2021-22 Departmental Results Report: United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture

Food Security and Climate Change in the Canadian North

The overall goal of the Initiative is to support research that will provide a deeper understanding of food security and climate change in the Canadian North, with a focus on Indigenous (i.e., First Nations, Inuit and Métis) populations, and to support the development of effective approaches, programs and policies to address this issue.

This Strategy contributed to advancing:

Global target 2.4: "By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality."

Due to the CIHR Grants and Awards Policy, the end of grant data related to this initiative will only begin to be available to CIHR by 31/03/2023.

SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

The Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative uses the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease approach, specific to Indigenous social determinants of health and intergenerational impacts, and the Indigenous Gender and Wellness Initiative supports Indigenous-led research to improve wellness among Indigenous communities from a gendered perspective. Directed grants co-developed with Indigenous organizations tailored to address Indigenous health issues were successfully launched such as: The Inuit Research Network and First Nations Biobanking.

The Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) uses the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease approach to build on the diverse research capacity and existing data sets in Canada, and a unique set of coordinated linked international intervention cohorts to focus on NCDs in Canada and in countries where the burden is greatest.

The HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections Research Initiative (STBBI RI) invests approximately $21M annually to support researchers and trainees advancing research in priority areas.

This strategy contributes to advancing:

Global target 3.3: "By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases."

Global target 3.4: "By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being."

HeLTI contributes to the Global target 3.4: "By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being."

The STBBI RI contributes to advancing:

Global target 3.3: "By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases."

Results achieved for these launched initiatives and directed grants contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and advancement of the SDG and are interlaced throughout CIHR's work engaging with Indigenous communities to build capacity for research and knowledge translation, in which foundational community support is in the beginning stages of being operationalized and will promote well-being throughout the life cycle in relation to the health research ecosystem further advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Despite the pandemic, HeLTI teams were able to recruit participants and continue to establish collaborative processes and guidelines for the linked international cohorts.

The STBBI RI launched the $4.5M Hepatitis C Research funding opportunity to facilitate and support a national collaborative hepatitis C public health research program that aligns with the with the Government of Canada Five-Year Action Plan on STBBI and that links and leverages existing networks and research programs, engages knowledge users, people with living/lived experience and decision makers.

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Women RISE is a $22M initiative co-funded by IDRC, CIHR, and SSHRC that aims to support action-oriented, gender-transformative research on how women's health and their work (paid or unpaid) intersect and interact in the context of preparing, responding to and recovering from COVID-19. This research will inform immediate and medium-term solutions for COVID-19 recovery that improve gender equality and health equity and will contribute to an evidence-base for preparedness and responses to future health emergencies.

Women RISE contributes to Global target 5.c: Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

The Women RISE call launched in March 2022, and was broadly promoted by partners and stakeholder organizations.

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

The Healthy Cities Research Initiative's (HCRI) overarching goal is to improve health by maximizing the health-promoting potential of cities and urbanized areas in Canada and internationally. The HCRI funds research that will generate evidence and build capacity within the research and practitioner communities around designing and implementing evidence-based interventions in urban contexts to improve population health and health equity.

This initiative contributes to Global target 11:3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

The initiative established the Healthy Cities Research Training Platform, the first tri-council training platform, in 2021, and launched the Applied Public Health Chair-Sex, Gender and Healthy Cities funding opportunity.

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Food Security and Climate Change in the Canadian North

The overall goal of the Initiative is to support research that will provide a deeper understanding of food security and climate change in the Canadian North, with a focus on Indigenous (i.e., First Nations, Inuit and Métis) populations, and to support the development of effective approaches, programs and policies to address this issue.

This Strategy contributes to advancing:

Canadian Indicator Framework ambition for SGD 13.2: "Canadians are well-equipped and resilient to face the effects of Climate change";

Canadian Indicator Framework target 13.1: "Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related hazards and natural disasters in all countries."

Due to the CIHR Grants and Awards Policy, the end of grant data related to this initiative will only begin to be available to CIHR by 31/03/2023.