December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated. The Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform has been migrated here: https://sdgs.un.org/
December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated. The Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform has been migrated here: https://sdgs.un.org/
The meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development in 2017 convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, was held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017; including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2017.
The theme was "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world". The set of goals to be reviewed in depth was the following, including Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, that will be considered each year:
In accordance with paragraph 84. of the 2030 Agenda, Member States have decided that the HLPF shall carry out regular voluntary reviews of the 2030 Agenda which will include developed and developing countries as well as relevant UN entities and other stakeholders. The reviews were state-led, involving ministerial and other relevant high-level participants, and provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders.
In 2017, 43 countries have volunteered to present their national voluntary reviews to the HLPF. For more details, please click here.
Download the Information Note for Participants
Download the additional Information Note for Major Groups and Other Stakeholders
Governmental and non-governmental representatives planning to participate in the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) must be accredited to the United Nations in order to register for this meeting.
The following participants may attend or be represented: States Members of the United Nations and States members of specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations, United Nations system, major groups and other stakeholders, and media.
Government officials, through their Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York, should notify the UN Protocol and Liaison Service of their participation at the meeting. A letter signed by the head of chancery or an authorizing official with an official seal should be addressed to:
Mr. Peter Van LaereA copy should also be sent to:
Ms. Emer HerityTo obtain UN grounds pass, Permanent Missions in New York may submit their requests via the online accreditation system "eAccreditation" available through the eDelegate Portal at https://delegate.un.int. Information regarding the system can be found at http://www.un.int/protocol/
IGOs interested in participating as observers in the forum are required to be accredited to the United Nations and register accordingly.
(A) United Nations accredited IGOs with an office in New York may follow the same procedure for Member States via the online accreditation system "eAccreditation" at https://delegate.un.int. They should also notify the UN Protocol and Liaison Service of their participation at the meeting. A letter signed by the head of the organization with an official stamp should be sent to the addresses mentioned above.
(B) United Nations accredited IGOs without an office in New York and already registered with the online accreditation system “eAccreditation” may follow the same procedure specified in (A) above.
(C) United Nations accredited IGOs without an office in New York and not registered with the “eAccreditation” system should follow the procedure below:
The focal point will be notified of the accreditation approval(s) via email. The email is the actual approval notification, a hard copy of which must be presented together with a valid passport or government photo ID to the United Nations Pass and ID Unit for the issuance of a UN grounds pass. The focal point must ensure that copies of the approval notifications be given to the participants before leaving for New York.
A copy should also be sent to:
Ms. Emer HeritySpecialised agencies and related organizations: The registration of the representative of the specialised agencies and related organizations of the UN system (ILO, FAO, UNESCO, ICAO, WHO, World Bank, IMF, UPU, ITU, WMO, IMO, WIPO, IFAD, UNIDO, UNWTO, IAEA, WTO, CTBTO, ICC, IOM, ISA, ITLOS, OPCW) follows the same procedures as for States and IGOs.
United Nations funds, programmes and other entities (UNAIDS, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNFCCC, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNISDR, UNITAR, UNODC, UNOPS, UNRWA, UNU, UN-WOMEN, WFP, ECA, ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, CBD, UNCCD):
Registration to the forum will require a formal letter signed by entity’s Principal or designated official listing the member(s) of the delegation to be sent to:
Division for Sustainable Development/UNDESAA copy should also be sent to:
Ms. Emer HerityThe registration for MGoS is now closed.
The participation of non-State actors from major groups and other stakeholders is outlined in General Assembly resolution 67/290, and based on the major groups structure articulated in Agenda 21 and the practices of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The registration of representatives from non-governmental organizations must be completed using the CSO Net online events registration system. Registrations are now open through 15 June 2017. Click here to register.
Accreditation requirements:
Representatives from major groups and other stakeholders interested in participating in the HLPF must be affiliated with properly accredited non-governmental organizations, in accordance with ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 governing the consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations. Those NGOs having consultative status with ECOSOC and those on the CSD Roster are eligible to register their representatives online.
