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HLPF: “Lessons learned from the first cycle of HLPF and Messages for 2019 HLPF Summit: What should Heads of State and Government know and how can we improve the HLPF?”

Since 2015, the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) has established its central role in the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. In 2019, the High-level Political Forum will convene twice for the first time: under the auspices of ECOSOC in July and at the level of Heads of State and Government in September (SDG summit). The conclusion of the first cycle of the HLPF constitutes a critical opportunity to take stock of how the HLPF has delivered on its functions to promote and support implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to reflect on how the Forum could be strengthened in going forward.

The session will be organized as a townhall meeting with two parts: In the first part, a variety of actors and participants will share and discuss their assessment of how the HLPF has worked since 2016, what we learned from the HLPF on implementing the SDGs and how it can be further improved. This will provide an opportunity to take stock of the challenges and opportunities for the Forum to deliver on its functions. In the second part, two Rapporteurs will present the main messages from the eight days of the July HLPF to the SDG Summit in September 2019, building on the discussions at the HLPF.

The session will start with an intergenerational dialogue on reaching the SDGs and the role of the UN in transforming the world

Background note is available here

Proposed guiding questions:

  • Has the HLPF delivered effectively on its role to follow-up and review the 2030 Agenda?

  • What are the challenges and opportunities for the HLPF to deliver on its functions?

  • Which aspects of the Forum could be strengthened to ensure effective and inclusive follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and how can this be done?

Chair:

  • H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King, President of Economic and Social Council

Moderator:

  • Ms. Helen Mountford, Vice President of World Resource Institute for Climate and Economics

Intergenerational dialogue:

  • Mr. David Donoghue, Distinguished Fellow of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), former Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN and co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiations on the 2030 Agenda

  • Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s envoy on Youth

Part 1: Lessons learned from the first cycle of HLPF

Presentation (on lessons from four years of the HLPF, including the results of the HLPF survey):

  • Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations

Respondents:

  • H.E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Minister of Planning, Bangladesh

  • Mr. Jan Vapaavuori, Mayor of Helsinki, Finland

  • Mr. Oumar Bassirou Diop, Coordinator of the Unit of Coordination and Follow up of Economic Policies, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Senegal

  • Ms. Marianne Beisheim, Senior Associate on Global Issues, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, SWP Berlin, and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Development and Peace Foundation, Germany

  • Ms. Saumya Aggarwal, Co-founder of the Youth for Peace International (MGoS)

Part 2: Messages to Summit

Rapporteurs:

  • H.E. Ms. Gloria Amparo Alonso Másmela, Minister of National Planning, Director of the National Planning Department and Chair of the SDG Commission, Colombia

  • H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the UN

Biographies
H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser
Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the UN
H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser

Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the UN

Ambassador Wenaweser has served in his current position since 2002. From 2009 to 2011, he served as President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). From 2004 to 2009, he was Chairman of the Special Working Group on the Crime of Aggression. Other previously held functions include: Vice-President of the 61st session of the UN General Assembly (2006-2007), Vice-Chair of the Open-Ended Working Group on Security Council Reform (2004-2005), Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee on the Scope of Legal Protection under the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel (2003-2005), and Chairman of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee (2002). Previously, Ambassador Wenaweser worked as Counselor and Deputy Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the UN. Ambassador Wenaweser studied literature, languages, history and philosophy at Zurich University and diplomacy at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales in Geneva.

H.E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan
Minister of Planning, Bangladesh
H.E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan

Minister of Planning, Bangladesh

Muhammad Abdul Mannan was born in Bangladesh in 1946. He graduated from Dhaka University and obtained Post Graduate Diploma in Economics from University of Manchester. He joined Bangladesh Civil Service and retired in 2003. Mr. Mannan was elected a Member of Parliament in 2008 and 2014. He became State Minister of Finance and Planning in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2014.

Mr. Mannan is married; his wife Zolekha is a College Teacher. He has two children, daughter Sarah and son Sadat. Mr. Mannan is interested in rural development and devotes his time pursuing his favourite evocation.

