and prosperity&#8221;. At its core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the achievement of which is critically affected by weather and a changing climate. To that end emphasis has been given to delivering weather and climate services, with information packaged in ways that support timely decision making.Yet often these approaches tend not to address which decision-making processes need what information, why they need it, or what form they need it in. They have also tended to be focussed on specific situations and SDGs (such as SDG 14, 15) where the need for weather and climate information is clear and obvious.In this presentation, we will look at how weather and climate information impinges on different decision making contexts, requiring that information to be tailored in new ways. In doing so we will identify key action areas that need to be addressed to improve integration of weather and climate information into SDG decision making.&#160;

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Transforming Food Systems in Africa under Climate Change Pressure: Role of Climate-Smart Agriculture

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13084305 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 4305

Author(s):

Robert B. Zougmoré ◽

Peter Läderach ◽

Bruce M. Campbell

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Food Security ◽

Low Income ◽

Food Systems ◽

Information Services ◽

Climate Information ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Smart Agriculture ◽

Agriculture And Food

Low-income producers and consumers of food in Africa are more vulnerable to climate change, owing to their comparatively limited ability to invest in more adapted institutions and technologies under increasing climatic risks. Therefore, the way we manage our food systems needs to be urgently changed if the goal is to achieve food security and sustainable development more quickly. This review paper analyzes the nexus “climate-smart agriculture-food systems-sustainable development” in order to draw sound ways that could allow rapid transformation of food systems in the context of climate change pressure. We followed an integrative review approach based on selected concrete example-experiences from ground-implemented projects across Africa (Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, in West Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania in East Africa). Mostly composed of examples from the Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) Research Program of the CGIAR (former Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) and its partners, these also included ground initiatives from non-CGIAR that could provide demonstrable conditions for a transformative agriculture and food systems. The lessons learnt from the ground implementation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), in the African context, were instrumental to informing the actions areas of the food-system transformation framework suggested in this paper (reroute, de-risk, reduce, and realign). Selected CSA example-cases to inform these action areas included 24 initiatives across Africa, but with a focus on the following studies for an in-depth analysis: (1) the climate-smart village approach to generate knowledge on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices for their scaling, (2) the use of climate information services (CIS) to better manage climate variability and extremes, and (3) the science–policy interfacing to mainstream CSA into agricultural development policies and plans. The analysis of these examples showed that CSA can contribute driving a rapid change of food systems in Africa through: (1) the implementation of relevant climate-smart technologies and practices to reroute farming and rural livelihoods to new climate-resilient and low-emission trajectories; (2) the development and application of weather and climate information services (WCIS) that support de-risking of livelihoods, farms, and value chains in the face of increasing vagaries of weather and extreme events; (3) the use of climate-smart options that minimize waste of all the natural resources used for growing, processing, packaging, transporting, and marketing food, and therefore mitigating the carbon footprint attached to this food loss and waste; and (4) the realignment of policies and finance that facilitate action in the four proposed action areas through the identification of news ways to mobilize sustainable finance and create innovative financial mechanisms and delivery channels.

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Restructuring Educational Systems and Promoting Social Justice for Young People Involved in Drug Trafficking in Brazil

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000366 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 227 (2) ◽

pp. 139-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alex Sandro Gomes Pessoa ◽

Linda Liebenberg ◽

Dorothy Bottrell ◽

Silvia Helena Koller

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Social Justice ◽

Young People ◽

Latin American ◽

Drug Trafficking ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Educational Systems ◽

Economic Changes ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Goals

Abstract. Economic changes in the context of globalization have left adolescents from Latin American contexts with few opportunities to make satisfactory transitions into adulthood. Recent studies indicate that there is a protracted period between the end of schooling and entering into formal working activities. While in this “limbo,” illicit activities, such as drug trafficking may emerge as an alternative for young people to ensure their social participation. This article aims to deepen the understanding of Brazilian youth’s involvement in drug trafficking and its intersection with their schooling, work, and aspirations, connecting with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 16 as proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in 2015 .

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The Contributions of Laudato si’ within the Context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Scripta Theologica ◽

10.15581/006.48.2.443-462 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 443-462

Author(s):

Sílvia Albareda Tiana

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

2030 Agenda

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Defining and Quantifying National-Level Targets, Indicators and Benchmarks for Management of Natural Resources to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11020462 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 462 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Chris Dickens ◽

Vladimir Smakhtin ◽

Matthew McCartney ◽

Gordon O’Brien ◽

Lula Dahir

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

National Level ◽

Resource Quality ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Country Level ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Goals ◽

