At this time of year, SDG Knowledge Hub decided to look back at their most-read stories for 2021. This look back reminded them of how far they had come and helped to set their agenda for the following year. As in past years, global assessments and data stories topped the list of the ten most-read stories on the SDG Knowledge Hub. The most-read news story was a review of the findings in the annual World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference Bureau. This year, they highlighted the 2021 Population Data Sheet Highlighted Declining Fertility Rates. 

A news story about the ‘Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021,’ which highlighted the impacts of COVID-19 on SDG implementation and identified areas that require urgent and coordinated action, was another well-read data story on where they are on the road to 2030. This report was launched on the first day of the 2021 session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and was prepared by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) using data and estimates in the Global SDG Indicators Database. The UN Secretary-General’s SDG progress report, which suggested that governments should use the COVID-19 recovery to adopt low-carbon, resilient, and inclusive development pathways, also received a great deal of attention.   

The news stories around key negotiations, particularly the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, were also featured in their top ten list. The most popular story in this category was a news story about a paper on the perspective of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and their calls for stronger emissions cuts and financial compensation for the impacts they are expected to suffer from climate change. 

The opening of the UN General Assembly, and with it several high-level events, Global Goals Week, NYC Climate Week, and other activities, are always of interest to their readers. This year, an overview of ‘What We’ll be Listening for at UNGA 76‘ featured in the top ten most-read posts. They partnered with CEPEI to bring you webinars before and after the UNGA, and hope you had a chance to listen to our take on UNGA. 

In 2021, they collaborated with IISD’s trade team to bring you news on links between trade policy and the SDGs. Many readers visited their February story on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which had just wrapped up its first month of trading. As noted in that story, they expected this trade area would be watched closely given its scope, size, and potential development impacts, along with what it means for existing regional communities and trading ties with other partners.

An underlying topic in all of the stories highlighted above, and in many others that their readers have read closely during 2021, has been which actions can be taken to address global challenges. Stories that identify options and solutions, such as ‘Delivering Climate Ambition Through Market Mechanisms: Capitalizing on Article 6 Piloting Activities‘ and ‘An EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: Can it Make Global Trade Greener While Respecting WTO Rules?‘, have sought to support their readers’ efforts to identify possible directions for their sustainable development work.  

Their events calendar has also received many pageviews in 2021. As with the UNGA policy brief noted above, their event post for the opening session of the UN General Assembly always attracts a lot of attention. This year they also noticed many of you were checking in to see when postponed meetings — such as the Biodiversity Conference and the Glasgow Climate Change Conference — were scheduled to take place. 

The SDG Knowledge Hub is closing in on four million pageviews for 2021, and for that, they are grateful to their readers. They look forward to continuing to support your efforts to understand where they are on the road to 2030 and to identify options for how to achieve the SDGs.