26 June 2015: The third meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) opened with a focus on “Strengthening integration, implementation and review – the HLPF after 2015.” This year’s Forum is convened under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

HLPF 2015 opened on 26 June 2015, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, and will continue until 8 July. The last three days will take place at the ministerial level.

Opening the Forum, Martin Sajdik, ECOSOC President, said 2015 is the year not only for people and leaders to share a dream, but also to mobilize and attain it, and noted its importance for sustainable development. Sajdik also highlighted the role of the HLPF in assisting with implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, so “we hit the ground running.”

An opening plenary adopted the agenda of the HLPF, followed by two moderated dialogues on “Shaping the world for 2030: from vision to transformative action” and “The role of business in implementation.”

Rudolf Hundstorfer, Austria’s Federal Minister for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, said the HLPF should play a key oversight role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring the importance of adequate social policies for implementation. Thomas Gass, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, speaking on behalf of Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, drew attention to the architecture of the post-2015 development agenda, calling to ensure the SDGs are transformed into tangible action. He also underscored the importance of stakeholder involvement.

Kadir Topbaş, Mayor of Istanbul, Turkey, highlighted the commitment of local governments and sub-national authorities for implementation of the post-2015 development agenda and its follow-up and review starting in 2016. He outlined the importance of multi-level cooperation and coordination for the success of the implementation of the agenda and the inclusion of vulnerable groups. Frances Zainoeddin, Grey Panthers New York, representing aging stakeholders, emphasized the need to account for people of all ages in the HLPF agenda through strong stakeholder consultation, stressing “all people count and should be counted.” To form inclusive policies and programmes for all social groups, she called for data to be disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity and geographical location, inter alia.

To ensure a sustainable future for all generations, Hirotaka Koike, Japan Youth Platform for Post-2015, for Children and Youth, conveyed the importance of taking ecological footprints and planetary boundaries into account in implementing and monitoring the post-2015 development agenda. He called for committee-based assessment with comprehensive reporting and stakeholder inclusion to ensure that sustainable outcomes are actually achieved. [Meeting Summary] [Programme] [HLPF 2015 Website] [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [UN Press Release]