High-level political forum calls for a renewed global commitment to rescue the SDGs and bring the world back on track

After almost two weeks of lively, in-person engagement, including several initiatives at the ministerial level, the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development concluded yesterday, 18 July, in New York, with the adoption of the 2022 Ministerial Declaration. 

This year’s forum was convened in person for the first time since 2019, offering a vital opportunity for the international community to come together and take stock of progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. In recognition of the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum was held under the overarching theme of “Building back better from COVID-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.

The need for an urgent "course-correction" to help the world get back on track to achieve the SDGs was emphasized throughout the two-week forum. Speaking at the beginning of the three-day ministerial meeting of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) high-level segment, which took place 13-15 July, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres called upon the international community to come together with "ambition, resolve and solidarity, to rescue the SDGs before it is too late."

The UN Secretary-General stressed at the start of the meeting that it is not one, but multiple crises which have set back global progress on the SDGs. 

"The world faces cascading crises that are causing profound suffering today, and carry the seeds of dangerous inequality, instability and climate chaos tomorrow. The ripple effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have hit amid a fragile and uneven recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, while the climate emergency is gathering pace." 

Reversing the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also addressing the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine on food, energy and security and halting the acceleration of climate change is a "tall order" the President of the ECOSOC Collen Vixen Kelapile acknowledged during the closing of the high-level ministerial meeting on 15 July. 

Despite the complexity of these challenges, the President of the ECOSOC also emphasized the important opportunity that they offer, refocusing energy and renewing collective commitment for multilateral action and underlining the need to break with the status quo. 

“We already know the challenges and solutions. We also have the tools and means, only if we shared them equitably.  These challenges can be successfully addressed through the full implementation of our blueprint and roadmap-- the 2030 Agenda -- and using its 5Ps,  People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships.” 

The Ministerial Declaration, which was adopted by consensus on 15 July, recognizes the commitment of the UN and its member states to implement this roadmap for an inclusive and sustainable recovery. 

This response, as set out in an advance copy of the Ministerial Declaration, calls for an ambitious and diverse set of collective actions, including building a more robust and resilient global health system, implementing new reform on international finance and debt, increasing investments in education, renewing commitments towards gender equality, strengthening engagement with local stakeholders as well as accelerating progress towards universal vaccination from COVID-19. 

Although global in its ambition, this roadmap towards the 2030 Agenda is most importantly being implemented on the ground, impacting the lives of the people the UN system serves. During the second week of the forum, forty-four countries presented their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) outlining national progress towards achieving the SDGs and reflecting upon the impact of another challenging 12 months of crises and shocks. Several countries, including Eritrea, Dominica and Grenada participated in these VNRs for the first time, painting a vivid picture of how, despite the unprecedented challenges, they are continuing to work towards the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Goals. 

A number of related side-events also took place throughout the course of the forum, showcasing the collective work of UN country teams in supporting governments conduct their VNRs. The UN Resident Coordinators of Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Jamaica and Kazakhstan are among those who subsequently participated in a ‘VNR Labs’ side event where they outlined the technical and thematic expertise provided to their respective host governments in preparing their national reviews. 

As the 2022 HLPF concludes, the UN system and its member states must now dedicate their efforts to ensuring the promises and commitments set out in the Ministerial Declaration are met. 

In just over one year’s time, the UN Secretary-General will convene the 2023 SDG Summit marking the halfway point between the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, and its target date.

Addressing the ministerial meeting on 15 July, the Secretary-General reminded the international community that the solutions to build this transformative change are within reach. 

“We have the knowledge, the science and technologies and the financial resources to reverse the trajectories that have led us off course."

"Let's do everything in our power to change course and build solid progress by then."
 

This news story was prepared by the UN Development Coordination Office. 

To learn more about the results of our work in this area and beyond, please read the latest UNSDG Chair Report on DCO.