2023 HLPF on the SDGs
Everything you need to know about the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
Are you ready for a fire hose of content on the Sustainable Development Goals? That is what you can expect when the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development gets under way from July 10–19.
The HLPF serves as the annual platform for the Economic and Social Council of the UN to assess and report on the SDGs. This central evaluative role results in a plethora of new data and idea-sharing opportunities. The forum also provides an essential environment for key discussions on policies, innovations, emerging issues, and lessons learned.
In this article we break down all the essential information you need to know to get the most out of the HLPF. Be sure to continue following us here, as well as on social media, as we report on this event.
Table of Contents
- Themes and Focus Areas
- Content
- Plenaries
- VNRs and VNR Labs
- Side Events
- Special Events and Exhibition
- How to Follow Along
- Social Media
Themes and Focus Areas
Every year the HLPF has a theme to guide the discussions. For 2023 it will be “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels. ”
Additionally, a few of the 17 Global Goals are selected for special attention. This year those foci will be:
- SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- SDG7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG17: Partnerships for the Goals
Content
True to its title as a “forum”, the HLPF brings together many voices and conversations in a variety of settings. In addition to the plenary sessions which will be heavily covered, the gathering includes Side Events, VNR Labs, Special Events, and Exhibition.
A full program of sessions is available on the HLPF website:
Plenaries
Every day from 10a-1p and 3p-6p, plenary sessions will be be held. The first four days will cover topics such as the ongoing poly-crisis, financing the SDGs, innovation, specific development areas needing attention, and the focus goals for this year. Starting on Friday, July 14th, countries will begin sharing their Voluntary National Reviews. (More on VNRs below.)
Plenaries for Monday through Thursday of the second week will be a mix of VNR discussions and “General Debate” on essential topics.
Official sessions will conclude on Thursday, July 20th, with discussions of next steps and a thematic transition to the SDG Summit which will be held in September of this year.
VNRs and VNR Labs
The HLPF serves as a platform for countries to report on their progress toward the Global Goals through the Voluntary National Review process.
According to the event organizers:
VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This year 39 countries will present along with a combined presentation from the EU. For most of these countries, it will be the second time they have reported. In addition to the presentations at the plenaries, they will also upload their written reports which can be found in the VNR database:
The country specific content from the VNRs will be supplemented by a series of VNR Labs that “provide an informal platform for experience-sharing and reflection on the process.” Topics include: cooperative approaches, writing tips, data analysis, and how to use emerging technologies.
The list of scheduled VNR Labs can be found on the HLPF website.
Side Events
The intense focus on myriad SDG-related topics these weeks fosters an atmosphere conducive for stakeholders and colleagues to hold special sessions with like-minded individuals and groups. These events are generally held during breaks in the plenary schedule to allow participants to attend without missing the main content.
A list of the nearly 250 official side events, many of which are virtual, is available here:
The topical nature of these side events allows virtual and in-person participants to pay attention to the topics most relevant to their work and interests. Our team at SDGCounting will be focusing on sessions that address how the SDGs are being measured and reported.
Some events that will surely get our attention:
- Launch of the 2023 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index
- Data For Sustainable Development: Introducing the UNFPA’s Population Data Portal 2.0
- Harnessing the Power of Digital Innovation for a Sustainable World Post-COVID-19 — WSIS Action Lines for Advancing the Achievement of SDGs
- Mobilizing the Private Sector for the SDGs and the VNRs UN Global Compact Side-Event at the HLPF 2023
Special Events and Exhibition
Where as the Side Events are organized by individual agencies, this year’s HLPF also includes 12 Special Events officially hosted by the organizers. Like the side events, they are generally scheduled to avoid conflict with the plenary sessions. These events include:
- SDG Learning, Training and Practice Workshops
- SDG Report Call to Action
- SDG7: The Energy Progress Report
- The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
- Local and Regional Government Forum
- Local2030 Coalition Special Event
- Science Day
- Global Climate and SDG Synergy Conference
- Higher Education Sustainability Initiative Global Forum
- SDG6 And Water Action Agenda Special Event
- SDG Global Business Forum
- Parliamentary Forum
Full details of these special events can be found here:
For those attending in person, an exhibition from member states, civil society, the private sector, and other UN agencies is being hosted at the UN Headquarters.
View a list of these exhibitions here.
How to Follow Along
With so much going on, what is the best way to keep up?
For starters, familiarize yourself with the UN WebTV interface as all plenaries and many of the special events will be available for live viewing there.
It is also common for some sessions to be streamed live or uploaded after the fact to YouTube. Be sure to search regularly.
Next, if you are planning on following any side events, we recommend you highlight which events you are interested in from the list, check to see if registration is required and ensure you have the correct platform available to attend virtually.
Social Media
Traditionally, Twitter has been the best source for timely on-the-ground information coming out of events like HLPF; although we are unsure how the recent restrictions on tweet views will affect the process. We have also seen an uptick in the number of people using LinkedIn to share and collaborate. In both cases, the hashtag #HLPF is usually the most effective way to find general content. We will also be checking in on the recently launched Threads app to monitor for emerging conversations.
Be sure to follow us on all our social media platforms for the most up-to-date information from HLPF 2023:
SDGCounting is a program of StartingUpGood and tracks the progress of counting and measuring the success of the SDGs.
