News and Articles
Leaving no one behind: are we succeeding?
by May East
The annual UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) has a unique role in reviewing progress, defining policies and flagging priorities at national, regional and global levels for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the SDGs.
HLPF2018 focused on the theme ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies’ and featured the presentation of 46 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) including 11 presentations on the final day.
The VNR process…
SDG7 at the HLPF: Renewable Energies Driving Change
by May East
We all know that energy used for electricity, heating and transport are high emitters of carbon, and so contribute to climate change. We face a huge challenge in building an affordable and sustainable energy system for the future.
We need to walk a fine line between investment needed today and the growing cost of inaction tomorrow.
The solutions to decarbonise electricity are already working and cost-effective. Renewables are fast becoming the cheapest…
The SDGs Flashcards are now available in Russian!
The Sustainable Development Goals Flashcards, developed in collaboration with UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, are now available in six languages! The Russian version is our newest addition to these educational cards already available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
The SDG Implementation Flashcards, together with the SDG Multipliers Handbook will support you, your organisation, community, neighbourhood or city in the process of ma…
SDG12 at the HLPF: Glocalised Adoption of Circular Economy
by May East
In the pursuit of constant growth, humanity is using natural resources at an unprecedented rate. Total global resource use has increased from six billion tonnes in 1990 to an unprecedented 60 billion today and per capita levels of resource consumption are at their highest level in history. Growing demand is outstripping raw material supply and it takes the planet 18 months to replenish the natural resources we consume in a year. Forecasts suggests that, based on current cons…
Water Update at the High Level Political Forum
by May East
The first afternoon of the HLPF presented the SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018 on Water and Sanitation.
The session, chaired by Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan and ECOSOC Vice-President, reviewed the implementation of SDG 6. It was moderated by Joakim Harlin, UN-Water.
SDG 6 includes eight targets that are universally applicable and aspirational. They cover the entire water cycle including: provision of drinking water (target 6.1), sanitation…
Measuring Up: How the UK is performing on the SDGs
A new report on SDGs in UK released on 3 July 2018 has highlighted why the UK should place the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the heart of its Brexit strategy to galvanise support for a positive vision of the country and build the foundations for future prosperity.
The report is the first comprehensive assessment of the UK’s performance against the SDGs and highlights a significant danger of the UK quality of life getting worse if action is not taken.
SDGs in the Himalayas: A Solar-powered Learning Tea Community
by May East
It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. And the practice can be carried out as a group, as a city, as a nation. Thich Nhat Hanh, “The next Buddha may be a Sangha” in Inquiring Mind, Vol 10, No. 2, Spring 1994
Surrounded by tea plantations, Darjeeling has been considered the Queen of the Hills with…
Regeneration: New Frontiers for Designers of Complex Systems
Today, a new generation of place-based community leaders is emerging to spearhead regenerative design, development and planning efforts all around the world. However advancing regenerative design at the local level can be a surprisingly complex challenge. Each and every place on earth is characterised by a unique set of cultural, social, and political dynamics that can hinder or even prevent local projects from making a global difference.
The webinar provides a high level overview…
Gaia ToT embedded in the largest urban forest of the world
by Lucimara Letelier
Reinvigorating to be learning at the National School of Tropical Botanics, embedded in Tijuca Forest Rio de Janeiro, the largest urban forest of the world, covering some 32 km², home to hundreds of species of plants and wildlife, many threatened by extinction.
“The Brazil TOT reminded me of the importance of ‘who I am’ rather than ‘what I know’ in the process of building my own strengths as a change maker and edge worker.
It showed…
Participatory Skills for World Change
by Pia Cameron
“Gaia Education’s Training of Trainers (ToT) programme was a truly empowering and enlivening experience. I stretched my skills and built on new ones, elevating my facilitation tool kit to the next level. My biggest take away was an inner sense of confidence in my facilitation, voices of anxiety (Will my audience like my work? Will I get through all my content? Will my points be understood?) stilled and a quiet sense of knowing that I am enough,…