December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated.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December 2022 - You are accessing an archived version of our website. This website is no longer maintained or updated.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 2020 was held from Tuesday, 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This included the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 14 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. .
The theme was "Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development ".
The HLPF annual meeting is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In the 2020 HLPF, participants debated where we stand on the SDGs in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reflected on how the international community can respond to the pandemic in a way that puts us back on track to achieve the SDGs and accelerate progress during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.
47 countries carried out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2020 HLPF from Friday, 10 July to Thursday, 16 July 2020. For more details, please click here.
The HLPF will adopt a Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of its session. The President of ECOSOC will also prepare a summary to capture the key messages of the discussions. For more details, please click here.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and expected limitations on in-person meetings and international travel, the ECOSOC Bureau had made adjustments to the format and programme of HLPF 2020 (Information note on the arrangements for the 2020 HLPF and HLS). Available technological solutions for virtual sessions and interaction were used – including for presentations of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). All meetings were held virtually, including all side and special events.
Quicklinks:
2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentQ & A:
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
Final Programme of side-events to the 2020 HLPF (16 July)
The final day of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC, which will take place the day following the closure of the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum, would “focus on future trends and scenarios related to the Council theme, the long-term impact of current trends, such as the contribution of new technologies, in the economic, social and environmental areas on the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, based on the work of the United Nations and other regional and international organizations and bodies as well as other stakeholders.” (General Assembly resolution 72/305)
Due to this year’s virtual nature of the HLPF and the High-level Segment of ECOSOC, the participating States and other participants are invited to provide written general statements for posting on the ECOSOC and HLPF websites and in e-deleGATE. Statements should be sent to the Secretariat (laabas@un.org) by 17 July 2020.
In addition, videos of the statements may be submitted to be posted on the ECOSOC and HLPF websites. Delegations which plan to provide recording of their statements are invited to submit to the Secretariat the internet link of their preloaded videos, to be posted on the HLPF and ECOSOC websites. Please ensure that these internet links are accessible to the greater public. It is encouraged that any videos be limited to 6 minutes for Groups and 4 minutes for individual statements.
Participating States
Intergovernmental Organization
UN System
Major Groups and other Stakeholders
The Regional Forums for Sustainable Development, convened annually by the Regional Commissions, are the regional platforms for assessing progress and exchanging knowledge, best practices and policy solutions to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in line with regional priorities and specificities.
The President of ECOSOC has appointed H.E. Mr. Georgi Velikov Panayotov, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN, and H.E. Ms. Amal Mudallali, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the UN to facilitate the intergovernmental negotiations of the Ministerial Declaration.
The forum was also informed by other related reports from other intergovernmental processes.
Please access the compilation of written statements (Statement 1, Statement 2) by Non-Governmental Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC on the theme of the High-level segment of ECOSOC and the HLPF
As mandated by the General Assembly, the functional commissions of ECOSOC and other intergovernmental bodies and forums are invited to provide inputs to the HLPF. Please click here to access the online platform which contains the inputs to the 2020 HLPF. Click here for the synthesis of voluntary submissions by functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council and other intergovernmental bodies and forums.
As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member States to conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven (paragraph 79). These national reviews are expected to serve as a basis for the regular reviews by the high-level political forum (HLPF), meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC every year in July. As stipulated in paragraph 84 of the 2030 Agenda, regular reviews by the HLPF are to be voluntary, state-led, undertaken by both developed and developing countries, and shall provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders.
The Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The VNR countries are expected to submit comprehensive written reports that will be made available in the VNR database. In addition, each VNR country will also provide main messages summarizing their key findings. These main messages are also posted in the VNR database.
In 2020, the 47 countries (26 first time presenters, 20 second time presenters and 1 third time presenter) below conducted Voluntary National Reviews at the HLPF. The VNR presentations began on Friday, 10 July 2020 and proceeded for the three days of the ministerial segment of HLPF on 14 – 16 July 2020.
For main messages from the 2020 voluntary national reviews, please click here.
For more details, please click here. For the letter of the President of ECOSOC on the VNRs to be presented at the HLPF in 2020, please click here.
