The UN Secretariat has issued a note (E/HLPF/2025/5) compiling the main messages for 36 of the 37 voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to be presented at the 2025 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July. South Africa’s main messages can be found here.

There are no first-time VNR presenters this year.

Eleven countries – Angola, Bulgaria, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Papua New Guinea (PNG), Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, and Suriname – will carry out their VNRs for the second time.

Twenty-two – The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Finland, the Gambia, Germany, Ghana, India, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Sudan, and Thailand – are third-time presenters.

Guatemala, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Qatar will present their fourth VNRs.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development invites countries to prepare VNRs to facilitate the sharing of national experiences, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating implementation of the SDGs. The “main messages,” dated 5 May 2025, provide a brief overview of more comprehensive review documents that are developed by countries to report on SDG implementation efforts during the HLPF.

Angola reports that it “has undertaken profound structural reforms aimed at consolidating the democratic rule of law and paving the path for inclusive and sustainable development.” It has also made significant investments in the social sector, including health and education. As the country assumes the Presidency of the African Union (AU), its VNR outlines “a strategic opportunity to strengthen its leadership at the continental level in a context marked by global uncertainty,” with continued domestic improvements in governance and public administration to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

Eswatini, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, and the Sudan are the other VNR presenters from the African Group.

The Bahamas’ main messages highlight the country’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that loss and damage from hurricanes between 2002 and 2022 exceeded USD 6.7 billion, which represents more than 50% of its GDP. Progress in SDG implementation since 2020 “has been incremental and positive,” The Bahamas reports. Its VNR’s main messages outline the country’s economic achievements over the past four years, including the introduction of initiatives to enter the carbon markets, the addition of new revenue streams, and the creation of inroads for economic diversification.

The other countries from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) presenting their VNRs in 2025 are Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Saint Lucia, and Suriname.

Bangladesh’s VNR comes “in the aftermath of a transformative youth-led mass uprising of July-August 2024, that culminated in the fall of a repressive regime.” Despite challenges, Bangladesh’s achievements include: a reduction of income poverty to below 19%, extreme poverty to 6%, and multidimensional poverty to below 10%; an increase in primary school completion rate to 87%; an increase in access to safe drinking water to over 70%; and an increase in electricity coverage to 99%. Despite adequate financing for SDG implementation presenting “a persistent challenge,” Bangladesh “is preparing to graduate from its Least Developed Country (LDC) status and position itself as a constructive and credible development partner.”

The other 2025 presenters from the Asia-Pacific Group are Bhutan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, FSM, PNG, India, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Thailand. This is the most represented regional group among the 2025 VNR presenters.

Bulgaria reaffirms its strong commitment to the implementation of the SDGs and reports significant progress in reducing poverty and hunger, increased investment in education and healthcare, and substantial progress in advancing gender equality, among other achievements. Among areas requiring additional efforts, its VNR’s main messages list ensuring that policymaking is informed by timely and reliable data – and focusing on local-level action and addressing challenges at the territorial level.

The other two Eastern European States presenting their VNRs in 2025 are Belarus and the Czech Republic.

Finland’s VNR describes the country as “an equal, modern and prosperous welfare state and a leader in implementing the [SDGs].” The main messages note that Finland follows the framework of the Global Sustainable Development Reports (GSDRs) of 2019 and 2023, whereby “implementation takes place through transformative changes in key societal systems,” including food, energy, education, and consumption.

Germany, Israel, and Malta are the other 2025 presenters from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).

According to the 2025 edition of the ‘Handbook for the Preparation of Voluntary National Reviews’ by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the deadline for the submission of full VNR reports is 17 June 2025. Main messages from the 37 countries that will present their VNR in 2025, as well as the underlying review documents, are available via the UN’s HLPF database. [Publication: Advance Unedited Version: Compilation of Main Messages for the 2025 Voluntary National Reviews]