In addition to registering through the above registration link, organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC must request grounds passes to attend the HLPF. These passes should be requested as soon as possible, and no later than 28 June 2017. Organizations that are in consultative status with ECOSOC can request up to 9 temporary grounds passes at a time, in addition to 7 annual grounds passes. These passes need to be requested through the Integrated Civil Society Organizations System (iCSO). More information on how to request grounds passes can be found on the website: http://csonet.org/?menu=86
Organizations on the CSD Roster must use the above registration link to request temporary grounds passes for the HLPF. CSD Roster organizations can request up to 5 temporary grounds passes. Once the registration is approved, a confirmation email will be sent with further instructions on how to download a confirmation letter from the CSO Net registration system. Information on how to obtain temporary grounds passes for organizations on CSD Roster will be sent to approved participants after registration is closed.
All participants are responsible for securing their own funding for travel and subsistence and for making their own travel arrangements. You will also need to make your own U. S. visa and transit visa arrangements, if applicable.
The registration of all representatives from major groups and other stakeholders should be coordinated through accredited NGOs. For help with identifying suitable and accredited partner organizations, inquiries should be directed to the designated focal point for each MGoS constituency.
For more information, contact:
Ms. Nan JiangMedia accreditation is strictly reserved for members of the press: print, photo, radio, television, film, news agencies, and online media who represent a bona fide media organization (full guidelines are available at http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/request.shtml).
Journalists who wish to apply for media accreditation are required to complete an online form, which is available at http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/accreditation.shtml. All members of the media submitting a registration form will be required to upload a letter of assignment from their Bureau Chief or Editor-in-Chief addressed to the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit. Two pieces of identification bearing a photograph, including a passport, are also required. Samples of work may be requested.
Approved media members will receive an email confirmation with instructions for picking up their UN grounds pass. All media representatives will be required to wear their United Nations grounds pass at all times.
Details regarding media access to the United Nations Secretariat, liaison services for coverage of open meetings, press conferences and briefings are available at http://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/guidelines.shtml
Draft Official Programme (PDF Version)
Annotated Programme with Speakers (PDF Version)
Programme of Side Events (PDF version)
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, is presently in its early years of implementation. There are many positive signs - such as the widespread adoption into countries' own development plans and strategies, and the setting up of coordinating structures and mechanisms for implementation. At the same time, certain other indicators - for example lowered projections for economic growth, or long running patterns of inequality among many different dimensions - can be cause for concern. The current year's review at the HLPF, around the theme of “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”, is a timely occasion to take stock of the overall objectives of the Agenda, and to assess current status and trends, as well as emerging issues that have the potential to significantly affect achievement over the years to come. Speakers at this session will bring their unique perspectives to bear on these issues, and indicate what they see as priorities needing urgent consideration.
A multi-level architecture is required to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development: with the national level as the lynchpin of the framework for action on, and review of, the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, through regional peer learning, and to the global level with exchange of lessons learned, gaps identified and momentum reinvigorated for further action. In this context, the regional level serves as an important nexus where feedback loops from bottom to top, and vice versa. This session will feature key regional and sub-regional players, including the Executive Secretaries of the United Nations Regional Commissions, who will exchange regional experiences to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The session will also focus on the role of regions to foster coherence between local and global levels and engage in an interactive discussion with Member States, representatives of regional and sub-regional governmental organizations, major groups and other stakeholders.
The 2030 Agenda recognized that “eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.” The multi-dimensional nature of poverty requires us to go beyond economic growth to address the root-causes and the factors that perpetuate these conditions; it requires us to end hunger and food/nutrition insecurity; it requires access to basic, quality services such as health care, education, water and sanitation, sustainable energy; it requires a clean environment where everyone can have good health and prosperity; it requires social protection, empowerment, and opportunities for decent work; it requires inclusiveness and special attention to marginalized and vulnerable groups, the furthest behind, and to eliminate the discriminations against them; it requires sensitivity to the widening disparities and inequalities within and among countries and both in urban and rural areas. This session addresses the theme through the lens of its multi-dimensional nature. A panel of experts with diverse backgrounds will facilitate discussions aiming at deepening understanding and appreciation of the various dimensions and their inter-connections, in the process of which practical recommendations will be made. A short Q&A session will follow.