For the third year, a series of VNR Labs are being convened on the margins of the 2020 HLPF. The VNR Labs provide an informal platform for experience sharing and reflection on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) process. The Labs will be held under the Chatham House rule and will be open to Member States, the UN system and representatives of Major Groups and other Stakeholders. The detailed programme of the 2020 VNR Labs is below.
Flyer
Summary of the 2020 VNR Labs
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (Cooperation Framework) is informed by Government prioritization, planning, implementation and reporting vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda, including the preparation of evidence-based Voluntary National Reviews based on SDG indicators. The UN Common Country Analysis (CCA) builds on processes such as the Voluntary National Reviews, and the country-specific findings and recommendations of UN principal organs. As per the proposal of the Secretary-General in his report 2020 report on QCPR implementation, UNCTs should work to strengthen their support to countries conducting these VNRs and ensure the reviews’ key findings inform the CCA and the Cooperation Framework.
The investments in UN reform are already yielding results immediate and longer-term response to the COVID-19 crisis. UNCTs under the leadership of the RCs are providing an integrated whole-of-system support to the countries in the preparedness and response to COVID-19. The support is leveraging the reinvigorated UN Development System by tapping into the comparative advantages of specific entities, WHO on Health, OCHA on humanitarian coordination, and UNDP as the technical lead for the socio-economic response.
This VNR lab will invite Resident Coordinators and other stakeholders to reflect on their experience in connecting the Voluntary National Review to the CCA and Cooperation Framework, as well as to solicit ideas on how this can be strengthened in the next QCPR cycle, how RCs and UNCTs can better support Governments with the socio-economic response to COVID-19, and how to best implement decisions taken in the 74th session of the General Assembly related to the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Organizers: UNSDG Development Coordination Office (DCO)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The United Nations Committee for Development Policy has analyzed VNRs since 2017. Among other findings, it noted that very few VNRs describe adequate strategies for implementing Leave No One Behind (LNOB), a principle which is central to the 2030 Agenda. While most countries acknowledge it, VNRs often remain vague on how to implement LNOB in practice. Similarly, inequalities are often mentioned, but not addressed in detail. This VNR Lab will present these and related findings, highlight examples of emerging good practice, and discuss how they can be used for mutual learning for implementing the 2030 Agenda.
Organizers: UN DESA Economic Analysis and Policy Division (EAPD) / Committee for Development Policy (CDP)
Click here to find the concept note
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The objective of this VNR Lab is to advance understanding of how productive interaction between national and subnational levels of governance can be fostered in both the preparatory processes of VNRs as well as in the post-VNR phase.
The Lab will also explore how Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), which are being prepared by an increasing number of cities around the world, can be useful tools for cities and regions to guide their implementation of the SDGs, and how they can support the VNR processes coordinated by national governments.
It will also investigate effective modalities of engaging cities in implementing the 2030 Agenda by comparing diverse subnational roles in different types of national urban and territorial policy and governance frameworks. The Lab will include contributions from national Governments, cities, regional intergovernmental organizations and other relevant actors.
Organizers: UN DESA Division for Sustainable Goals (DSDG) / UN-HABITAT
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The principles in the 2030 Agenda to guide the follow-up and review processes state that “they will be open, inclusive, participatory and transparent for all people and will support the reporting by all relevant stakeholders.”
An analysis of the 2017 VNR reports by the Committee for Development Planning noted that “among the groups that receive special focus so that they are not left behind, women receive the most attention (addressed by 41 out of the 43 countries reviewed), followed by persons with disabilities (40 countries)” and that indigenous peoples were severely underrepresented.
This VNR lab will explore experiences in engaging persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples in the VNR reporting processes, identify obstacles, best practices and what lessons can be learned to reach those furthest behind.
Organizers: UN DESA Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
Following the VNR Lab held in the margins of the 2019 HLPF, the 2020 Lab will continue to build on lessons emanating from VNR preparation processes in the regions, with a focus on identifying innovative approaches to spur action and inject momentum in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, considering the broader context of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lab will consider the lessons learned and outcomes of the regional follow-up and review processes and showcase innovative approaches and tools fostered by the Regional Commissions to respond to new and emerging needs expressed by member States. Examples of these approaches include the twinning of VNR countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the development of Voluntary Local Reviews in Africa, the establishment of VNR “communities of practice” in Latin America and the Caribbean, the role of cities and the local level in SDG implementation and resilience in the UNECE region, and the community of practice and dedicated knowledge, learning and collaborative platform in the Arab region.