H.E. Ms. Gloria Amparo Alonso Másmela
Director of the National Planning Department and Chair of the SDG Commission, Colombia
H.E. Ms. Gloria Amparo Alonso Másmela

Director of the National Planning Department and Chair of the SDG Commission, Colombia

Born in Bogotá, Gloria Amparo Alonso is an Economist from the Universidad de los Andes, with a masters in economics from the Universidad Nacional and a masters in Public Policy from Columbia University in the United States.

Her technical vocation, management capacity and passion for public service have led her to hold prominent leadership roles, both in the private and public sectors.

She worked for 20 years at Banco de la República (Central Bank of Colombia), where she served as head of the external, financial and macroeconomic programming sectors. Also serving as director of the Communication and Economic and Financial Education Department, Office of the Governor.

Between 2009 and 2012 she worked in the Ministry of Finance as the director of macroeconomic policy during the administrations of both Óscar Iván Zuluaga and Juan Carlos Echeverry. In September 2015, Edgardo Maya Villazón, the Comptroller General of the Republic, appointed Gloria Amparo Alonso to the position of Vice Comptroller General, the second-in-command in this control entity. Here she led the project of institutional strengthening and modernizations of the Contraloría (Office of the Comptroller), which adjusted the entity´s auditing practices to international standards.

In August 2018, President Iván Duque named her director of the Departamento Nacional de Planeación (National Planning Department), DNP, where she will participate in the major discussions on economic and development issues taking place in the country. In its 60 years of history, Gloria Amparo Alonso is the fifth woman to head the DNP.

H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King
Seventy-Fourth President of the Economic and Social Council
H.E. Ms. Inga Rhonda King

Seventy-Fourth President of the Economic and Social Council

Her Excellency Inga Rhonda King, who comes to diplomacy from the private sector, has lived and worked in several Caribbean countries, the United States of America, and China. She is a small business owner, business strategist, the author of three books, and a management accountant with more than two decades of professional experience. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and chemistry, is the immediate past chair of the Investment Promotions Agency of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Invest SVG), and a former Honorary Consul for Portugal to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Since becoming Permanent Representative in September 2013, Ambassador King has held several leadership roles which include:

  • Chair/Spokesperson of L69 (2016 - present), the largest reform group for the Security Council Reform of the United Nations.
  • Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council for the period 2017-2018.
  • Chair of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly of the 71st Session (2016 - 2017). At the time of her chairmanship, she was only the second woman to chair this committee in the history of the United Nations.
  • Immediate-past chair of the Island Women Open Network (IWON) (2014 - July 2018). The IWON is tasked with ensuring gender-mainstreaming in the renewable energy sector of Small Island Developing States by building capacity at the grassroots and community level. The IWON is a part of the SIDS DOCK Secretariat platform. SIDS Dock is a UN registered SIDS International Organization.

Mr. David Donoghue
Distinguished Fellow of ODI, former PR of Ireland to the UN in New York, co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiations on the 2030 Agenda
Mr. David Donoghue

Distinguished Fellow of ODI, former PR of Ireland to the UN in New York, co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiations on the 2030 Agenda

Born in Dublin in 1952, Ambassador David Donoghue had a long and varied career in Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs.

He was involved for many years in the Northern Ireland peace process. He was one of the Irish Government’s negotiators for the ground-breaking Good Friday Agreement (1998), which has provided a political framework for lasting peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

Ambassador Donoghue served at different times as the Irish Ambassador to Russia, Austria and Germany. From 2001-4 he was the Director General of Ireland’s development co-operation programme, today known as Irish Aid, and oversaw in this capacity a programme growing significantly in budget allocation and thematic and geographic range. He also served as Political Director from 2009-13, a post which gave him responsibility for Ireland’s overall foreign policy.

From 2013-17 Ambassador Donoghue was the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. At the request of the President of the General Assembly, he served as co-facilitator (with Kenya) for the UN negotiations which led to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. He also served as co-facilitator (with Jordan) for the negotiations which produced the New York Declaration on large movements of refugees and migrants, adopted at a special summit in September 2016.

