UN General Assembly building in New York. High-Level Policy Forum on Sustainable Development to open in New York Sustainable Development Goals
How can we move closer to realizing UN member states’ detailed plans for a better world over the next six years? Participants in a two-week forum opening July 8 at UN headquarters will try to answer this most important question.
The 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will follow up on the SDG Summit (last September), which the UN Secretary-General called a “moment of unity” to realize the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs).
Ministers, activists and civil society representatives will meet at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss the forum’s busy agenda. Most of the events will be broadcast live on UN Web Television.
As we approach the opening of the HLPF, here are five important things you need to know about this momentous event.
We will talk about the implementation of Global Goals
The HLPF was established in 2015 following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Agenda agreed upon and adopted UN member states can be called a blueprint for building a better future for people and the planet. It is broken down into 17 goals in critical areas such as fighting poverty, improving education, achieving gender equality and protecting the environment.
SDG Summit The year 2023 marked an intermediate point in achieving the goals and revealed the fact that most of them are far from being realized. This year, delegates will try to reinvigorate ongoing efforts and accelerate action to achieve the Goals.
In the spotlight – five goals
This year the forum participants will focus on achieving five goals: SDG 1 (End Poverty), SDG 2 (End Hunger), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 16 ( Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for Sustainable Development).
The discussion will revolve around the key findings of this year’s SDG progress report, a comprehensive review that UN Secretary-General António Guterres said showed “the world so far receives only a failing grade.”
In 2022, 700 million people lived on less than $2.15 a day, and about 783 million faced hunger. The past nine years have been the warmest on record. Access to justice remains inaccessible to large parts of the world’s population.
Each goal is broken down into specific targets, and some of them have already been achieved (for example, child mortality has decreased), but they constitute less than a fifth of the total. Progress towards about a third of the SDGs has stalled or even been reversed.
Countries share success stories
UN seeks to show that hope is not lost , and points to recent progress in the transition to renewable energy; girls in most regions achieving parity and even outperforming boys in school, and progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Several countries will share their best practices and lessons learned by reporting the results of voluntary national reviews. A complete list of countries submitting their reviews can be found here.
“Humanity has demonstrated time and time again that when we work together and apply our collective wisdom, we can find solutions to seemingly intractable problems,” said Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
It’s not just about Member States: other voices will be heard
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development affects all levels of society, not just governments. Several special events will be held over the two weeks, bringing together groups representing different special interests, including women, children and youth, NGOs, indigenous peoples, farmers and local authorities.
The first week will focus on evidence-based action to achieve the SDGs, mobilizing local and regional authorities and reforming education systems. The second week will focus on food security and nutrition, water action and climate.
The full programme can be found here.
Next Stop – Future Summit
The forum will help build momentum ahead of the Future Summit, which will take place from September 22 to 23. This event, a centerpiece of the General Assembly’s High-Level Week, is designed as an opportunity to revitalize the multilateral system and put the world back on track to achieve the SDGs.
Progress on financing will be important at both events, and the discussions that will take place at the July forum will be included in the declarations and documents that will be presented at the Future Summit.
These include a Future Pact aimed at identifying priorities and actions to solve global problems; Declaration on Future Generations, which will contain concrete steps that take into account the interests of future generations; and the Global Digital Compact, which is expected to chart the path to an open, free, secure and people-centred digital future for all.