An annual webinar provided an overview of procedural developments and substantive priorities ahead of the 2026 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The event offered a forward-looking perspective on how the HLPF continues to evolve as a platform for review, accountability, and multilateral dialogue and positioned the 2026 Forum within the broader trajectory toward the next SDG Summit.
The webinar took place on 2 July 2026. It was hosted by Cepei and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
Philipp Schönrock, Cepei Executive Director moderated the panel. He invited perspectives on the expectations for HLPF 2026 with respect to: the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) reviews of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the HLPF; the dynamics of voluntary national reviews (VNRs); and HLPF 2026’s strategic relevance in the context of the broader SDG Summit cycle.
On the ECOSOC/HLPF reviews, François Jackman, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN and co-facilitator of the intergovernmental process on the ECOSOC/HLPF reviews, said the goal of the 2026 review – the first one since 2021 – was to take stock of the changes that had been made and make improvements, where possible. He announced that on 1 July, the draft resolutions on ECOSOC and on the HLPF were placed under the silence procedure until noon of 2 July and expressed optimism for the possibility of consensus.
Among the improvements introduced in the resolutions, Jackman highlighted, inter alia:
- A sharpened mandate and functions for the ECOSOC Coordination Segment;
- Codification of emerging practices for the Operational Activities for Development Segment, including by better connecting ECOSOC’s work to the UN Resident Coordinators’ global retreat;
- Codification and clarification of ECOSOC’s focus on countries in special situations;
- Institutionalization of meetings of the Peacebuilding Commission; and
- Consolidation into one of the reports on the HLPF’s annual theme and on long-term trends.
Among factors that provided the context for the ECOSOC/HLPF reviews, he mentioned Member States’ desire to strengthen the relationship between ECOSOC and international financial institutions (IFIs), the parallel UN80 reform initiative, and the “pre-post-2030 discussions” currently underway.
Jackman highlighted involved discussions on the SDGs to be reviewed in 2028 and 2029, noted convergence on the need for better data to further improve VNRs, and acknowledged the direction the ECOSOC resolution provides for the 2027 review of the ECOSOC subsidiary bodies.
Lotta Tähtinen, Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), outlined the challenging context for the negotiations on the ECOSOC/HLPF reviews, amid challenges to multilateralism and UN80 reform. Noting that the discussions on ECOSOC were more complex, given its overall organization, she said the HLPF discussions focused on:
- How to make the Forum better equipped to support the achievement of the SDGs in the years remaining until 2030;
- Reinforcing thematic reviews of the SDGs by focusing more on the interlinkages and the evidence base;
- Strengthening the connections between thematic SDG reviews and VNRs; and
- Better recognizing the contributions of the Regional Forums on Sustainable Development (RFSDs) and local dimensions of SDG implementation as reflected in voluntary local reviews (VLRs).
Tähtinen emphasized that per the resolutions, the HLPF’s strong stakeholder engagement modalities remain intact.
On the main developments in the 2026 VNR cycle, Tähtinen clarified that VNRs represent a year-long journey, culminating in presentations in New York. She highlighted the role of global VNR workshops in bringing together national focal points and statistical focal points to discuss the importance and challenges associated with data and statistical measurement.
Having presented VNRs at least once before, Tähtinen said none of the 36 presenting countries were “newcomers,” which makes them better positioned to have a deeper understanding of national challenges, growing trends, and what is needed to advance SDG implementation. She noted that the vast majority of the 2026 presenters are developing countries, with 19 from Africa, seven from Asia-Pacific, three from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG), and three from Eastern Europe. She also noted that seven of the presenters are small island developing States (SIDS) – countries facing unique structural challenges.
Overall, panelists agreed that VNRs represent a “positive story” and “good practice.” Jackman described VNRs as both products and causes of enhanced SDG implementation at the national and regional levels.
Reflecting on the linkages between HLPF 2026, the 2027 SDG Summit, and the future of sustainable development beyond 2030, Tähtinen highlighted a dedicated session on the way forward to 2030 during the ECOSOC High-level Segment on 16 July. She noted ongoing preparatory analytical work to support Member States’ negotiations of the SDG Summit’s political declaration, including the development of the 2027 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) and DESA’s statistical progress report. Tähtinen emphasized that ECOSOC’s forums and segments, as well as HLPF 2027, will provide crucial opportunities to help shape the SDG Summit.
The Q&A session focused on the need for national and regional “appropriation” in dealing with questions of data and frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).
In conclusion, Jackman called for: making the SDG framework work in the time remaining until 2030; better mobilizing human, financial, and other resources; and thinking seriously about the post-2030 sustainable development architecture and how it will incorporate new things.
HLPF 2026 convenes from 7-15 July under the auspices of ECOSOC.
Follow Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) coverage here. [What to Expect from HLPF 2026] [SDG Knowledge Hub Curtain Raiser on HLPF 2026] [SDG Knowledge Hub Sources]