Ambassador Donoghue retired from the Irish foreign service in September 2017. Since then he has been actively involved with issues relating to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and to follow-up to the New York Declaration and the related Global Compacts on Migrants and Refugees. He is contributing to the work of a number of think-tanks and academic institutions on these issues and also on issues around conflict prevention and resolution. He is, inter alia, a Distinguished Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and the Chairman of the Board of Conciliation Resources.

Mr. Jan Vapaavuori
Mayor of Helsinki, Finland
Mr. Jan Vapaavuori

Mayor of Helsinki, Finland

Jan Vapaavuori is the first politically elected Mayor of Helsinki. He has previously served as the Finnish Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, as the Minister of Economic Affairs and as Vice-President of the European Investment Bank in Luxemburg.

Mr. Vapaavuori has a keen interest in global urban affairs, and he participates actively in numerous international platforms. He serves currently at the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council and Stewardship Board of Platform for Shaping the Future of Cities, Infrastructure & Urban Services, at the Bloomberg New Economy Cities Council, and as the co-chair for the Urban Economy Forum.
Additionally, Mr. Vapaavuori serves as the President of the Finnish Olympic Committee, as the Vice-chair of the Finnish National Opera’s Board of Governors and chairs his family foundation that supports contemporary dance and visual arts. He graduated as Master of Laws from the University of Helsinki and holds an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Hanken School of Economics.

Mr. Liu Zhenmin
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Mr. Liu Zhenmin

UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mr. Liu Zhenmin of China as the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs effective 26 July 2017. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Liu was Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of China since 2013. Among his various diplomatic assignments, he served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland (2011-2013).

Mr. Liu brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in the diplomatic service, with a strong focus on the promotion of bilateral, regional and global issues. He was deeply involved for 10 years in climate change negotiations including the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. He also widely participated in the international activities on the protection of our planet including Antarctica and the oceans. Over the last several years, in various capacities, he has been consistently highlighting and advocating for sustainable development issues.

Mr. Liu started his career at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1982. Since then, he has served the Ministry in various capacities, including as Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs (2009-2011); Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations (2006-2009); Director-General, Department of Treaty and Law (2003-2006); and Deputy Director-General, Department of Treaty and Law (1998-2003). He also served in the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland (1992-1995) and in the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations (1984-1988).

As Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Liu guides UN Secretariat support for the follow-up processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. He also oversees the substantive services to many intergovernmental processes, including the annual meetings of the Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly, the meetings of the Economic and Social Council, including its Development Cooperation Forum, and the work of the subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC.

In addition to intergovernmental processes, Mr. Liu oversees DESA’s policy analysis and capacity development work. He also serves as the Convenor of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, and advises the United Nations Secretary-General on all development-related issues, including climate change, internet governance, and financing for development.

Mr. Liu holds a Master of Laws from the Law School of Peking University. He was born in August 1955 in Shanxi Province, China. Mr. Liu is married.

Mr. Oumar Bassirou Diop
Coordinator of the Unit of Coordination and Follow up of Economic Policies, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Senegal
Mr. Oumar Bassirou Diop

Coordinator of the Unit of Coordination and Follow up of Economic Policies, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Senegal

Mr. Oumar Bassirou Diop, Economist, is Coordinator in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation in charge of the coordination, development of development policies and strategies, monitoring and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Senegal.

Ms. Helen Mountford
Vice President of World Resource Institute for Climate and Economics
Ms. Helen Mountford

Vice President of World Resource Institute for Climate and Economics

Helen Mountford is the Vice President for Climate and Economics at WRI. The Climate team helps policymakers, businesses and civil society in countries around the world and through international collaboration to identify and advance the deep structural shifts needed to successfully address climate change. The Economics team supports work across WRI by integrating an economics approach as appropriate to strengthen the underlying analysis and impact of our work. Helen is also Program Director for the New Climate Economy (NCE) project, the flagship initiative of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate that provides independent and authoritative evidence on actions which can both strengthen economic performance and reduce the risk of dangerous climate change.

