By Elena Kosolapova and Lynn Wagner, SDG Knowledge Hub

The deadline for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is five years away. While it may seem early to think about what the global sustainable development agenda will look like post-2030, conversations are starting in various halls. Over the next two years, governments and stakeholders will be developing, sharing, and refining ideas in the lead up to the 2027 SDG Summit, which will kick off the official discussion. To help our readers track these developments, the SDG Knowledge Hub is bringing these discussions together on a ‘Beyond 2030’ webpage.

Negotiations towards the SDGs officially commenced in 2013, when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) set up a 30-member Open Working Group to develop a proposal on the Goals. Two years later, this process culminated in the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs. But the brainstorming and development of the idea to develop a global sustainable development goal set began two years before the 2012 decision at Rio+20 to launch the negotiations. We expect that many reports, workshops, and dialogues in the coming two years will influence the narrative and thinking about the level of aspiration and options for the agenda that will be adopted in September 2027.

The new ‘Beyond 2030’ tag will collate our stories about the 2027 review of the SDGs, the Pact for the Future, and the UN Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative, among other processes that will contribute to shaping the sustainable development agenda from 2031 onwards.

Pact for the Future

The Pact for the Future was adopted at the Summit of the Future (SoF) in September 2024. It invites the SDG Summit in September 2027 to consider “how we will advance sustainable development by 2030 and beyond, as a priority and at the centre of our work.” Deliberations at the Summit are expected to be informed by the quadrennial Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) – the last edition before the 2030 horizon.

The timeline outlined in the Pact will provide approximately two years for the official discussions to take place and build momentum for agreement on a new strategy that will commence on 1 January 2031.

SDG Summit 2027

Every four years, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) meets under the auspices of the UNGA at the level of Heads of State and Government. Known as the SDG Summit, the meeting provides high-level political guidance on the 2030 Agenda and its implementation, identifies progress and emerging challenges, and mobilizes further actions to accelerate implementation. The Pact for the Future mandated the SDG Summit in 2027 to kick off the official discussions on the post-2030 agenda. It will be the last SDG Summit before 2030.

UN80 Initiative

As the UN turns 80 in 2025, the Secretary-General launched the UN80 Initiative in March 2025. The initiative builds on the Pact for the Future and UN 2.0, among other efforts aiming to update the UN’s structures, priorities, and operations for the 21st century. It seeks to support a more aligned, efficient, and results-oriented UN system, conducting work under three workstreams: efficiencies and improvements; mandate implementation review; and structural changes and programmatic realignments. “All these,” according to Guterres, “will contribute [to] more effective implementation of the Pact for the Future.” The Secretary-General has provided regular updates on recent developments under the Initiative.

Looking Beyond 2030

At the SDG Knowledge Hub, we’ll continue tracking these processes and emerging initiatives dedicated to advancing beyond 2030 conversations to help support our readers’ thinking about the future of sustainable development. One such initiative is a mini-series we’re publishing in collaboration with the Beyond Lab at UN Geneva themed, ‘Unpacking the Beyonds: Key Shifts Shaping the Future of Sustainable Development.’ The series aims to shed light on key concepts, or shifts, towards building a more resilient and sustainable future for people and the planet.

We look forward to journeying on the path to Beyond 2030 together!