High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the General
Assembly
Accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
On 24 and 25 September 2019, Heads of State and Government gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to follow up and comprehensively review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event was the first UN summit on the SDGs since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in September 2015.
The SDG Summit resulted in the adoption of the Political Declaration, “Gearing up for a decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. World leaders called for a decade of action to deliver the SDGs by 2030 and announced actions they are taking to advance the agenda. The General Assembly endorsed the Political Declaration on 15 October 2019. More than 100 acceleration actions have been announced.
Summary of the SDG Summit
Political declaration
Statements
Report of the Secretary-General on SDG Progress 2019 (Special Edition)
The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals are our collective response to building a fair globalization
António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
It aims to transform our world and to improve people's lives and prosperity on a healthy planet. It applies to all countries through partnerships and peace. Countries, regions, cities, the business sector and civil society are actively engaged in implementing the Agenda and the SDGs. They are mobilizing efforts to end all forms of poverty, fighting inequalities and tackling climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind. The summit will be a space to discuss the huge efforts that are being made and to identify future actions for accelerating progress towards the SDGs.
The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global plan of action to drive economic prosperity and social well-being while protecting the environment. Countries established the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) -- to boost efforts to achieve the goals.
The HLPF meets every year, in early July, bringing representatives of governments, businesses and civil society together to review progress, examine obstacles, exchange best practices, and recommend new actions to achieve the goals. Countries also agreed (resolutions 67/290 and 70/299) that every fourth year, the HLPF will meet under the auspices of the General Assembly at the level of Heads of State and Government. 2019 will mark the first HLPF meeting at the leader level.
On 24–25 September, world leaders gathered at UN Headquarters in New York for the SDG Summit to review progress and identify measures to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The SDG Summit brought together political and thought leaders from governments, private sector, civil society and international organizations in a series of high-level meetings to turn the ten years leading up to the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDG into a decisive decade of action and delivery.
The United Nations SDG Summit was chaired by the President of the General Assembly and resulted in a concise negotiated political declaration [Arabic] [Chinese] [English] [French] [Spanish] [Russian] .
Since the 2030 Agenda was adopted, governments, businesses, and citizen organizations have moved to embrace the SDGs and made the goals and the centerpiece of their development plans. The SDG Summit sought to mobilize further support for action to achieve the SDGs. The meeting presented an important opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by announcing ambitious SDG Acceleration Actions to put societies and economies onto a path towards zero poverty and lives of dignity for all, on a safe, healthy and peaceful planet.
High-level Political Forum (HLPF)
Technology Facilitation Mechanism
In preparation for the SDG Summit, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) held its annual meeting under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from 9 to 18 July 2019, including the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from 16 to 18 July 2019. The theme was " Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality ". Click here for more information .
The General Assembly decided in its resolution 70/299 that the meetings of HLPF under the auspices of the General Assembly at the level of Heads of State and Government, and those under the auspices of the ECOSOC shall be closely coordinated to ensure coherence and provide for mutually reinforcing linkages.
The preparations for HLPF 2019 at the national, regional and global levels included the voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of Member States, the inputs of intergovernmental bodies and forums and stakeholders to HLPF, the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), the Report of the Secretary-General on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, and other reports to be prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the UN system. Regional Forums on Sustainable Development also discussed preparations for the summit.
The President of the General Assembly appointed H.E. Ms. Sheila Gweneth Carey, Permanent Representative of Bahamas to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, as co-facilitators to consult with Member States in an open, inclusive and transparent manner with a view to producing a Political Declaration for HLPF 2019.
The Secretary-General has created a UN system HLPF Task Team to contribute to the substantive preparations of the summit, including preparation of the Special edition of the SDG progress report.
In accordance with General Assembly resolution 67/290, the SDG Summit is open to the major groups, other relevant stakeholders and entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the General Assembly, building on arrangements and practices observed by the Commission on Sustainable Development, including Economic and Social Council decision 1993/215 of 12 February 1993 and Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996, which shall be applicable to the forum.
Representatives of the Major Groups and other Stakeholders delivered statements in each of the Leaders Dialogues at the SDG Summit. You can find a links to their statements below:
Access to UN Headquarters will be restricted during the UNGA high-level week. All UN Grounds Passes for Organization in consultative status with ECOSOC will be suspended. In order to access the UN, all approved registrants will require a Special Event Ticket (SET). The approved registrants must have the SET and a government-issued photo ID to pass through the NYPD security barrier at 2nd Avenue and 46 th Street, as well as to pass through the various UN Security checkpoints to enter the UN Headquarters. The SET will display the name of the approved registrant as well as the date, time and location indicating the specific event for which the ticket will be valid.
