SDG Resource centre Special Collections
year in review
Across RELX we focus on our unique contributions as a business where we make a positive impact through our knowledge, resources and skills, including universal, sustainable access to information. Universal access to information means that everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information which is a cornerstone of healthy and inclusive knowledge societies.
Throughout the year, and with the support of our colleagues from Elsevier, the RELX SDG Resource Centre curates monthly Special Collections to mark key UN observation days and events.
In this round up of 2024, we share the Special Collections published throughout the year, featuring more than 800 research articles and book chapters made freely available to advance knowledge and accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
8TH MARCH
International Women's Day
Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Each year, this day serves as a powerful reminder of the progress made towards gender equality and highlights the work that still needs to be done.
The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 was #InspireInclusion and the aim to collectively forge a more inclusive world for women. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected.
To mark the event, the International Women's Day Special Collection featured journal articles and book chapters to advance knowledge and understanding of issues relating to SDG 5: Gender Equality. Featured articles included Remembering women in the fight against AIDS; Adolescent girls and the SDGs: acting at the midpoint milestone and Beyond sex and gender differences: The case for women's health research.
The International Women's Day "World We Want" Podcast Collection features the latest episodes in the RELX podcast series with renowned female leaders from across the globe.
The dedicated podcast collection features some of our most popular previous episodes with influential and inspiring female thought leaders from across business and society. Previous guests include Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Kume Chibsa, CEO & Co-Founder of Afrovalley - a digital focused business, harnessing technology to revitalise African farmers as entrepreneurs.
New episodes include Dr Judy Kuriansky, an internationally known clinical psychologist, humanitarian, author and United Nations NGO representative and Lene Bjorn Serpa, Head of Corporate Sustainability & ESG at Maersk, an international shipping and logistics company operating in 130 countries.
21ST MARCH
World Water Day
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.
The World Water Day Special Collection features articles such as The effects of racism, social exclusion, and discrimination on achieving universal safe water and sanitation in high-income countries and Household water treatment and safe storage in low-income countries
7TH APRIL
World Health Day
World Health Day, celebrated annually, draws attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. The theme for World Health Day 2024 is 'My health, my right’.
This year’s theme was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination.
The Special Collection features more than eighty research articles and book chapters covering topics such as Improving the level of food safety and market access in developing countries; The quality of prison primary care and Advancing primary care with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
26TH APRIL
World Intellectual Property Day
World Intellectual Property Day, observed each year on 26th April, is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions made by inventors and creators around the world and to explore how IP contributes to a flourishing of music and the arts and to the technological innovation that helps shape our world.
The theme for World IP Day 2024 is IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity. The Special Collection explores the link between Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Rights and the advancement of the SDGs with articles and insights relating to the collective intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities and carbon emission reduction effects of renewable energy technological innovation in China. The Special Collection also features Mapping Innovations: Patents and the United National Sustainable Development Goals, a report by WIPO and LexisNexis, mapping global patents to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In a special episode of the "World We Want" podcast series, RELX's Chief Sustainability Officer and Global Head of ESG, Dr Márcia Balisciano is joined by Marco Richter, Head of Global Customer Success and the Managing Director for LexisNexis PatentSight. They discuss how businesses and policymakers can leverage intellectual property (IP) frameworks to promote environment-friendly technologies and practices.
22ND MAY
International Day for Biological Diversity
In December 2022, the world came together and agreed on a global plan to transform our relationship with nature. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework or The Biodiversity Plan, sets goals and measures to stop and reverse the loss of nature by 2050.
This year, the theme of International Day for Biological Diversity is “Be part of the Plan”. This is a call to action to encourage everyone - from governments, indigenous peoples and local communities to non-governmental organizations, lawmakers, businesses and individuals to highlight the ways in which they are supporting the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan.
The Special Collection features research and book chapters covering subjects as varied as the illegal wildlife trade, light pollution, rewilding, snow leopards and sea cucumbers.