Global Indicators

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), are high on the agenda for most countries of the world. In its publication of the SDGs, the UN has provided the goals and target descriptions that, if implemented at a country level, would lead towards a sustainable future. The IAEG (InterAgency Expert Group of the SDGs) was tasked with disseminating indicators and methods to countries that can be used to gather data describing the global progress towards sustainability. However, 2030 Agenda leaves it to countries to adopt the targets with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. At present, guidance on how to go about this is scant but it is clear that the responsibility is with countries to implement and that it is actions at a country level that will determine the success of the SDGs. Reporting on SDGs by country takes on two forms: i) global reporting using prescribed indicator methods and data; ii) National Voluntary Reviews where a country reports on its own progress in more detail but is also able to present data that are more appropriate for the country. For the latter, countries need to be able to adapt the global indicators to fit national priorities and context, thus the global description of an indicator could be reduced to describe only what is relevant to the country. Countries may also, for the National Voluntary Review, use indicators that are unique to the country but nevertheless contribute to measurement of progress towards the global SDG target. Importantly, for those indicators that relate to the security of natural resources security (e.g., water) indicators, there are no prescribed numerical targets/standards or benchmarks. Rather countries will need to set their own benchmarks or standards against which performance can be evaluated. This paper presents a procedure that would enable a country to describe national targets with associated benchmarks that are appropriate for the country. The procedure builds on precedent set in other countries but in particular on a procedure developed for the setting of Resource Quality Objectives in South Africa. The procedure focusses on those SDG targets that are natural resource-security focused, for example, extent of water-related ecosystems (6.6), desertification (15.3) and so forth, because the selection of indicator methods and benchmarks is based on the location of natural resources, their use and present state and how they fit into national strategies.

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Financial Institutions’ Risk Profile and Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13147738 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 7738

Author(s):

Nicolás Gambetta ◽

Fernando Azcárate-Llanes ◽

Laura Sierra-García ◽

María Antonia García-Benau

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Financial Institutions ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Sustainability Reporting ◽

Risk Profile ◽

The Sustainable Development ◽

Corporate Reporting ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Goals ◽

The Impact

This study analyses the impact of Spanish financial institutions’ risk profile on their contribution to the 2030 Agenda. Financial institutions play a significant role in ensuring financial inclusion and sustainable economic growth and usually incorporate environmental and social considerations into their risk management systems. The results show that financial institutions with less capital risk, with lower management efficiency and with higher market risk usually make higher contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to their sustainability reports. The novel aspect of the present study is that it identifies the risk profile of financial institutions that incorporate sustainability into their business operations and measure the impact generated in the environment and in society. The study findings have important implications for shareholders, investors and analysts, according to the view that sustainability reporting is a vehicle that financial institutions use to express their commitment to the 2030 Agenda and to higher quality corporate reporting.

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Assessing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in academic libraries

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science ◽

10.1177/09610006211005528 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096100062110055

Author(s):

Clare Thorpe ◽

Lyndelle Gunton

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Academic Libraries ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Societal Implications ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Development Goals ◽

Library Staff ◽

Stretch Targets ◽

The University ◽

Mapping Exercise

The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies 17 goals as a shared blueprint for peace, prosperity, people and the planet. Australian academic libraries have started documenting and planning how academic libraries contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the identification of assessment frameworks and key performance indicators. In 2019, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Library stepped through an exercise of understanding how our day-to-day work and annual planning targets mapped to the SDGs. The article is a case study. The authors outline how an academic library’s services, projects and action plans were mapped to the SDGs and how the mapping exercise was communicated to the community. The article will situate this activity among the broader approaches being taken by the Australian library community, including the 2030 stretch targets for Australian libraries. USQ Library staff found that existing services, collections and projects correlated to eight of the 17 SDGs. Activities were mapped to these eight goals and reported to senior executive of the University. The mapping exercise increased the awareness of library staff about the broader cultural and societal implications of their roles. The communication strategy led to conversations that increased university leaders’ awareness of the SDGs and the value and impact of USQ Library in improving access to information as well as the library’s role in transforming the lives of USQ students and community. By undertaking an exercise to map collections, services and projects to the SDGs, USQ Library has been able to demonstrate how their knowledge and information infrastructures which enable student achievement and research excellence. The SDGs can be used by university libraries as a benchmarking tool and as a challenge to set stretch targets aligned with the United Nation’s 2030 agenda.

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The role of communities in Uganda’s mother tongue-based education: Perspectives from a literacy learning enhancement project in Arua district

Applied Linguistics Review ◽

10.1515/applirev-2020-2005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Willy Ngaka

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Primary Education ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Literacy Learning ◽

Local Communities ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Learning Enhancement ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Medium Education

AbstractThis paper explores some of the factors that limit the effectiveness of Uganda’s mother tongue-based education policy, where instruction in lower primary classes is provided in the mother tongue. Using socio-cultural and ethnographic lenses, the paper draws from the experiences of a study implemented by a Ugandan NGO in one primary school in Arua district. Findings revealed weaknesses in implementation of the MTBE policy, highlighting deficiencies in the training of teachers, and lack of sensitization of local communities to the value of MTBE. The study also highlights the need for greater involvement of many kinds of stakeholder, and in particular, it focuses on how communities can be encouraged to work together with schools. A clearer understanding of what literacy involves, and how subjects can be taught in poorly-resourced communities, can be gained by considering the contribution of funds of local knowledge and modes of expression that build on local cultural resources. However, the strategies proposed are insufficient given the flawed model of primary education that the present MTBE policy embodies. A reenvisioning of how MTBE articulates with English-medium education is also needed. Substantial rethinking is needed to address target 4.6 of SDG 4 (UNDP, Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld (accessed 30 November 2015), 2015) which aims to ensure that “all youth and a substantial proportion of adults achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030”.

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