About the Event
This year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) focused on “accelerating recovery from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”. The event took place from July 10-19, and four Latin American and Caribbean countries-Chile, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Guyana-presented their Voluntary National Reports on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.
Cepei, the SDG Lab at UN and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), organized a webinar to share the conclusions of the forum, and how this event will contribute to the SDG Summit 2023 and the Summit of the Future in 2024, just seven years away from the deadline to implement the 2030 Agenda.
The discussion analyzed the outcomes according to the forum’s theme and the need to move to action and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The presentation of 38 Voluntary National Reports (VNR) and the first voluntary report made by an international entity such as the European Union were also highlighted.
The analysis conducted by Cepei through its SDG VNR Quality Tracker tool evidenced that the average VNR presented by Latin American and Caribbean countries is of medium level (52.1 out of 100) as well as that of their governance (54.5). This means that, although there are positive points regarding the quality of the reports, the information published is limited and gaps remain to be closed.
Speakers
Javier Surasky
Research Director
Cepei
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr
Professor, The New School
Keio University
Marianne Beisheim
Senior Associate
Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
Lynn Wagner
Senior Director Tracking Progress
IISD
Main Findings
1. The event was held under the shadow of the SDG Summit. This will take place in September 2023 and will bring together world leaders to discuss the proposals made by UN Secretary General António Guterres in his report “Our Common Agenda” to strengthen multilateralism and have a more effective and better equipped United Nations.
2. It was noted that the first session of the High Level Political Forum on Middle Income Countries and Science Day was held during HLPF 2023.
3. One of the highlights in terms of the SDGs discussed at this HLPF was to put the local level at the center of the debate. Many sessions discussing SDG 11 (sustainable cities), for example, tried to emphasize this work, despite the fact that this year there were no presentations of Voluntary Local Reports (VLR).
4. The urgency of having a more action-oriented HLPF to lead the acceleration of the SDGs in a concrete way was highlighted. This is the only way to have a chance to successfully address the multiple crises that hit us and forge a sustainable future.
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Organizers
