Countdown to UN General Assembly Special Event, 25 September 2013 No 3

High-level Political Forum to support sustainable development

According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, as reported in DESA News, Heads of State and Government will now meet every four years as the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) to ensure that commitment to sustainable development remains at the highest level.

The HLPF, which was called for in the Future We Want, the outcome document of the UN Sustainable Development Conference (Rio + 20), will hold its inaugural meeting on 24 September, the day before the General Assembly Special Event. It will aim to advance sustainable development by providing political leadership and guidance and setting a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda and will replace the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

The HLPF will follow up and review progress in the implementation of the Future We Want as well as sustainable development commitments made at the previous summits and conference. It will also provide a new opportunity to ensure that all dimensions of sustainable development — economic, social and environmental — are brought together in a coherent way. It will provide a new and different way of supporting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as the sustainable development goals (SDGs) after they are adopted within the post-2015 development agenda.

According to Nikhil Seth, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, DESA, the first meetings will very much set the tone for what the forum will look like in the future. As he says, “We must be bold and conceive a unique platform: a platform which focuses on implementation, a platform which not only reviews but also truly impacts on progress, a platform which rallies actors to not only reflect but also do things together, a platform whose work spans economic, social and environmental dimensions.  We need such a platform if we are to rise up to the challenges of the SDGs and the post 2015 development agenda”.

How will the HLPF work?

As stated by DESA, the new forum will convene Heads of State and Government every four years, under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, to promote the implementation of sustainable development and address new challenges. Their deliberations will result in a negotiated declaration aimed at providing high-level policy guidance and raising the bar for action and results.

There will also be an annual eight-day meeting, including three days at the ministerial level, under the auspices of ECOSOC.

“Within the broad guidance given by the GA on the format of the forum, we must create an innovative platform for all countries and the range of sustainable development actors to respond to new challenges, keep the compass on sustainable development commitments and look to the long term”, added Nikhil Seth.

The direct involvement of Heads of State and Government every four years should ensure that commitment to sustainable development remains at the highest level, bolstered by  strategic guidance for integrated and holistic policy-making and implementation.

Starting in 2016, the forum will also include reviews on the implementation of sustainable development by all countries and the UN system. This should promote better accountability and focus efforts toward achieving action on the ground.

The forum will be open to all Member States of the United Nations as well as States members of specialized agencies, notably the Cook Islands, Niue, the Holy See and Palestine.

UN support for the forum

UN DESA provides the substantive secretariat for the forum with timely analysis, data and other background documentation. Through the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs (ECESA) Plus mechanism, the Department coordinates these inputs from across the UN system, including its various specialized agencies, funds and programmes, regional commissions, convention secretariats and other entities.

DESA’s Division for Sustainable Development is organising two special events on 23 September in the margins of the General Debate of the 68th session of the General Assembly, the outcomes of which will be reported to the inaugural HLPF meeting. One special event will deal with Sustainable Cities and SDGs, the other will focus on the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) and related voluntary initiatives.

Major Groups and other Stakeholder participation

Provisions have also been made for the enhanced participation of the nine Major Groups, building on their participation in the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Under the HLPF, specific modalities for future engagement with Major Groups and other stakeholders in sustainable development will be developed as a matter of priority soon after the forum begins its work.

Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) final meeting

The CSD will hold its last meeting on 20 September 2013. It was created in 1992 to follow up on the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit). Under the CSD, governments have convened twenty annual sessions, helping advance sustainable development across the world.

For further background on the HLPF also see: High Level Political Forum