Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGoS) have submitted position papers on the theme of the 2025 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.’ The executive summaries of the position papers are consolidated into a note by the UN Secretariat.

Paragraph 85 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for stakeholders to be engaged in thematic reviews of progress on the SDGs at the HLPF.

The note (E/HLPF/2025/2) titled, ‘Discussion papers on the theme of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, submitted by major groups and other stakeholders,’ was released on 5 May 2025. It includes summaries from 15 Major Groups: Women; Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs); Local Authorities; Workers and Trade Unions; Business and Industry; Volunteer Groups; Scientific and Technological Community; Ageing; Education and Academia; Asia-Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism; Africa Regional Mechanism for Major Groups and Other Stakeholders; Economic Commission for Europe Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism; Communities that Experience Discrimination Based on Work and Descent; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) People; and Civil Society Financing for Development (FfD) Mechanism.

Noting that SDG implementation requires shared responsibility and cooperation, the NGOs Major Group warns that “increasing nationalism, geopolitical tensions and weakened multilateralism have weakened the spirit of collaboration and international law, hindering efforts to address… poverty, inequality, conflict and the triple planetary crises.” In its messages to the Forum, the Group calls for “bold and inclusive action… now… to protect nature and ensure that no one is left behind, even with funding constrained.”

The Civil Society FfD Mechanism underscores that “investing more money in a system that is poorly designed and has been maintaining and deepening inequalities within and between countries will not be a sustainable solution.” It recommends expanding the fiscal and policy space of countries in the global South to enable their right to development through systemic reforms of the global financial architecture.

Many contributions, including from Women, NGOs, Workers and Trade Unions, Ageing, and Education and Academia, offer insights on the five Goals under review in 2025 – SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals). Several draw on the Pact for the Future and highlight the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and the Second World Summit for Social Development as opportunities to advance action.

The full position papers are posted on the HLPF website. [Publication: Discussion Papers on the Theme of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Submitted by Major Groups and Other Stakeholders]