In looking at the consultations to be facilitated by Ambassadors Lois M Young of Belize and Ib Petersen of Denmark, it should be remembered that the theme for the next meeting of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) has not yet been adopted, although there is a strong consensus in favour of “ensuring that no one is left behind”.
In addition to Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, there will also be discussions on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, pending a formal agreement.
Two key documents for the work of the HLPF will be a progress report on the implementation of the SDGs, which will follow on from the old MDGs reports each year and which will be prepared by the Statistical Division. The other report will be the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) and the science policy interface. In preparation for the GSDR there will be consultations on the overall scope of the GSDR and its linkages with the SDG progress report, which will be led by Switzerland. A swift conclusion is anticipated to the discussions.
The Major Groups and other Stakeholders are invited to prepare position papers for the HLPF by the end of April, which will be compiled to be issued as a formal document.
An Expert Group meeting will be convened towards the end of April on how to operationalize paragraph 89 of the Secretary-General’s report on implementation of the Agenda.
The HLPF will be held 11-15 July in New York