President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal) has invited Member States wishing to present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2026 to send an official expression of interest to the HLPF secretariat in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The deadline is 30 September 2025.

In a letter dated 31 July 2025, the ECOSOC President outlines existing practice, according to which “the number of presentations at the 2026 HLPF will have to be limited, considering also the fixed time available for such presentations.” In finalizing the list, Thapa will give priority to “countries presenting their first or second review, as well as to those who have not yet presented a VNR during the on-going four-year cycle of the HLPF (2024-2027).”

The letter notes that a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Comoros, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Napal, Romania, and Thailand, have already indicated their interest in presenting a VNR in 2026.

To date, 402 VNRs have been presented at the annual sessions of the HLPF in July. In 2025, 35 countries presented VNRs.

HLPF 2026 will convene from 6-16 July on the theme, ‘Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all.’ It will conduct in-depth review of SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals).

The HLPF is the main UN platform on sustainable development. It plays a central role in the follow-up and review of implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs. All UN Member States as well as representatives from civil society organizations (CSOs) participate in the HLPF, which meets under the auspices of ECOSOC. [HLPF 2026]