The UN Secretariat has issued a note (E/HLPF/2024/5) compiling the main messages for the 37 voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to be presented at the 2024 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July. South Sudan and Yemen will present their VNRs for the first time. Azerbaijan, Colombia, Mexico, and Sierra Leone are fourth-time presenters.

The majority of the countries are second- or third-time presenters. Sixteen – Austria, Belize, Brazil, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea, Libya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Oman, Palau, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Syria, and Vanuatu are reviewing their SDG performance for the second time.

For 15 countries (Armenia, Chad, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Georgia, Honduras, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Namibia, Nepal, Peru, Samoa, Spain, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), this is the third time they present their reviews.

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 6 May 2024, provide a brief overview of more comprehensive review documents that are developed by countries to report on SDG implementation efforts during the HLPF.

Armenia reports that its “democratic resilience” allowed it “to deliver progress and build back better in extremely fragile environment,” amidst security, humanitarian, and development challenges. According to the summary, Armenia’s VNR was developed through “an inclusive and participatory… preparation process” that involved members of Parliament, development partners, civil society, the private sector, and academia.

The other two Eastern European States presenting their VNRs in 2024 are Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Austria aligned its report with the question: ‘What transformations towards sustainability are needed to achieve the 2030 Agenda goals?’ The main messages highlight the country’s efforts to leave no one behind, develop skills and competencies for 2030, and protect the biosphere.

Spain is the only other 2024 presenter from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).

Belize reports on its achievements and challenges against the backdrop of its #planBelize Medium-term Development Strategy (MTDS) 2022-2026, which sets out the country’s ambition to transform itself “into a more democratic, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient society in which all Belizeans must benefit.”

The other countries from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) presenting their VNRs in 2024 are Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru.

Eritrea’s main messages highlight its “initiatives and programs to eliminate poverty and inequality, promote gender equality and empowerment, secure opportunities for all, eradicate all forms of stigma, discrimination, prejudice, and ostracization, create a more inclusive, fair, and just nation, and prioritize reaching those furthest behind first.”

Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe are the other VNR presenters from the African Group – the most represented regional group among the 2024 VNR presenters.

The Lao PDR’s summary emphasizes lessons learned with respect to ownership and commitment, partnership and financing for the Goals, placing communities at the center of sustainable development, and SDG localization.

The other 2024 presenters from the Asia-Pacific Group are Nepal, Oman, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Syria, Vanuatu, and Yemen.

According to the 2024 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 was 14 June 2024. Main messages from the 37 countries that will present their VNR in 2024, 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 2024 Voluntary National Reviews]