The Lab will aim at facilitating a cross-regional learning of experiences in support of accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the country and regional levels. Representatives of VNR participating countries, regional organizations and other stakeholders will be invited to exchange experiences and recommendations in implementing these approaches, and to share how efforts to bring countries together at the regional level have been useful and will continue to be relevant in the context of the Decade of Action.
Organizers: UN Regional Commissions New York Office (RCNYO)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
Five years into implementing the 2030 Agenda, with over one hundred Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) presented there is a wealth of experience, innovation and engagement to be shared.
The VNR Town Hall will bring together Member States, civil society representatives, UN officials, the private sector, youth and other stakeholders to reflect on the first four-year cycle of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and learn from one another.
The Town Hall will provide space for an interactive conversation around good practices, innovative tools, and models that have been used to implement the SDGs and strengthen reporting.
Spotlighting examples of successful collaboration among Member States and stakeholders in support of VNRs to overcome challenges, raise ambition, and action on the ground as we recover better in this the Decade of Action and Delivery.
Organizers: UN Foundation
Click here to find the concept note
Quality, accessible, timely, reliable and disaggregated data are needed to measure progress in implementing the SDGs and to ensure that no one is left behind (A/RES/70/1). Population information is crucial for the compilation of a large number of indicators, contained in the global indicator framework for the SDGs and targets (A/RES/71/313).
This lab will discuss national experiences in integrating population and related data and indicators, including on migration, in voluntary national reviews. It will review good practices and lessons learnt in collecting, compiling and disseminating population and related data and indicators, including on migration, and recommend actions to accelerate the availability, quality and comparability of such information over the next decade.
Organizers: UN DESA Population Division
Click here to find the concept note
The COVID-19 crisis is disrupting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in almost all countries. This pandemic is also threatening the achievements already made in many of the SDG areas. In this time of crisis, data and statistics are key for the preparation of the Voluntary National Reviews to understanding, managing, and mitigating the human, social and economic impacts of the outbreak. They are also essential for designing short-term response interventions and long-term acceleration actions to set countries back on track to achieve the SDGs.
The global crisis is also affecting critical operations across the entire global statistical and data system. There are delays in planned censuses and surveys and serious disruptions in all statistical operations. This VNR lab will provide policy makers and statisticians an opportunity to share experiences on how data and statistics are used to help designing and targeting effective policy interventions in the crisis and supporting SDG acceleration efforts in the long run, which are the core for the VNRs in the coming years.
In addition, data producers can also discuss their countries’ response mechanisms for ensuring continual data collection during the global pandemic and the effects on data availability for the SDGs.
Organizers: UN Statistics Division (UNSD)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The challenge of integrating the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs into national policy frameworks is leading to renewed interest in national development planning. The 2019 SDG Summit called on countries to “mainstream the 2030 Agenda into our national planning instruments, policies, strategies and financial frameworks.”
This lab will share experiences and lessons learned by countries with the integration and mainstreaming of the 2030 Agenda, including approaches that account for the interlinkages between the SDGs. It will explore approaches to integration that go beyond alignment and the application of tools and models to facilitate the understanding of interlinkages.
Organizers: UN DESA Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
This lab will focus on what institutions should look like to support accelerated implementation of all the SDGs, including at the sub-national level, and how to reflect progress in achieving more effective governance for sustainable development in VNR reporting.
It will offer participating governments the opportunity to share good practices. Concrete challenges that countries are facing in strengthening institutional capabilities for SDG implementation will also be considered.