Helen previously worked as Deputy Director of Environment for the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). She worked at OECD for over 16 years advising governments on policy reforms, and overseeing work on green fiscal reform, climate change finance and economics, fossil fuel subsidy reforms, green growth, water pricing, biodiversity incentive measures, and economy-environment outlooks and modelling. Prior to joining the OECD, Helen managed recycling schemes in England and worked for an NGO in Australia.

Helen holds Masters degrees in Environmental Economics from University College London and in Environmental Management from University of Melbourne. She has a BA in Philosophy and History.

Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake
Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake

Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake was appointed as the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth in June 2017 at the age of 26. She is the youngest senior official in the UN and the first woman to hold this position. In this role, Jayathma works to expand the UN’s youth engagement and advocacy efforts across all four pillars of work – sustainable development, human rights, peace and security and humanitarian action – and serves as a representative of and advisor to the Secretary-General.

In November 2019 Jayathma was recognized by Time Magazine in the list of “Time 100 Next: Rising stars shaping the future”

Originally from Sri Lanka, Ms. Wickramanayake has worked extensively on youth development and participation, and has played a key role in transforming the youth development sector in her home country.

Prior to taking up her post, Ms. Wickramanayake was instrumental in creating the movement for civic and political engagement of young people, especially young women in Sri Lanka named “Hashtag Generation”. Previously, she advocated for global youth development on an international level including as the first ever Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the United Nations and as the youth lead negotiator and member of the International Youth Task Force of the World Conference on Youth 2014 where she played a critical role in mainstreaming youth in the Post-2015 Process and in the establishment of World Youth Skills Day.

Ms. Marianne Beisheim
Senior Researcher, Global Issues Division at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Germany
Ms. Marianne Beisheim

Senior Researcher, Global Issues Division at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Germany

Dr. Marianne Beisheim is senior researcher at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) – the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Her research focuses on sustainable development governance. She is an expert on the follow-up and review processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Marianne Beisheim is a member of the UN-Political Advisory Board of the German Federal Foreign Office. She is also a member of the Steering Committee of the German Science Platform Sustainability 2030. Ms Beisheim is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Development and Peace Foundation (sef:) and a member of the Research Council of the United Nations Association Germany.

From 2003 till 2010, Dr. Beisheim was Assistant Professor for International Relations at Freie Universität Berlin. From 2006 to 2017, she directed a DFG-funded research project on multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development. Her recent publications include: Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned and Actors' Views on the UN’s Meta-Governance (with Nils Simon, in: Global Governance, 2018, 24: 4), UN Reforms for the 2030 Agenda. Are the HLPF’s Working Methods and Practices “Fit for Purpose”? (SWP Research Paper 2018/RP 09).

Ms. Saumya Aggarwal
Co-founder of the Youth for Peace International (MGoS)
Ms. Saumya Aggarwal

Co-founder of the Youth for Peace International (MGoS)

Ms. Saumya Aggarwal is a Social Entrepreneur, Peacebuilder and an International trainer working towards building a peaceful world by empowering young individuals and creating a more sustainable society. With a vision to build capacities in youth and introduce them to community development, she co-founded Youth for Peace International (YfPI) to advocate her interest. She has worked with United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) as a trainer to implement an online training at Asia-Pacific Level. Both YfPI and UNOY are the Global Focal Points for SDG16 within the UN Major Group for Children and Youth, the formal General-Assembly mandate spaces for young people to engagement meaningfully in the UN. She is a Generation Change Fellow at United States Institute of Peace. She has been facilitating trainings at the global and local levels, especially in volatile zones like Jammu and Kashmir and North Eastern India. She has also worked on the Gujarat youth policy to include peace components to it. Art has kept her inspired for many years, and stimulated her instinct to rely on art therapies address issues like rehabilitation of refugees and violence against women.

Statements
Statements
Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Minister of Planning, Bangladesh
Messages for the SDG Summit
Ms. Marianne Beisheim, Senior Associate on Global Issues, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, SWP Berlin, and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Development and Peace Foundation, Germany
Presentations
Presentation on the results of the DESA survey on the HLPF
United Nations