5TH JUNE
World Environment Day
Currently, up to 40% of the world's land is degraded, impacting around 3.2 billion people globally due to desertification. The theme for World Environment Day 2024 is 'Our Land, Our Future, We are #GenerationRestoration’, emphasising the importance of restoring land, combating desertification and enhancing resilience to drought.
The Special Collection features some of the latest research and information relevant to this year's theme such as Unlocking the potential of soil microbes for sustainable desertification management and A new soil protection legislation for Germany – challenges, conceptual approaches and next steps.
18TH JUNE
RELX SDG Inspiration Day 2024
More than 1100 people came together virtually on 18 June 2024 for the tenth edition of the RELX SDG Inspiration Day: "In the Age of AI: Information to Advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)." The annual online event brings together thought leaders, corporate representatives, students, investors, governments, and NGOs to explore pressing issues, gain practical insight, and inspire action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To support the event and advance knowledge and understanding of themes and topics discussed on the day, Elsevier curated the RELX SDG Inspiration Day 2024 Special Collection featuring more than twenty research articles and book chapters such as Artificial Intelligence Applications for Sustainable Construction and Measuring and evaluating SDG indicators with Big Earth Data.
28TH JULY
World Hepatitis Day
World Hepatitis Day, observed on 28 July, raises awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that causes severe liver disease and cancer.
With a person dying every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness, this year’s theme: It’s time for action highlights the need to accelerate action on better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to save lives and improve health outcomes.
The Special Collection features eighty of the latest research articles and book chapters to advance knowledge of hepatitis, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment such as Viral hepatitis testing and treatment in community pharmacies, Geographic disparities in access to liver transplant for advanced cirrhosis and A community-based strategy to eliminate hepatitis C among people who inject drugs in Vietnam.
9TH AUGUST
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 6 per cent of the world's population, but account for at least 15 per cent of the poorest and they speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
In order to raise awareness of the needs of these population groups, every 9 August commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.
The Special Collection to mark the day features research and book chapters such as Is it just conservation? A typology of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ roles in conserving biodiversity and Researching Indigenous people living with a disability: The urgent need for an intersectional and decolonising approach
21ST SEPTEMBER
World Alzheimer's Day
World Alzheimer's Month takes place every September and World Alzheimer's Day is on 21st September. It's a global opportunity to raise dementia awareness and support people affected by the disease.
The World Alzheimer's Day Special Collection features more than 125 of the latest Alzheimer's and dementia related research such as Does a pickle a day keep Alzheimer's away? Fermented food in Alzheimer's disease: A review and The impact of loneliness and social isolation on the development of cognitive decline and Alzheimer's Disease
10TH OCTOBER
World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day aims to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health. World Mental Health Day 2024 focused on “Mental Health at Work", highlighting the vital connection between mental health and the workplace.
To support the event, the World Mental Health Day Special Collection featured journal articles and book chapters to advance knowledge and supporting SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing and SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth. Articles include Work-related causes of mental health conditions and interventions for their improvement in workplaces, Association of workplace violence and bullying with later suicide risk: a multicohort study and meta-analysis of published data and many more.
NOVEMBER
UN Climate Event COP29
In November, 197 countries plus the European Union convened in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP29. COP29 brought together world leaders to assess global efforts to advance the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5°C.
To mark COP29 and highlight the critical role of trusted information in addressing climate change, Elsevier curated the free to access COP29 Special Collection. The collection features more than 100 pieces of the latest climate related research and science.
Following COP29, in an episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Dr Márcia Balisciano, RELX's Chief Sustainability Officer, interviews three global energy experts, Ronald DiPippo, Andrew Chiasson, and Luis Carlos Gutiérrez-Negrín. Their book, the 2nd edition of Geothermal Power Generation, was recently published by Elsevier. They discuss the development and potential of geothermal energy as a reliable and sustainable energy source, and how their work aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
3RD DECEMBER
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development. The 2024 theme is Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.
The Special Collection features articles such as Cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment for adults with disabilities and Do children with disabilities have the same opportunities to play as children without disabilities? Evidence from the multiple indicator cluster surveys in 38 low and middle-income countries
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