Organizers: UN DESA Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG)
Click here to find the concept note
Registration has closed
This VNR lab will create a space to discuss the benefits of linking up Voluntary National Reviews with the national reporting to and engagement with international human rights mechanisms (Treaty Bodies, Universal Periodic Review, Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council). Systematic engagement between the VNR process and other relevant reporting processes at the national level can lead to concrete benefits, such as improving the quality of the reports (notably on the realization of the principle of leaving no one behind), easing reporting burdens for Member States, increasing participatory nature of the exercise by engaging new stakeholders, and taking account of issues such as inequality, discrimination, rule of law in the VNRs.
Given that the 2030 Agenda is explicitly grounded in human rights, the work conducted under international human rights mechanisms is a source of relevant national information on the status of implementation and of guidance that can assist to maintain or accelerate progress.
The lab will provide an opportunity for participating countries and other stakeholders to exchange relevant experience and learn about useful tools that can support linking up the VNRs with human rights reporting.
Organizers: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Click here to find the concept note
Scaling up the mobilization of financing from all sources will be critical to advance a recovery that is sustainable and resilient. Recovery measures must be geared to advance sustainable development, strengthen resilience and safeguard against climate and systemic risks. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, economies in a post-COVID world must be aligned with the 2030 Agenda. What will it take?
Organizers: UN DESA Financing for Sustainable Development Office (FSDO)
Click here to register and find more information and updates on the Lab
The successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires a transformation in our societies that can only be achieved through engaging and leveraging the unique roles and resources of all sectors and stakeholders of society.
The VNR Lab on “Beyond the VNRs: mobilizing support and building national partnerships” will explore and showcase practices on how countries can systematically catalyze national multi-stakeholder partnerships for mobilizing and sharing knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources to support implementation of the SDGs. It will also explore how countries can help to create an enabling environment that can encourage and foster collaboration across stakeholders.
Organizers: UN DESA Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)
Click here to find the concept note
The lab will focus on data for national implementation of the SDGs and Voluntary National Reviews in Mozambique. Furthermore, the session will highlight Mozambique’s National SDG Indicators Framework, their process of compiling statistical data on Indicators and their SDG Data Dissemination Platform.
Organizers: UN DESA Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC)
Click here to find the concept note
The United Nations Secretary-General has stressed that by placing “children at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, and at the centre of all that we do, we can realize its ambitious vision, while leaving no child behind." Governments across all regions are using the SDG targets related to children to spur accelerated action towards ending poverty, ensuring healthy lives, increasing access to quality education, achieving gender equality, promoting child participation, and eliminating all forms of violence.
This VNR Lab aims to encourage Governments to use VNRs to share their experience in using the SDG targets related to children for national development planning and accelerating progress by highlighting positive examples from Member States.
The Lab will highlight how inclusive and participatory VNR processes can help ensure children’s wellbeing is at the centre of national development planning. The Lab will also draw attention to the need to maintain national budgets for the health, education and protection of children from violence, even in the face of the global economic crisis created by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organizers: UNICEF/ UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (SRSG)
Click here to find the concept note
This lab will focus on the VNR preparation process in Moldova, highlighting the methodology and principles of the country’s VNR report, preparation process and follow-up actions. The VNR lab could also reflect on the impact on COVID-19 on the VNR preparations and SDG implementation.
Organizers: UN DESA Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC)
Click here to find the concept note
This lab will highlight Finland’s governance framework for sustainable development and the country’s institutional mechanisms and innovative practices for stakeholder engagement.
Organizers: UN DESA Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development (OISC)
The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) organized a virtual exhibition during the High-Level Political Forum to showcase the best innovative experiences and mobilize a wide range of stakeholders in support of SDGs. The Exhibitions provided a unique opportunity to feature good practices and success stories of SDG implementation by Member States, civil societies, Private Sector and the UN system organizations. With its focus on the theme of the HLPF, "Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development. "
Objective
The overall objective of the exhibit is to feature innovative efforts by the Member States, civil societies, Private Sector and the UN system organizations in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda as the international community embarks on the final decade of SDG implementation.
Specifically, the exhibit presented
Participation
The High-Level Political Forum aims to bring together all development actors, be they governmental or non-governmental, from around the world. Consequently, a wide range of institutions were invited to take part in the exhibitions: Member States, international and regional organizations, private sector entities, academia, civil society organizations, foundations, and the media. Ten organizers from the UN system and NGOs will showcased their innovative products and projects related to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
What type of innovative approaches/projects/products are showcased?
