City pledges commitment to UN sustainability goals

LIVERPOOL has committed to a United Nations initiative to find sustainable ways to tackle poverty and improve health, education and economic growth. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries to end deprivation while at the same time tackling climate change. In 2019, all political parties on Liverpool City Council declared a climate emergency and pledged it will be a zero carbon City by 2030. Following this, Mayor Joe Anderson commissioned Liverpool based 2030hub; the world's 1st United Nations Local2030 hub https://the2030hub.com/ , which is1 of only seven around the world and the only1 in the UK; to benchmark the City and look at how it can create a roadmap to meet the ambitious goals. The organisation; led by David Connor, who set up Everton  in the Community in 2003; has independently mapped the City's strategic policies and monitoring indicators of the Mayor's 2018 Inclusive Growth Plan (now known as the City Plan) against the targets and indicators of the SDGs. It recommends that Liverpool engages with wider communities on an initial set of 6 of the 17 goals, as its level1 priority actions.

The Level 1 priorities are:-

► No poverty.

► Good health and wellbeing.

► Decent work and economic growth.

► Reduced inequalities.

► Sustainable cities and communities.

► Climate action.

A Secondary set of level 2 priorities are:-

► Zero hunger.

► Quality education.

► Peace, justice and strong institutions.

► Partnerships.

The report highlights successes including:- Bulky Bob's household goods recycling service, the Reader Organisation at Calderstones Park, which aims to connect people with books and the Alexandra Rose Charity which helps families in part of Liverpool eat healthier, as examples of grassroots projects that have made a difference to communities.  The next steps being recommended include engagement with partners and other stakeholders, creating a plan for a:- 'Decade of Action' and embedding the SDGs in to the City Plan. Also the Local Government Association (LGA) has written a letter calling upon the Prime Minister to use the SDGs to create a socially just and green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and has highlighted the work the 2030hub has done in Liverpool.  The full report can be downloaded from The2030Hub.Com.

THE Rugby League World Cup comes to England in 2021 and tournament organisers, 21 July 2020, revealed the much anticipated fixture schedule for what promises to be the biggest and best World Cup in the history of the sport, as the men's, women's and wheelchair teams all compete at the same time in a major sporting 1st.

Liverpool will be hosting 3 fixtures at RLWC2021, starting off with an Anfield double header, before staging the wheelchair final. The full fixture list for Liverpool is as follows:-

► England vs Canada (Women's) - Anfield (Saturday, 13 November 2020) - 12.00pm.

► Men's Quarter Final (Teams TBC) - Anfield (Saturday, 13 November 2020) - 14.30pm.

► Wheelchair Final (Teams TBC) - M&S Bank Arena (Friday, 26 November 2020) - 19.30pm.

Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, said: "This is a huge moment for the tournament and for fans in our host cities and towns as we reveal the full fixture schedule. The tournament has been gaining momentum over recent months and fans can now look forward to being part of this unique global event. With match dates and locations confirmed, the excitement will only intensify. RLWC2021 will bring together the very best that the sport has to offer, and you can see from the schedule that there is no end of world class, not to be missed matches, across all 3 tournaments."

Liverpool's Deputy Mayor and cabinet member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "Announcing the fixtures for a major sporting event is always an exciting milestone and we're delighted to be the only City to host the men's, women's and wheelchair teams tournaments. We will be giving a very warm welcome to the England and Canada women's teams and their fans, and look forward to seeing how the competition unfolds to find out who we will be cheering on in the men's quarter final and the wheelchair final. It's going to be an exciting build up to 2021 and we look forward to hosting this world class event."

In June, it was revealed that Liverpool will be the team training base for the men's teams from Tonga and Italy. 61 fixtures over a 6 week period will showcase a festival of world class sporting action. With only 7 days without a fixture across the schedule, the dates, venues and kick off times for each of the 3 tournaments is now confirmed and available to view at:- RLWC2021.com.