3 March 2016: The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Mogens Lykketoft, has appointed the Permanent Representatives of Belize and Denmark to lead an “open, inclusive and transparent” process of informal consultations with UN Member States on “the most critical issues” addressed in the UN Secretary-General’s report on follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Lykketoft calls for consultationsto begin “at the earliest opportunity” and to reach agreement on a draft resolution for adoption by the UNGA ahead of the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF).

In a letter dated 3 March 2016, Lykketoft notes the appointment of Lois Young, Permanent Representative of Belize, and Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark, to lead the consultations. He suggests that the consultations could consider the multi-year programme of work for the HLPF and identify the appropriate forums and processes to address other elements of the UN Secretary-General’s report (A/70/684). He also encourages an outcome that allows flexibility for follow-up and review.

The announcement followed on a retreat, hosted by Germany and the Republic of Korea, along with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), in New York, US, on 23-24 February 2016. Approximately 80 participants representing UN Member States, the UN system and Major Groups and other stakeholders gathered to discuss preparations for the 2016 HLPF.

Wu Hongo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, highlighted the need for the HLPF 2016 to “prove its worth” as the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He called for an innovative, imaginative and effective HLPF programme, and for focused discussions at the Forum which should also be well-prepared, pragmatic, based on scientific evidence and on reliable data and information. He said “we cannot afford to fail,” and noted that for the first time HLPF 2016 will hear voluntary national reviews.

Participants discussed: thematic reviews, including how HLPF discussions can be informed by reviews 
conducted in other intergovernmental bodies, and what will make thematic reviews useful to countries; voluntary national reviews at the HLPF, including how countries can support each other in preparing reviews at the national level; and global reviews, including how the SDG Progress Report, mandated by the 2030 Agenda, and the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), mandated by the Rio+20 outcome document, can be most useful to the HLPF in conducting its global and thematic reviews.

Among the proposals made by participants, some suggested that DESA prepare a matrix showing how reports of different intergovernmental bodies could feed into the HLPF. Some outlined time constraints for reporting and preparing reviews for the HLPF 2016. Others said: the SDG Progress Report should address interlinkages among SDGs; reviews at the HLPF must break down silos; and the HLPF must not focus on what has been done in the past, but instead on what needs to be done.

A second retreat related to the HLPF 2016 has been scheduled for 26-27 April 2016. [UNGA President’s Letter] [Wu Remarks] [Major Groups and Other Stakeholders’ Report on HLPF Retreat] [IISD RS Sources] [IISD RS Story on UN Secretary-General Report on Follow-up and Review] [IISD RS Story on UNGA Discussion of Follow-up and Review] [IISD RS Story on 2016 Voluntary National Reviews]