The innovative approaches/tools/projects showcased at the exhibition focuses on the following thematic areas:
List of participants and their projects
Final Programme of Side-Events to the 2020 High-level Political Forum (16 July)
Side Events and Exhibitions at the 2020 HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC were sponsored by Member States, the UN system and other intergovernmental organizations and the Major Groups and other accredited Stakeholders.
These side events and exhibitions of the HLPF- held outside the official programme- provided great opportunities to discuss this year’s theme, "Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development ."
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic all side-events and exhibitions were held virtually. Despite the challenges, organizers made the adjustments to the virtual format and presented lively sessions and stimulating interactions via a number of different platforms.
The complete list of side-events can be found on the HLPF 2020 website under the PROGRAMME tab.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and its partner agencies and organisations organized special virtual events on the margins of the HLPF. More details about each event are available by clicking on the icons below.
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The Importance of Vaccines
– with Drs. Bruce Aylward, an epidemiologist from the World Health Organization; Pardis Sabeti from Harvard University’s School of Public Health; and Seema Yasmin, the Director of the Stanford Health Communication
Solidarity at the Heart of Recovery
– with UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming, actor and SDG Advocate Forest Whitaker, and a young change-maker, Farai Mubaiwa
Do the Sustainable Development Goals Still Matter?
with UN Deputy-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and SDG Advocates, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, and Actress and UN Environment Programme’s Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza
Responding to the crisis and building a better future: inclusive and sustainable industrial development
By Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the SDGs will help us build back better
By Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, and President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Co-chairs of the SDG Advocates
We must act together to beat COVID-19 in Africa
By Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, UNAIDS
COVID-19: We won’t improve global health one disease at a time
By Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization
Just keep fighting, you are not alone
By Marta Vieira da Silva, footballer, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for women and girls in sports and UN Secretary-General’s SDG Advocate
The future of our planet depends on getting our cities right
By Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director, UN-Habitat
What gives me hope for the next decade
By Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary General, UN DESA
In accordance with General Assembly Resolution 67/290, the HLPF is open to the major groups, other relevant stakeholders and entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the General Assembly, building on arrangements and practices observed by the Commission on Sustainable Development.
While retaining the intergovernmental character of the forum, the representatives of the major groups and other relevant stakeholders shall be allowed:
General Assembly Resolution 67/290 encourages major groups and other stakeholders ‘to autonomously establish and maintain effective coordination mechanisms’ for participation in the HLPF.
The major groups were first identified in Agenda 21 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. These major groups and some additional stakeholder groups were identified in General Assembly Resolution 66/288 ‘The future we want’, as well as in some of the subsequent UNGA Resolutions namely, 67/290, 70/1, 70/299 and 72/305.
It is important to note that some stakeholder groups have developed to mirror other post-2015 development agreements. While not all of the major groups and other stakeholders that form the Coordination Mechanism are identified by United Nations agreed outcomes, they hold equal status within the terms of reference of the Steering Group of the major groups and other stakeholders coordination mechanism.
Contact information can be found below if you want to join one of the major groups and other stakeholders:
A Steering Group was established by the organising partners of the major groups and other stakeholders. The Steering Group is responsible for facilitating the participation of the major groups and other stakeholders at the HLPF. The major groups and other stakeholders, as well as its Steering Group, are independent of the United Nations. The Terms of reference for the major groups and other stakeholders coordination mechanism can be found here.
General information about the major groups and other stakeholders here. To receive updates from the UN DESA you can join the major groups and other stakeholders coordination mechanism mailing list by completing the survey on the HLPF website here.
The contributions by the major groups and other stakeholders can be found on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform here. You can filter the ‘major groups and other stakeholders’ results in the left-hand side navigation bar to find the annual sectoral position papers.
The discussion papers on the theme of the HLPF, submitted by the major groups and other stakeholders can also be found here.
UN DESA has produced two guides for representatives of the major groups and other stakeholders that are new to the HLPF and want to learn more about its history and mandates, as well as the engagement opportunities. Please note that this year’s HLPF will be virtual so some of the modalities of engagement may have changed.
