November 2013: In a paper for the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Steven Bernstein, University of Toronto, explores possible structures for the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The paper suggests how the HLPF can take an effective shape and function within the current architecture for sustainable development.

Bernstein draws on UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution A/RES/67/290 of July 2013, which establishes the format and organizational aspects of the HLPF, to explore ways the Forum can fulfill its mandate of providing leadership on and integration of sustainable development. He places the Forum within the context of ongoing processes to reform the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and to determine a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the HLPF is meant to replace the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), Bernstein also evaluates how the Forum can build on the strengths of the CSD while avoiding its weaknesses.

One possible role for the HLPF, the author finds, is to “orchestrate” the implementation of sustainable development across the UN, by taking on responsibility for reviewing progress on the future SDGs and outcomes of UN conferences. Calling the HLPF the “logical lead focal point for the promotion, review, and implementation of SDGs,” he proposes that the work of the Forum be guided by a new post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

Furthermore, the paper, titled ‘The Role and Place of the High-Level Political Forum in Strengthening the Global Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development,’ stresses that the HLPF should interact with stakeholders, governments, and the UN system to better integrate sustainable development efforts across the international community. He stresses that the Forum should maintain innovative new methods for participation, and ensure that its work is multi-stakeholder in nature.

Bernstein also proposes that the HLPF support the review and monitoring of third-party voluntary commitments and partnerships on sustainable development. [Publication: The Role and Place of the High-Level Political Forum in Strengthening the Global Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development] [HLPF Website]