Registration for the SDG Summit was open to Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC, Organizations on the CSD Roster, and Organizations that are affiliated with the Major Groups and other Stakeholders that are not in consultative status with ECOSOC or on the CSD Roster. The registration process was open from 23 August to 6 September 2019. The deadline has passed and no further applications for registration are being considered.
The SDG Action Zone, held during the High-level week of the UN General Assembly, is a space to break out and engage partners for transformative SDG action in new and innovative ways. For more details please visit the SDG Action website at: https://sdgaction.zone/
The conference proceedings will be web cast live at webtv.un.org
On 24 and 25 September 2019, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will meet at summit level under the auspices of the General Assembly to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The General Assembly decided in 2013 that the meeting will result in a concise negotiated political declaration to be submitted for the consideration of the Assembly. In this regard, the President of the General Assembly has appointed H.E. Ms. Sheila Gweneth Carey, Permanent Representative of the Bahamas, and H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden, to conduct open, inclusive and transparent consultations on the political declaration.
In order to make the consultations on both the organization of the activities of the forum and on the political declaration as inclusive as possible, and to profit from the knowledge, expertise and experience of a broad range of stakeholders, this platform was created for stakeholders to share their comments, reflections and suggestions on the format of the SDG Summit and its outcomes. These contributions were summarized and brought to the attention of the above-mentioned co-facilitators.
All of the inputs are available to read here: https://tinyurl.com/y2dlxlcx
A Synthesis Report of the inputs can be found here
SDG Summit – Information Note for Participants
SDG Acceleration Actions - https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsummit#acceleration-actions
Special Events - https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgsummit#side
SDG Action Zone - https://sdgaction.zone/
SDG Media Zone - https://www.un.org/sdgmediazone/
Major Groups & other Stakeholders - https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/mgos
The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, have been embraced by governments, businesses and community groups around the world as the organizing principle for their efforts to end poverty, promote prosperity, better education health and jobs—while protecting the environment.
The SDG Summit in September 2019 provided the first opportunity by world leaders to assess progress so far and provide leadership and guidance on the way forward that would help accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
The Summit—actually the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development meeting under UN General Assembly auspices—is mandated to take place every four years at the beginning of the UN General Assembly session and was intended to be a platform where together the international community could pause and look back at areas where progress is insufficient to meet the Goals on time and what can be done to catalyze it. Areas where progress has been made was identified and actions needed for scaling up was considered.
It is also a moment for the world to come together to accelerate commitments to actions that will respond to the urgency of climate change and the need to pursue the fair and just path forward articulated by the SDGs and ensure that no one is left behind.
The adoption of the SDGs has mobilized global—and local—action. But far more is needed to achieve the Goals. The Summit provided an opportunity to ramp up international commitment to the 2030 Agenda, showcased areas of global progress towards the SDGs, and raised awareness on the importance of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs globally. The Summit helped leverage progress in key areas to kick-start an acceleration process.
In addition, the Summit allowed participants to share their experiences and best practices and provided access to tools that can accelerate action on this integrated and holistic approach to sustainable development.
The Summit also called on all countries and actors, including local authorities, the private sector, foundations and philanthropic organizations to pledge new voluntary commitments on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs and helped build partnerships to further achievement at all levels. It also engaged “SDG Champions.”
A range of events that complement the Summit enhanced global attention and action towards the implementation of the SDGs. These included side events and special events in the margins of the Summit as well as meetings of civil society organizations. To raise awareness, media, including social media tools, were mobilized, and an SDG media zone was established. Exhibitions were used for sharing information and advocacy for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs during the Summit.
The UN SDG Summit took place in the afternoon of 24 September and 25 September 2019 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Summit was at the Heads of State and Heads of Government level, and the Chair of the Summit was the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly.
The UN SDG Summit was one of five high-level events taking place in September 2019, along with the 2019 Climate Summit, the UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, and the High-Level Review of the SAMOA Pathway. These events showed how the world is mobilizing to increase climate action and action to achieve sustainable development, including side events, special events and exhibitions on implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs.
The SDG Summit resulted in renewed and accelerated action to achieve the SDGs. It resulted in a Political Declaration of Heads of State and Government that provided political guidance on how to step up the pace of implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs. The co-facilitators, who led the negotiations for the Political Declaration, were H.E. Ms. Sheila Gweneth Carey, Permanent Representative of Bahamas to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations.
The Summit also mobilized voluntary Commitments for the implementation of SDGs, and these were announced at the Summit and online.
Simply put, sustainable development is about improving the lives of people everywhere while protecting our natural environment.
Poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, addressing climate change while protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development are overarching objectives of sustainable development.
Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development calls for concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by world leaders in September 2015, is the plan of action for people, planet and prosperity and aims to transform our world. The 2030 Agenda calls for the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development--social, economic, and environmental--since a holistic and balanced approach that incorporates these three dimensions is essential for ending poverty, reducing inequalities and combatting climate change in order to achieve sustainable development.
