Participants discussed ways to advance an ambitious, effective, inclusive and strengthened High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), at an event organized by the SD2015 multi-stakeholder programme, with the support of the European Commission and the Governments of Finland and Switzerland, on the sidelines of the third session of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
27 March 2015: Participants discussed ways to advance an ambitious, effective, inclusive and strengthened High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), at an event organized by the SD2015 multi-stakeholder programme, with the support of the Governments of Finland and Switzerland, on the sidelines of the third session of intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda.
The event was part of a consultation process on the HLPF running from March to June 2015, conducted by SD2015 in collaboration with the HLPF Working Group of Major Groups and Other Stakeholders. SD2015 is a stakeholder engagement effort by CIVICUS in collaboration with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
Moderating the side event on 27 March 2015, in New York, US, Jeffery Huffines, CIVICUS, remarked that the HLPF will be key to the success of the post-2015 development agenda, and to the implementation of its goals. He said the vision of the HLPF will be achieved if it inspires participation of stakeholders all over the world, and if ministers working on the three dimensions of sustainable development feel that they need to participate.
Michael Gerber, Special Envoy for Global Sustainable Development, Switzerland, underscored that inclusivity is a key principle of the post-2015 development agenda. He called for inclusive governance structures at national, regional and global levels, and for the HLPF and its monitoring and review functions to be inclusive and participatory.
Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, Permanent Mission of Brazil, recalled some elements of UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the HLPF. He said the HLPF could monitor and follow-up on issues related to: technology facilitation; South-South cooperation; and the outcome of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD 3) so as to unite the “agenda” and the “means.” He said eight days of HLPF meetings per year is not enough to make an impact, and suggested allowing the Forum to work all year long. He observed that stakeholders participation is critical, and called to replicate the positive experience of participation of the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Special Governance Advisor, characterized the HLPF as innovative, inclusive, transparent, flexible, dynamic, and with a focus on science. He said Resolution 67/290 was “historic” as it will help to coordinate the post-2015 development agenda, and allows civil society participation. He identified questions that should be clarified, including: the HLPF mandate; what “hybrid” means; what “under the auspices of” means; and what “access” means. Strandenaes invited participants to complete an online survey on the HLPF and the post-2015 sustainable development governance, available on the SD2015 website, as part of the consultation on the HLPF.
Nikhil Chandavarkar, DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), said the review process will be critical to implementing the post-2015 development agenda at local, national, regional and global levels. He noted the large number of existing partnerships in sustainable development, and stressed their important role for implementation.
Naiara Costa, Beyond 2015, remarked that the HLPF is “not very well known outside New York.” She said openness, transparency, inclusiveness and clear accountability mechanisms are key, and outlined the importance of paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of Resolution 67/290 related to the inclusiveness of the Forum. She mentioned some challenges of the HLPF, including engaging the most marginalized, and facilitating the engagement of those involved so far, and the need to make information available and to receive inputs in various languages.
In the discussion segment participants called for sufficient resources, capacity building for statistical reporting, and better clarity on terms used in Resolution 67/290 such as “intervening” and “agenda setting.”
Closing the session, Riitta Resch, Ambassador of Finland, highlighted the importance of implementation, saying “the real thing will start after negotiating the post-2015 development agenda”.[Event Webpage] [Consultation and Online Survey] [UNGA Resolution 67/290] [IISD RS Story on Launch of SD2015] [IISD RS Sources]