The inaugural session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held on 24 September 2013, immediately before the UN General Assembly High-level Event. The HLPF was created, as proposed in the Rio + 20 outcome document The Future We Want, to replace the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Its role is to “follow up on the implementation of sustainable development and avoid overlap with existing structures, bodies and entities in a cost effective manner.”
Working modalities for the HLPF, including civil society participation
The resolution on the Format and organizational aspects of the high-level political forum on sustainable development (A/67/L72) recalls the “commitments in the outcomes of all major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields including ….the Programme of Action of the International Conference on population and Development, the key actions for the further implementation of the implementation of the Programme of Action on the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.”
The General Assembly will convene a two-day meeting of the HLPF every four years at the Heads of State and Government level. Meetings of the forum will also be held annually under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council that will be chaired by the President of the Council. It will, moreover, allow for input from civil society through “a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders.” major groups and other relevant stakeholders will be able:
(a) To attend all official meetings of the forum;
(b) To have access to all official information and documents;
(c) To intervene in official meetings;
(d) To submit documents and present written and oral contributions;
(e) To make recommendations
(f) To organize side events and round tables, in cooperation with Member Stats and the Secretariat of the United Nations. (para 15)
Major groups and other stakeholders are encouraged “to autonomously establish and maintain effective coordination mechanisms for participating in the high-level political forum and for actions derived from the participation at the global, regional and national levels, in a way that ensures effective, broad and balanced participation by region and by type of organization.” (para 16)
(Editorial note: The HLPF is a body of the General Assembly. As such the modalities for civil society participation do not automatically follow those of ECOSOC NGO consultative status. Instead the civil society participation is in line with that used at Rio+20 and for the Open Working Group)
Civil society participation at the Inaugural session
The major groups were not allow to register or attend the inaugural session, due to space limitations. They were, however, represented by Gita Sen, from the Women’s Major Group. In her presentation, Gita Sen outlined “4 essential ingredients” to achieving sustainable development: (a) in order to protect the environment and fulfill human rights, transparent, fair and well-regulated economic systems were necessary; (b) the need to respect all human rights, (c) regulate private corporate power; and (d) the full participation of people with disabilities in policy and decision-making through the motto “nothing about us without us.” Under (b) she particularly highlighted “our right …to the rule of law and freedom from violence including sexual violence and hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; and to bodily autonomy and integrity including out sexual and reproductive rights.” She also called attention to the importance of supporting young people by “ending early marriages, investing in their education, including comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health care, as well as protecting their human rights.” (For full statement see http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/3850women.pdf)
During the remarks made by high-level officials, both Justine Greening, the UK Secretary of State for International Development and Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan referred to the involvement of civil society. For further information on the meeting see http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article4354.