It applies to all countries and aims to improve people’s lives and prosperity on a healthy planet, through partnership and peace. All countries, cities and multiple actors of the business sector and civil society are actively engaged in implementing the Agenda and pursuing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDG Summit aimed to demonstrate that inclusive multilateralism, through the reaffirmation of the 2030 Agenda and the revitalization of the United Nation’s role in linking peace and security, human rights and development, continues to provide the best path forward to provide global solutions to our common challenges, promote prosperity for all and endeavor to leave no one behind.
[NEW] The plenary meeting of the General Assembly to endorse the political declaration of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly (SDG Summit) will be held on Tuesday, 15 October 2019, at 11:00 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall. For more information, please click here
Statements
Detailed Programme of the SDG Summit
List of speakers - Plenary segments of the SDG Summit
Missed the SDG Summit? You can still watch the archived webcast:
Modalities of the SDG summit:
The SDG Summit took place within the overall context of the General Assembly 2019 high-level week which was comprised offive high-level events and the General Debate. While each meeting is distinct, they are intrinsically linked in their ambition to fast-track efforts towards zero poverty and lives of dignity for all, on a safe, healthy and peaceful planet. The high-level week events provide an important moment to scale up action and ambition through acceleration SDG actions.
For information on modalities and acceleration SDG actions please click here
For the latest letter of the President of the General Assembly dated 20 September for the SDG Summit, please click here.
At the SDG Summit, which took place on 24-25 September, Member States adopted the Political Declaration, “Gearing up for a decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”. World leaders also announced more than 100 acceleration actions on the SDGs.
Draft resolution submitted by the President of the General Assembly - Political declaration of the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly [Arabic] [Chinese] [English] [French] [Spanish] [Russian]
The General Assembly in its resolution 70/299 decided that the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) shall have only one negotiated Political Declaration, covering the different and complementary functions of both sessions of the forum under the auspices of the General Assembly - the Summit, and the forum under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) when the forum is convened twice in the same year.
Responding to the above mandate, the President of the General Assembly appointed H.E. Ms. Sheila Gweneth Carey, Permanent Representative of Bahamas to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, as co-facilitators to consult with Member States in an open, inclusive and transparent manner with a view to producing a Political Declaration for HLPF 2019.
Having consulted with Member States, the final draft was submitted to the Summit for the adoption at its opening session on 24 September 2019. After its adoption at the SDG Summit, the General Assembly endorsed the political declaration on 15 October 2019.
In addition, the SDG Summit will also encourage governments and all stakeholders to make acceleration actions in support of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals and to register their commitments through a dedicated online form. More than 100 acceleration actions were announced, including major commitments from certain countries (Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, United Kingdom), and other initiatives, such as Data4Now, which aims to address the urgent need for more accurate, timely, and comprehensive data to make the SDGs an actionable framework.
You can register an Acceleration Action for the SDG Summit here and view the submitted Acceleration Actions here.
A UN system exhibit on “SDG Good Practices and Actions for a Decade of Delivery” will take place during 18-27 September. This video exhibit, organized by UN-DESA in collaboration with the UN system, features SDG actions and sustainable development initiatives by more than twenty UN system organizations. Showcasing good practices and innovations for reaching the SDGs, the exhibit highlights the sustained efforts and continuous commitment by the UN system in supporting Member States in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda as the international community embarks on the final decade of SDG implementation.
Description of the Videos
Timing-UN Exhibit Video
A compilation of flagship publications and reports, prepared by the UN system, can be accessed here.
In addition to the inter-governmentally agreed political declaration, voluntary actions to accelerate SDG implementation will be announced before and during the SDG Summit.
“SDG Acceleration Actions” are initiatives voluntarily undertaken by countries and other stakeholders to contribute to a speeded up implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Such acceleration actions can be registered by national Governments, local and regional governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international and regional financial institutions, major groups and other stakeholders including the private sector, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, the scientific community, and other actors - individually or in partnership.
Submissions will be reviewed by DESA in accordance with a set of criteria (see FAQ below for details). Governments, businesses and other stakeholders making the most innovative, ambitious and impactful commitments will be invited to announce their SDG Acceleration Actions to the media via the VIP social media studio or the SDG Media Zone.
Registration is now open online.
More information:
SDG Acceleration Actions - promotional flyers:
On 24-25 September 2019, the United Nations High Level Political Forum (HLPF) under the auspices of the General Assembly, “The SDG Summit”, will provide the central focus for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, and identify ways to accelerate progress. In addition to the inter-governmentally agreed political declaration, voluntary SDG acceleration actions towards implementation will be announced before and during the SDG Summit.
