The UN Secretariat has released the draft programme for the July session of the 2025 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The annual meeting is held under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). HLPF 2025 will convene under the theme, ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.’

It is scheduled to take place from 14-18 July and 21-24 July at UN Headquarters in New York, US, including the three-day ministerial segment from 21-23 July, held jointly with the ECOSOC high-level segment, which will conclude on 24 July.

The HLPF and the high-level segment of the Council will result in a negotiated ministerial declaration. Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic Jakub Kulhánek and Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Inga Rhonda King are facilitating informal consultations on the ministerial declaration. 

The provisional programme, dated 27 January, indicates that following an opening session, the first week of HLPF 2025 will be dedicated to in-depth review of: SDG 3 (good health and well-being); SDG 5 (gender equality); SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth); and SDG 14 (life below water), including building on the Third UN Ocean Conference to ensure successful follow-up to accelerate action towards implementation of SDG 14. The four review sessions will also explore how we can strengthen the means of implementation and partnerships (SDG 17) to achieve these Goals.

As part of SDG 17 in-depth review, a townhall meeting on ‘Unlocking Means of Implementation: Mobilizing Financing and STI for the SDGs’ will be held on Monday, 14 July. Convening less than two weeks after the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), this session will discuss the key developments from FfD4 and explore: how countries and stakeholders can advance a robust framework for financing the SDGs; how resources can be effectively mobilized and utilized to achieve the SDGs; and how cooperation on science, technology, and innovation (STI) can accelerate progress towards the SDGs. Good practices and innovative examples highlighted at the STI Forum in May will also be considered.

The first week will also include a series of thematic discussions that will address: achieving the SDGs in middle-income countries (MICs); strategies for SDG success in small island developing States (SIDS); and advancing the SDGs in African countries, least developed countries (LDCs), and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). Delegates will also discuss acting at local level to drive transformation from the ground up and hear insights from major groups and other stakeholders (MGoS) on how to catalyze accelerated transformative actions.

The presentation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs) will begin on Friday, 18 July, and continue through week two, concluding on Wednesday, 23 July. Thirty-nine countries will conduct VNRs. These are Angola, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, the Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nigeria, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, the ‘State of Palestine,’ the Sudan, Suriname, and Thailand.

Also during the second week, the three-day ministerial segment will convene jointly with the ECOSOC high-level segment, from 21-23 July. The general debate will address the theme, ‘Catalyzing Change and Implementing the Pact for the Future for SDG achievement.’ On Tuesday, 22 July, participants will hear regional perspectives on SDG implementation regarding strategies that can be used to mobilize regional action and leverage regional frameworks to support countries in ensuring effective follow-up to the Summit of the Future (SoF) for SDG achievement.

The morning and afternoon sessions of the ECOSOC high-level segment on 24 July will reflect on ‘Collaborative, Science-driven and Evidence-based Actions to Accelerate the SDGs Toward 2030 While Leaving No One Behind’ and on ‘Current Global Trends and Their Impacts: International Cooperation in a Fracturing World,’ respectively.

During the HLPF, VNR “labs,” special events, and side events will also take place. [HLPF 2025]