High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the main United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The HLPF provides political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development. It reviews progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the aim to integrate the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
The HLPF meets every year under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and every four years under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, when Heads of State and/or Government attend the Forum.
In 2020, the HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC will be held on 7–16 July under the theme “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. The HLPF will adopt a Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of its session.
Virtual consultations
As a contribution to the HLPF, UN Women is a co-convener with UN-DESA, ILO, UNRISD, and the World Bank in a virtual consultation on “Sharing economic benefits”. The consultation corresponds to and will prepare for the thematic session during the HLPF on “Responding to the economic shock, relaunching growth and sharing economic benefits and addressing developing countries’ financing challenges” (most closely related SDGs: SDG 5, SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 17), which will take place on Wednesday, 8 July 2020.
UN Women is also participating in the other virtual consultations in preparation for the HLPF thematic sessions on “Bolstering local action to control the pandemic and accelerate implementation” and “Protecting the planet and building resilience”.
Selected reference documents
- Women and the SDGs
- SDG key messages
- Policy briefs on macroeconomic policy and economic empowerment
- Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2019
- Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Gender equality: Women’s rights in review 25 years after Beijing
- Spotlight on gender, COVID-19 and the SDGs: Will the pandemic derail hard-won progress on gender equality?
- UN Secretary-General’s policy brief: The impact of COVID-19 on women
- Family-friendly policies and other good workplace practices in the context of COVID-19: Key steps employers can take
- World survey on the role of women in development 2019: Why addressing women’s income and time poverty matters for sustainable development
- Progress of the world’s women 2019–2020: Families in a changing world
- Progress of the world’s women 2015–2016: Transforming economies, realizing rights
- Fiscal space for social protection: A handbook for assessing financing options
2019
In 2019, the HLPF under the auspices of ECOSOC was held on 9–18 July under the theme “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. The following SDGs were discussed in-depth:
- Goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
- Goal 8 – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
- Goal 10 – Reduce inequality within and among countries
- Goal 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Goal 16 – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Goal 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
UN Women drafted a set of two-pagers for the goals under review, which include facts and key messages for each of the goals.
For the first time since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015, the HLPF also met under the auspices of the General Assembly (SDG Summit) on 24 and 25 September 2019 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Heads of State and Government gathered to follow up and comprehensively review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Expert Group Meeting
As a contribution to the HLPF, UN Women, UNODC and the UNFCCC Secretariat, in collaboration with UNIDO, organized an expert group meeting on “Tackling global challenges to equality and inclusion through the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Spotlight on SDGs 10, 13 and 16”, on 27-28 February 2019 in Vienna.
Selected reference documents
- Women and the SDGs
- SDG key messages
- Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Gender equality as an accelerator for achieving the SDGs
- Report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Special Edition)
- Report of the Secretary-General on Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality
- Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2019
- Women’s Major Group Position Paper to the 2019 HLPF
2018
In 2018, the HLPF was held 9–18 July under the theme of “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”. The following SDGs were discussed in-depth:
- SDG 6 – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- SDG 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- SDG 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- SDG 12 – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- SDG 15 – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- SDG 17 – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Expert Group Meeting
As a contribution to the HLPF, UN Women, UN Environment, and UN Habitat organized an expert group meeting on “Building sustainable and resilient societies through the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, on 5–6 June 2018 in Nairobi.
Selected reference documents
- Women and the SDGs
- Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Towards a gender-responsive implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
- CSW 60 agreed conclusions on women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development
- Strategies to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls through the Gender-responsive Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Readying institutions and policies for integrated approaches to implementation of the 2030 Agenda
- Report of the Secretary-General on Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
- Report of the Secretary-General. From global to local: supporting sustainable and resilient societies in urban and rural communities
- Input from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to the 2018 HLPF
- Input from the Commission on the Status of Women to the 2018 HLPF
- Input from the Women’s Major Group to the 2018 HLPF
2017
In 2017, the HLPF will be held from 10 to 19 July under the theme of “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”. The following set of SDGs will be discussed in-depth:
- SDG 1 – end poverty in all its forms everywhere
- SDG 2 – end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
- SDG 3 – ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
- SDG 5 – achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
- SDG 9 – build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- SDG 14 – conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
- SDG 17 – strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
As a contribution to the HLPF’s in-depth review of SDG 5, UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) held an expert group meeting on “Strategies to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls through the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” on 30–31 May 2017 at UN headquarters in New York. See “Making the SDGs work for women: Experts meet at the UN ahead of High-Level Political Forum” for webcast videos, background documents and outcomes of the meeting.