This session is the first of the sessions to look in-depth into one of the SDGs but at the same time not losing sight of inter-linkages among the rest of the SDGs. The session will examine interlinkages and implication for policy-making and implementation to realize this goal bearing in mind in particular that to eradicate poverty, its causes and manifestations must be fully understood and addressed. Poverty eradication can only be achieved when interconnected factors are addressed together. Such factors include inclusive growth, livelihoods and decent work, social protection, access to basic infrastructure and services, food security, nutrition, health, education, empowerment of women and girls, environmental sustainability, governance and more equitable access to opportunities and distribution of income and wealth. Poverty eradication demands cross-cutting, coherent initiatives that make people less vulnerable, reduce the risks of setbacks, break patterns of discrimination, and enable all women and men to fully participate and benefit from economic growth. Concerted effort is needed to tackle the most prevalent and reoccurring constraints to eradicating poverty and these will be examined by a panel of experts that will facilitate an interactive discussion among all participants at the meeting and provide recommendations to policy-makers based on latest information and data, as well as experiences and lessons learned that have worked in a number of countries.
This session will bring together a diverse group of experts and stakeholders in an interactive dialogue on progress in ensuring food security, improving nutrition, and promoting food systems and agricultural practices that are sustainable, resilient and inclusive. Linking sustainable agriculture to poverty eradication and gender equality—including equal access to land and water, markets, technology and social protection—is crucial to enhancing the livelihoods smallholder farmers, and to restoring, safeguarding, developing and promoting sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources. The scale and complexity of the food security crises caused by conflict and natural disasters have increased dramatically in recent years and represent a significant threat to sustainable development. The discussion is expected to assess progress, identify challenges at the national and international levels, and produce integrated policy solutions.
Major groups and other stakeholder (MGoS) are crucial to the successful implementation, follow-up, and review of the 2030 Agenda. In preparation for the 2017 HLPF, MGoS contributed to review processes at all levels, including at the Regional Forums for Sustainable Development (RFSDs) and through national review mechanisms.
Health is a precondition, indicator and outcome of sustainable development, and this session will explore the inter-sectoral solutions that will advance the implementation of SDG 3 and the 2030 Agenda as a whole. Like all the SDGs, Goal 3 is interwoven throughout the Agenda, with its targets directly linking to targets in other goals including 2.2 (end all forms of malnutrition) 4.1 (free, equitable and good-quality secondary education), 4.2 (good-quality early childhood development), 4.7 (knowledge and skills for sustainable development), 5.2 (eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres), 5.3 (eliminate all harmful practices, including female genital mutilation), 5.6 (universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, 6.1 (access to drinking water), 6.2 (access to sanitation), 7.1 (access to modern energy services), 9.5 (enhance scientific research /increase number of R&D workers), 11.6 (air quality and municipal waste), 13.1 (resilience to natural disasters), and 16.1 (reduce violence and related death rates), among others. These interlinkages confirm that progress in health outcomes will only be achieved with progress in other related sectors, including fiscal and finance policy (e.g. taxing schemes to discourage unhealthy behaviors), nutrition, water and sanitation, air quality, road safety, education, gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, migration and peace and security. The session will provide a platform for a panel of experts from a range of sectors to present perspectives on challenges, opportunities and emerging issues relevant to SDG 3 implementation.
This session will look at the implementation of goal 5 as well as interlinkages with the rest of the goals – examining a gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Despite extensive efforts made by governments to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, they continue to be subjected to discrimination, violence and harmful practices and denied the full realization of their human rights. The gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda presents an enormous opportunity to achieve gender equality, end poverty and hunger, combat inequalities within and among countries, build peaceful, just and inclusive societies, protect and promote human rights, and ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources. Through an interactive discussion facilitated by a moderator, the session will identify strategies and measures to effectively implement SDG 5, including through exploring good practices, lessons learnt, challenges and effective solutions.
This session responds to operative paragraph 14 and 16 of UNGA Resolutions 70/202 and 71/225 respectively, noting that the HLPF shall devote adequate time at its 2017 meeting and at its future meetings to continue to address the sustainable development challenges facing small island developing States. Session 9 will start with a keynote speaker addressing 2030 Agenda and SAMOA Pathway in general. Rest of the discussions will focus on Goals 1, 2 and 3. In addition to a general assessment of the state of implementation of the SAMOA Pathway, this session, featuring a panel of experts on challenges facing SIDS, will hear and discuss updates on progress made in addressing non-communicable diseases in SIDS. The burden and threat of communicable and non-communicable diseases remains a serious global concern and constitute one of the major challenges for SIDS in the twenty-first century. Equally vital is the continued need to support the right of everyone, including SIDS to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, the eradication of hunger and the provision of livelihoods for all at all ages. This session will also hear and discuss an update on progress made in the development of the Global Action Programme on food and nutrition security in SIDS.
