16 October 2016: In advance of the 2017 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), 24 Member States have announced their interest in presenting voluntary national reviews (VNRs) regarding implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The countries who have volunteered to date are: from the African Group: Ethiopia, Jordan, and Kenya; from the Asia-Pacific Group: Cyprus, Iran, Japan, Malaysia and Maldives; from the Latin American and Caribbean Group, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, Uruguay; from Eastern Europe, Czech Republic and Slovenia; and from the Western European and Others Group, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, and Sweden.

The HLPF will convene under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from 10-19 July 2017, in New York, US, on the theme of ‘Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world,’ as agreed in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on follow-up and review to the 2030 Agenda, adopted in July 2016. It will include a three-day ministerial meeting, on 17-19 July.

By that resolution, the Assembly also agreed that the 2017 session of the HLPF will include an in-depth review of several specific SDGs each year. In 2017, those Goals will be: 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); and SDG 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development), which will be reviewed each year.

The ECOSOC President set a deadline of 16 October 2016 for states to indicate their interest. [HLPF Website] [IISD Sources]