3 July 2014: Drawing on the work of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP), which was conducted in 2010-2012, the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability (FOGGS) has provided advice to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), in order for the HLPF to establish its relevance to the world beyond UN negotiating bodies, and to avoid “becoming another Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).” The recommendations were issued during the second meeting of the HLPF.

FOGGS, which was founded in 2014 by Janos Pasztor and Georgios Kostakos, of the former GSP Secretariat, finds that the GSP’s recommendations apply to the HLPF. It recommends that the HLPF: promote better integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development and address emerging issues; attract the engagement of leaders at the highest level; review the state of global sustainable development through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Sustainable Development Reports (GSDR) and sustainability indicators; assess the performance of countries on sustainable development; and conduct peer reviews that encourage the explanation of policies, sharing of experiences and lessons learned.

It also advises that the HLPF: engage UN agencies, international financial institutions (IFIs), civil society, the private sector and the global scientific community; ensure an optimal science-policy interface; encourage innovative partnerships among stakeholders in priority areas and review their implementation; promote increased coherence among UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies, and the IFIs; and engage ministries with substantive expertise and line responsibility in the various aspects of sustainable development, such as finance, economy, environment, employment and agriculture.

FOGGS notes several former GSP members and sherpas who have endorsed the recommendations. [FOGGS Press Release]