Major Groups and other stakeholders have submitted position papers on the theme of the July 2023 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), ‘Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels.’ The executive summaries of the position papers are consolidated into a note by the UN Secretariat, which is available in an advance, unedited version.

Paragraph 85 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for stakeholders to be engaged in thematic reviews of progress on the SDGs at the HLPF.

The note titled, ‘Discussion papers on the theme of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, submitted by major groups and other stakeholders,’ was released on 19 April 2023. It includes summaries from 15 Major Groups: Women; Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs); Local Authorities; Workers and Trade Unions; Education and Academia; Business and Industry; Persons with Disabilities; Volunteers; Ageing; Asia-Pacific Regional Civil Society Organization (CSO) Engagement; Communities Discriminated by Work and Descent; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Persons; Financing for Development (FfD); Scientific and Technological Community; and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

“Now is the time to focus on immediate action for the full implementation of the SDGs, before rushing to create new frameworks that override our existing agreements,” emphasizes the Women’s Major Group in its messages to the Forum. The Group underscores the importance of policy coherence and cross-cutting approaches to centering gender equality in the implementation of all the SDGs.

Highlighting the “mutually reinforcing crises [that are] pushing the SDGs out of reach,” the NGO Major Group offers recommendations to accelerate action on the five SDGs under HLPF review this year – 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). Looking towards the SDG Summit in September, the Group calls for, inter alia: a six-year SDG implementation roadmap; an action plan to move beyond gross domestic product (GDP); and leadership and commitment to “a post-2030 Agenda based on a culturally-sensitive, inclusive and fair negotiation process.”

Many contributions, including from Local Authorities and Business and Industry, emphasize the role of multi-stakeholder, high-impact partnerships in achieving the 2030 Agenda. Several inputs call for addressing growing inequalities, including between countries and social, economic, and political inequalities.

The full position papers will be posted on the HLPF website. [Publication: Advance Unedited Version: Discussion Papers on the Theme of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Submitted by Major Groups and Other Stakeholders]