28 February 2013: To facilitate Major Groups’ participation in the establishment of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UN Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), has launched online workspaces on each process.

The workspaces, located on the UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, are an “open and inclusive space for registered Major Groups to develop common positions.” Major Groups are invited to submit documents, position papers and articles to serve as inputs on each process.

The HLPF Worskspace contains: the Major Groups HLPF Position Paper (Draft Working Paper) outlining a collective vision on the HLPF; and information on the informal meeting between Major Groups representatives and the HLPF co-facilitators held on 22 February 2013. The SDGs Workspace includes recommendations on multi-stakeholder participation in the SDGs Open Working Group (OWG), as outlined in the paper titled “Setting our Common Goals.”

Interested civil society organizations and Major Groups are invited to register to use the workspace, to take part in the discussions related to the SDGs and the HLPF, and to share this information with interested groups and constituencies. [HLPF Major Group Workspace] [SDGs Major Group Workspace] [UN Non-Governmental Liaison (NGLS) Press Release]