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10 Feb

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Eighth Session of the Open Working Group (OWG) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

3-7 February 2014 | UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Daily Web Coverage (click on the following links to see our daily web pages)

Introduction - 3 February - 4 February - 5 February - 6 February - 7 February -

Highlights for Monday, 3 February 2014

View of the UN Headquarters in New York, venue for the session

The eighth session of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) opened on 3 February 2014. Delegates focused on the topics of oceans and seas, forests and biodiversity on the first day of the OWG’s final “stocktaking” session. While some UN staff were allowed to leave the UN Headquarters early in the afternoon, due to yet another snowstorm in New York, the OWG continued its work with “essential” staff who remained at UN Headquarters all day.

During the morning, keynote speakers Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University, and Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic, highlighted the need to address oceans issues and suggested ways to incorporate necessary action into goals and targets. Lubchenco suggested that goals should focus on cross-cutting issues, and said oceans would be one such issue. Earle called for goals that include action on governance of the high seas, oceans and biodiversity, and a clear link between illicit wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime.

During the afternoon, a panel discussed forests and biodiversity issues. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity, explained that there is a widely-agreed framework to address biodiversity and sustainable development -- the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. However, he added, to achieve these targets, biodiversity must be mainstreamed into development policies. Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, University of Ghana, reviewed the work of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Virgilio Viana, CEO, Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, said we must make forests worth more standing than cut. Viana proposed four targets for the SDGs: reduce deforestation and degradation; increase the value of sustainably managed forest products and services; eliminate extreme poverty in forest-dependent communities; and improve forest governance.

Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic

A slide from Sylvia Earle's presentation

A slide to start Jane Lubchenco's presentation

Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University

Endah Murniningtyas, Indonesia

Co-Chair Macharia Kamau greets Sylvia Earle

Tommy Remengesau Jr., President, Palau

View of the Trusteeship Council Chamber from behind the Dais

Braulio F. de Souza Dias, Convention on Biological Diversity

Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, University of Ghana

Virgilio Viana, Amazonas Sustainable Foundation

Simone Lovera, Global Forest Coalition

Alfonso Ascencio Herrera, Mexico

Side Events

"Towards a Sustainable Development Goal on Oceans and Seas: Healthy, Productive and Resilient Oceans and Seas - Prosperous and Resilient Peoples and Communities" organized by Pacific Small Island Developing States and Timor Leste & IOC/UNESCO & International Coastal and Ocean Organization (Secretariat of the Global Ocean Forum)

"Integrating Forests in the Sustainable Development Goals" organized by Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN & The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF)

"Why Biodiversity is Essential for Social and Economic Aspects of Sustainable Development: Perspectives and Country Experiences from Developing and Developed countries" co-organized by the Republic of Korea, the Government of Japan and IUCN in collaboration with the Secretariat of the CBD, UNDP, UNEP, World Bank, FAO, UNESCO and ICLEI -Local Governments for Sustainability

"Integrating Social-Ecological Resilience into the New Development Agenda" organized by Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia and Ministry of Environment of Sweden

Funding for coverage of this Session has been provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Related Links

Session resources

Session website and documents

Draft programme of work

Side events

General information on SDGs

Sustainable development knowledge platform website

Website for the Seventh session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 6-10 January 2014, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the Sixth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 9-13 December 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the Fifth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 25-27 November 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the Fourth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 17-19 June 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the Third session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 22-24 May 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the Second session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 17-19 April 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Website for the First session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 14-15 March 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

IISD RS resources

Post-2015 Development Agenda Meeting Reporting

IISD RS coverage from the Seventh session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 6-10 January 2014, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

IISD RS coverage from the Sixth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 9-13 December 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

IISD RS summary and analysis of the Fifth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 25-27 November 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary and analysis of the Fourth session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 17-19 June 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary report of the Arab Regional Implementation Meeting (RIM) on Rio+20 Outcomes, 29-30 May 2013, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary and analysis of the Third session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 22-24 May 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS briefing note of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Integration Meeting on Achieving Sustainable Development – “Integrating the Social, Economic and Environmental Dimensions”, 13 May 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary report of the Asia and Pacific Regional Implementation Meeting (RIM) on Rio+20 Outcomes, 22-24 April 2013, Bangkok, Thailand (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary report of the Second session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 17-19 April 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS summary report of the First session of the UNGA’s OWG on SDGs, 14-15 March 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS coverage of the Caribbean Forum: Shaping a Sustainable Development Agenda to address the Caribbean Reality in the 21st Century and Conference on Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean: Follow-up to the development agenda beyond 2015 and Rio+20, 5-6 and 7-9 of March 2013, Bogotá, Colombia

IISD RS summary report of the Eighth Session of the Committee on Food Security and Sustainable Development (CFSSD-8) and Africa Regional Implementation Meeting (Africa-RIM) in preparation for the Twentieth Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable (CSD-20), 19-21 November 2012, UN Conference Centre (UNCC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (English: HTML - PDF) (French: HTML - PDF)

IISD RS coverage of Rio+20: Third PrepCom and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), 13-22 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

IISD RS archive of sustainable development meetings

SDG - A mailing list for news on sustainable development policy

Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Preparing for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development

SDG - A mailing list focused on internationally-relevant activities related to setting the post-2015 development agenda

Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Post-2015 Development Agenda Activities

Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news


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