The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The meeting of the HLPF in 2021 will be held from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 13 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021 as part of the high-level segment of the Council.
The theme will be "Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development".
The HLPF in 2021 will discuss Sustainable Development Goals 1 on no poverty, 2 on zero hunger, 3 on good health and well-being, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, 12 on responsible consumption and production, 13 on climate action, 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and 17 on partnerships in depth. The Forum will also consider the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In the 2021 HLPF, participants will be able to explore various aspects of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the various measures and types of international cooperation that can control the pandemic and its impacts and put the world back on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030, within the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.
Countries will also carry out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2021 HLPF. 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.
The programme of the HLPF 2021 will focus on the theme of the forum “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. It will include the thematic reviews of Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 17, and the voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to be conducted by Member States.
More information is coming.
UNDESA will organize substantive preparations for the thematic reviews of the HLPF 2021 notably through expert group meetings organized together with relevant UN system partners.
Regional Forums for Sustainable Development will be convened by the Regional Commissions. The regional forums will assess progress and exchange knowledge, good practices and policy solutions to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in line with regional priorities and specificities.
| Forum | Tentative dates, venue, format |
|---|---|
| Economic Commission for Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development |
1-4 March 2021, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (hybrid) |
| Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Forum on Sustainable Development |
15-18 March 2021,Costa Rica (virtual) |
| Economic Commission for Europe Regional Forum on Sustainable Development |
17-18 March, 2021, Geneva (hybrid) |
| Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Regional Forum on Sustainable Development |
23-26 March 2021, Bangkok (hybrid) |
| Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Regional Forum on Sustainable Development |
29-31 March 2021, Beirut (hybrid) |
Intergovernmental bodies of the UN system will provide contributions to the reviews of the HLPF.
More information is coming.
The HLPF 2021 under the auspices of ECOSOC shall result in a negotiated ministerial declaration for inclusion in the report of the Council to the General Assembly.
The President of ECOSOC will also prepare a summary to capture the key messages of the discussions. The summary will be issued after the meeting.
Information is coming.
The forum will also be informed by other related reports from other intergovernmental processes, including:
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 2021 HLPF.
Background notes for the thematic reviews of the HLPF 2021 on Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 17 will be prepared by the Secretariat in cooperation with relevant UN system partners.
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.
For more details, please click here.
A series of VNR Labs will be convened on the margins of the 2021 HLPF, to provide an informal platform for experience sharing and reflection on the Voluntary National Review process. As always, 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. More information will be posted in May 2021.
Side Events and Exhibitions are scheduled to be organized on the margins of the 2021 HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC and 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- provide great opportunities to discuss themes and SDGs under review at the HLPF, deepen the discussion on VNRs, identify new issues, listen to all voices, and help spread greater awareness of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in general at all levels.
Proposed side events should be closely related to the work of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and should have as a main focus the theme for the 2021 meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC "Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development" as well as SDGs that will be discussed: 1,2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 17.
In view of the large number of requests anticipated, and taking into consideration the very limited time allotted for the Side Events and Exhibitions, requests should be limited to ONE per entity and in line with the Guidelines (link below)
The HLPF Secretariat, being based in New York City, is fully aware of the continuing situation related to COVID-19. The pandemic has influenced the organization of the HLPF at UN Headquarters in July 2021.
We call on all interested organizers to be flexible as Side-events will be virtual again this year; and to the timing of their proposed side event so that events do not run parallel to the main meeting.
Interested parties can begin to submit their applications to organize a side event for the 2021 HLPF on Monday, 5 April 2021.
The application portal will close on Monday, 31 May 2021.
We will contact all organizers on the status of their side-event AFTER the close of the application process, by mid-June.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and its partner agencies and organisations will organize special virtual events on the margins of the HLPF.
More information is coming.
More information soon.
