News: HLPF 2017

The Event:

The 2nd annual HLPF is set to take place at the UN Headquarters in NYC from July 10-19, 2017. Each year, the forum focuses on a specific theme to go along with the 17 UN goals for sustainable development (SDGs). This year’s theme is “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. In addition to the theme, there will be five specific goals that will be reviewed in depth throughout the forum: Goal 1, Goal 2, Goal 5, Goal 9, Goal 14, and Goal 17. The second week will include ministerial meetings and presentations of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRS) from 44 countries, reviewing mechanisms for the 2030 Agenda on global sustainable development.

The History:

At first glance, the four letters, HLPF might seem like just another acronym that exists in the complicated vocabulary of the United Nations. But what exactly is the HLPF, and why is it so important for us to know about it? HLPF stands for High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Since 2016, the HLPF has met every year under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, and every four years (since 2015) at the level of Heads of State and Government under the auspices of the General Assembly. Although it is still relatively new, the HLPF was established through a resolution in June 2013 by the UN General Assembly as a result of the Rio +20 Conference on sustainable development in 2012, replacing the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. At Rio, the participating member states also agreed to create a specific set of sustainable development goals (SDGs). According to the United Nations Development Programme, the SDGs which are also considered to be “Global Goals,” are “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” In its truest form, the HLPF is intended to provide political leadership and guidance in addressing current challenges regarding sustainable development,while taking into consideration the economic, social and environmental aspects of it.

The annual 10 day sessions includes a three-day ministerial meeting, the monitoring and reviewing of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while generating innovative ideas on how to respond to emerging trends. In order to review the progress on achieving the SDGs, the HLPF will look at reports from the UN Secretary General, the VNRs, reports from Major groups, report on the Ten-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on sustainable production and consumption, and results from this year’s Ocean Conference. Most importantly, the HLPF provides a platform where all State Members of the United Nations and state members of specialized agencies, are invited to fully and actively participate in the discussion. Although the HLPF does not contain any enforcing power, it adopts a Ministerial Declaration and a Chair’s Summary. UN Member States can then choose to adopt the declaration and its guidelines for sustainable development to create a better future.