“SDG Acceleration Actions” are initiatives voluntarily undertaken by countries and other actors to contribute to the acceleration of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Any new action or actions that building on existing efforts (scaling up, new phase, etc.) could be framed as an SDG Acceleration Action. Examples include: announcement of a new or enhanced policy, programme, or project—or financing of a project—related to the achievement of one or more of the 17 SDGs or addressing the interlinked nature of the 2030 Agenda.
Ad-hoc engagements, including organization of events and workshops should be reflected as part of a broader programme of work towards SDG acceleration.
SDG Acceleration Actions can be registered by national Governments, local and regional governments, the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations, international and regional financial institutions, major groups and other stakeholders including the private sector, civil society organizations, academic and research institutions, the scientific community, and other actors - individually or in partnership.
Governments, businesses and all stakeholders can register acceleration actions within their own sphere of influence or SDG. Acceleration actions can reflect a more ambitious target, a new policy or programme, new investments or increased financial or other support to specific SDGs and/or groups of the population or other countries, for example.
Registration is now open online and will serve as the basis for the SDG Summit Registry of Acceleration Actions.
SDG Acceleration Actions can be registered in the lead up, during and after the SDG Summit.
Publication of SDG Acceleration Actions will start early in September 2019.
The platform will remain open after the SDG Summit for registration of additional SDG Acceleration Actions.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit one or more SDG Acceleration Actions. Combining actions in order to increase potential impact is encouraged.
When submitting acceleration actions, it should be borne in mind that follow up will be expected with regards to their implementation.
SDG Acceleration Actions should:
Submissions should be registered through a dedicated online portal.
UN DESA will be reviewing all submissions and publicizing them in the lead up to the SDG Summit, starting in early September 2019. All submissions will be available online here.
Any voluntary action meeting the below criteria can be registered as an acceleration action. Acceleration actions can also be announced by Heads of State and Government during the SDG Summit or during the Leaders Dialogues if relevant to the theme. Other stakeholders are also encouraged to publicize SDG Acceleration Actions submitted through the online portal.
The United Nations Department on Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will review all SDG Acceleration Actions and will make them available at a dedicated portal.
The online registry will also provide a space for all SDG Acceleration Action submitters to record the actions and provide progress reports on their implementation. Countries can also report on follow-up to their SDG Acceleration Actions through the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRS).
Customarily, UN DESA prepares synthesis reports on the implementation of partnerships commitments, which could also include SDG acceleration actions. The SDG Acceleration Actions registry also provides for a reporting and monitoring function to ensure that acceleration actions are properly followed-up.
UN DESA and the Department of Global Communications will collaborate on advertising selected initiatives in the lead up, during and after the SDG Summit.
Actions will be accepted in the six UN official languages, although submissions in languages other than English may take longer to be reviewed.
Participants at the other high-level SDG-related events and initiatives of UNGA week also are welcome to submit their SDG Acceleration Actions through the database.
A compilation of flagship publications and reports, prepared by the UN system, can be accessed here.
The General Assembly in its resolution 67/290 decided that that all meetings of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) shall provide for the full and effective participation of all States Members of the United Nations and States members of specialized agencies.
The General Assembly in the same resolution also decided that while retaining the intergovernmental nature of discussions, the forum shall be open to the major groups, other relevant stakeholders and entities having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the General Assembly, building on arrangements and practices observed by the Commission on Sustainable Development, including Economic and Social Council decision 1993/215 of 12 February 1993 and Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996, which shall be applicable to the forum.
Updated:The Information Note on the Arrangements for the high-level meetings and the general debate of the seventy-fourth session of the General Assembly is now available [A/INF/74/4/REV.1].
Registration of official delegations of member states, observers and intergovernmental organizations, as well as specialized agencies and related organizations will be carried out by the Protocol and Liaison Service [See Section VII of A/INF/74/4 for details on registration and access].Registration is now closed.
Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and UN entities wishing to be inscribed on the list of participants are requested to do so through the e-deleGATE portal by 6 September. Inscribing to the list of participants, however, does not guarantee access to the Trusteeship Council Chamber. The capacity of Trusteeship Council Chamber is limited and may not allow for all registered intergovernmental organizations and UN entities to have a seat. Inscription is now closed.
Registration for the SDG Summit was open to Organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC, Organizations on the CSD Roster, and Organizations that are affiliated with the Major Groups and other Stakeholders that are not in consultative status with ECOSOC or on the CSD Roster. The registration process was open from 23 August to 6 September 2019. The deadline has passed and no further applications for registration are being considered.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and its partner agencies and organisations are planning several high-level special events to complement the summit. These include the SDG Business Forum, the Local and Regional Governments Forum and an event with civil society.
| Tuesday, 24 September | |
| 15:00-18:00 Conference Room 3, UNHQ |
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| 17:00-20:00 Conference Room 4, UNHQ |
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| Wednesday, 25 September | |
| 7:30-13:00 | |
