The UN Secretariat released information on the 2020 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which will take place under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The information is consolidated on a website dedicated to the event.
Per the website, the Forum will take place from 7-16 July 2020. Governments have agreed to hold the session on the theme, ‘Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.’ It is expected that 50 countries will present their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of progress on the 2030 Agenda, including 27 first-time presenters and 23 second-time presenters. The VNR presentations are scheduled to begin on 13 July, and proceed for the three days of the ministerial segment of HLPF (14-16 July).
On HLPF preparations, the website notes that the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will organize expert group meetings (EGMs) and workshops in collaboration with relevant UN system entities and other partners to inform the HLPF’s deliberations.
The page also outlines preparatory meetings at the regional level, as follows:
- UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) meeting: 24-27 February 2020, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe;
- UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) meeting: 11-13 March 2020, in Beirut, Lebanon;
- UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) meeting: 19-20 March 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland;
- UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) meeting: 25-27 March 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand; and
- UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) meeting: at a date and location to be determined.
The website further notes that the following documents will be made available for the HLPF:
- the yearly report of the UN Secretary-General on progress towards the SDGs;
- a synthesis of voluntary submissions by ECOSOC functional commissions and other intergovernmental bodies and fora;
- the co-chairs’ summary of the 2020 Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum);
- reports from the UN regional commissions on each regional forum, and a note by the UN Secretariat on these reports;
- a compilation of the 2020 VNR countries’ “main messages”;
- discussion papers on the theme of the HLPF, submitted by the Major Groups and other Stakeholders; and
- other related reports, including a progress report on the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10-YFP), and summaries of the 2020 ECOSOC Youth Forum and Partnership Forum.
The website organizes the contributions from governments, ECOSOC functional commissions and other intergovernmental bodies and forums, Major Groups and other Stakeholders into a section on ‘Inputs,’ which also seeks to outline multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments.
The website is expected eventually to provide information on processes and documentation specific to the Major Groups and other Stakeholders. [HLPF 2020 Website]