Introduction to the HLPF
Engagement and Participation Opportunities at the HLPF
Organisations accredited with ECOSOC consultative status, Organisations on the CSD Roster and organisations affiliated with the major groups and other stakeholders were invited to participate in the 2020 HLPF. Due to the virtual nature of this year’s HLPF the sessions will be broadcast via UN Web TV. Registration through Indico will not be necessary this year.
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is the main entry point into the UN system for NGOs. ECOSOC is the central mechanism for coordination of the activities of the United Nations system and its specialized agencies and supervision of subsidiary bodies in the economic, social, environmental and related fields. It is the principal body for the coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on issues of economic and social development and for implementation of the international development goals agreed at the major United Nations conferences and summits, including the Sustainable Development Goals. The consultative relationship with ECOSOC is governed by Resolution 1996/31.
Further information can be found here.
The organizations that were registered for the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 but were not at the time ECOSOC accredited organizations were invited to join the CSD Roster which enabled them to attend the CSD. The purpose was to permit these organisations to attend and participate in the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development without the necessity of obtaining ECOSOC consultative status.
In a process that is similar to the CSD Roster above, representatives from the major groups and other stakeholders engaged in the implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals who would not usually have the opportunity to attend the HLPF are also encouraged to participate.
Further information can be found here.
Due to the virtual format of the 2020 HLPF, funding was not allocated to support the travel of major groups and other stakeholders at the 2020 HLPF.
The President of ECOSOC has appointed H.E. Mr. Georgi Velikov Panayotov, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the UN, and H.E. Ms. Amal Mudallali, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the UN to facilitate the intergovernmental negotiations of the Ministerial Declaration.
The negotiations were closed and therefore not broadcast on UN Web TV. A limited number of representatives of the major groups and other stakeholders were invited to participate and contribute to the negotiations. Please contact your major group and other stakeholder constituency to learn about the nomination process.
The zero draft and revised drafts of the 2020 Ministerial Declaration can be found on the HLPF website here.
The major groups and other stakeholders nominated 13 Lead Discussants to participate in the Official Thematic Sessions of the HLPF. Each of the major groups and other stakeholder constituencies conducted its own process to nominate Lead Discussants. These nominations were reviewed by the Steering Group of the MGoS Coordination Mechanism. A slate of nominations were then submitted by the Steering Group to ECOSOC for review. Please do not contact UN DESA directly to submit a nomination. Please contact your major groups and other stakeholder constituency to request information about the process.
The thematic session which discusses the stakeholder perspective was listed on Tuesday, 7 July 2020 from 5 - 6pm EDT (New York time). The title of the session was:
Transformative pathways to realize the 2030 Agenda: a whole of society approach taking into account the impact of COVID19 (Stakeholder perspective).
UN DESA worked with the Steering Group of the major groups and other stakeholders to facilitate the session. You can re-watch the session on UN Web TV.
The major groups and other stakeholders were provided with opportunities to ask a question of the countries participating in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) presentations. The Steering Group of the major groups and other stakeholders requested expressions of interest to draft questions and identify candidates. Please contact your major groups and other stakeholder constituency to request information about the process. Further information on this year’s voluntary national reviews can be found on the HLPF website here.
There were 17 Voluntary National Review Labs this year. The title and concept for each VNR Lab has been published, some contain concept notes and registration info. All representatives of organisations that fall under one of the three categories listed above under ‘Registration’ may attend (subject to capacity). Further information on registering for the VNR Labs can be found on the HLPF website here.
The discussion papers on the theme of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, submitted by major groups and other stakeholders (Advance unedited version) can be found on the HLPF website here.
The deadline for the submission of the sectoral position papers has passed. These reports will be reviewed and posted as inputs on the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform here.
The Paragraph 89 Reports have been submitted as inputs to the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform here.
All side events and exhibitions were held virtually. The deadline to submit applications have now passed. Further information and updated can be found on the HLPF website here.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and its partner agencies and organisations will also organise special virtual events on the margins of the HLPF. More information about these events can also be seen on the Other Events page.