The 2030 Agenda calls for leaving no one behind and reaching the furthest behind first. Its success will therefore ultimately be measured against the progress made by those who are currently the most disadvantaged, a disproportionately large number of whom live in countries in special situations, or in pockets of deprivation in middle income countries, making the efforts being made to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations within these countries of vital importance to all. Through a moderated panel discussion and interaction from the floor, this session will address the challenges and opportunities faced by least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), middle-income countries (MICs), and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations in aligning their existing national priorities and plans to the SDGs, and in achieving progress toward the goals under review.
SDG 9 calls for building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation. It is elaborated by nine targets in these three broad areas. An objective of the session is to discuss - in an integrated way - progress towards SDG9 and high-impact actions for the coming years. Thus it will need to also explore policy coherence among the development, infrastructure, industrialization, science, technology and innovation domains. In particular, successful integrated national policy approaches will be presented during this session, with experts tapping into the wealth of information from related capacity building projects. Identification of gaps and a better understanding of what has worked will provide much needed insight for decision-makers in the SDG9 domains.
The high-level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development was convened at UN Headquarters in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017. The intergovernmentally agreed outcome “Call for Action” enumerates actions that need to be undertaken by Governments and other stakeholders, while the voluntary commitments from the Conference spur solutions in order to address the adverse impacts on oceans, which act cumulatively and impair the crucial ability of the oceans to provide ecosystem services, contribute to poverty eradication and food security and act as climate regulator and an engine for economic growth and sustainable development. This session will look at the outcome of the Ocean Conference and the interlinkages of SDG14 and its targets to other goals and targets in order to provide further political guidance and encourage action in implementation of the SDG14. It will also feature expert presentations on inter-linkages between SDG14 and other SDGs and related targets.
An objective of the session is to explore policies and actions for advancing the science, technology and innovation for achieving the SDGs, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which, inter alia, also launched a UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM). The TFM now facilitates multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships through the sharing of information, experiences, best practices and policy advice among Member States, civil society, the private sector, the scientific community, UN entities and other stakeholders. The session will engage all three components of the TFM and elicit inputs from its experts. Co-Chairs will present the mandated Summary of the "Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs". The TFM 10-Member Group of high-level representatives will further engage the Forum's recommendations.
The integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs requires an in-depth discussion of the inter-connection between the various goals and targets. There is a large body of analytical research and evidence from many different sources, supporting integrated policy making, implementation and monitoring. Furthermore, the interlinked nature of the SDGs is also seen in the scope of the supporting statistical evidence needed to highlight how and where sustainable development is achieved. Such approaches can have transformative impacts, if they can adequately exploit synergies and minimize trade-offs. Recognizing this potential, many countries have already set up, cross-ministerial coordination mechanisms for the SDGs, as presented in their VNRs. This is will be the discussion in the first panel. In the second panel, the importance of statistics and data to support the 2030 Agenda and the much-needed statistical capacity development to strengthen national statistical systems will be highlighted by key experts from different data communities.
An objective and scientific understanding of the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable development, their inter-linkages, and new and emerging issues is crucial to all aspects of Agenda 2030. Such an understanding should inform policies and assessments; at the same time, gaps and shortfalls in achievement can motivate science to find solutions.
The Secretariat is inviting all relevant stakeholders to share information about relevant HLPF 2017 related meetings and events for inclusion in this section.
Please send the relevant information, including title, venue, date & time, short description, and website link (if available) through the Secretariat Contact form: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/contact.
Please note that the deadline for proposed side events was 10 May and the Secretariat does not accept new proposals.
Please click here or on the Programme tab to see the side events calendar.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), organized an expert group meeting (EGM) on progress in achieving SDG 2, from 12 to 13 June 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York.
Please click here to access our online review platform. It is dedicated to compile voluntary inputs from countries participating in the national voluntary reviews of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, as well other voluntary governmental inputs, inputs from ECOSOC functional commissions and other intergovernmental bodies and forums, inputs from major groups and other stakeholders, as well contributions from multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments.
The theme of the 2017 High-level Political Forum on sustainable development will be “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”, which is also a central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In the lead-up to the 2017 HLPF, weekly blogs by representatives of Member States, UN system, and major groups and other stakeholders will be featured in this series to present various perspectives on this theme. The role of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14, and 17 will also be highlighted, as these goals will be in focus at the 2017 HLPF discussions.