Essential Reports from the 2024 HLPF on SDGs
Resources for Sustainable Development
The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) continues to be a crucial annual gathering for global stakeholders to discuss the progress and challenges related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also serves as a launch pad for many significant documents. In this article, we highlight the recently released major reports you should be paying attention to.
Our list includes four main categories: Comprehensive Reports that examine the SDGs as a whole, including the UN’s flagship report, a report focused on addressing future challenges, and one offering the perspective of NGOs; Topic Specific Reports, which include documents on climate, food security, energy, population, and more; Geographic Reports from this year that focus on Africa and the Arab world; and finally, the largest annual collection of reports, the Voluntary National Reviews.
- Comprehensive Reports
- The Sustainable Development Goals Report
- Sustainable Development Report
- Global Foresight Report
- The People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda - Topic Specific Reports
- Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergy
- The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World
- Global Progress Report on SDG 16 Indicators
- The Energy Progress Report
- Aid Transparency Index
- World Population Prospects - Geographic Reports
- Africa Sustainable Development Report
- Arab Sustainable Development Report - Voluntary National Reviews
Comprehensive Reports
The following reports seek to provide an overall assessment of the 2030 Agenda. The SDG report is the official UN progress document, the Sustainable Development report focuses on country and target specific information, The Global Foresight report seeks to identify future issues and solutions, and the People’s report provides insights from citizens, volunteers and NGOs.
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024
The SDG Report serves as the primary document for sharing global progress on the Global Goals. This UNDESA and UNStats publication contains an overview of the status of every goal and highlights the successes and challenges of each.
In addition to the full report, there are also useful supplemental documents such as extended documentation on all targets and a statistical annex.
You can watch a discussion of the data insights from the report on the UNStats YouTube channel.
Sustainable Development Report 2024
This similarly named report comes from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and also provides an overview of progress on the SDGs. However, the focus of this publication is on providing detailed country specific updates. There is also an interactive data dashboard available.
Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing
Carrying the official title Navigating New Horizons, this report encourages forward thinking and identifies future challenges facing the global community. While published by the UN Environment Programme, it takes a more holistic approach exploring issues of such as planetary health, technology, conflict / political instability, and inequality.
2024 People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Published by the Commission on Voluntary Service & Action, an NGO advocacy group, this report serves as a vehicle for those outside the UN system to comment on SDG progress. This year’s report — the second of its kind — focuses on five of the goals: 1. No Poverty, 2. Zero Hunger, 13. Climate Action, 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, 17. Partnerships for the goals.
Download the PDF here, or learn more:
Topic Specific Reports
The majority of work related to the Sustainable Development Goals is performed and tracked by organizations with sector-specific qualifications and investments resulting in a large number of focused reports and datasets. Here are the topic specific reports getting the most attention from the HLPF.
2024 Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergy
Officially titled Synergy Solutions for Climate and SDG Action: Bridging the Ambition Gap for the Future We Want, this report encourages looking for overlaps between addressing climate change and achieving sustainable development, arguing that these pressing issues cannot be separated. It concludes with seven specific recommendations.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024
This yearly report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN is the definitive document related to global hunger and related issues. The 2024 edition focuses on addressing systemic issues including funding and tracking progress.
2nd Global Progress Report on SDG 16 Indicators
Goal 16 focuses on peace, justice, and strong institutions, and this report — the second of its kind — provides a comprehensive update of progress. Unfortunately, many challenges exist, and as a result, a significant portion of the report focuses on specific issues and potential solutions.
Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2024
The Energy Progress Report was initially released in 2018 and provides insights into global developments related to energy production and consumption. This year’s report highlights positive advancements in access, renewable energy, and efficiency, but warns that the current pace is insufficient to meet the 2030 targets.
2024 Aid Transparency Index
Released by Publish What You Fund, the Global Campaign for Aid and Development Transparency, the Index provides data on how global aid is being utilized and reported. It assesses the transparency of global aid organizations, identifies positive developments, and highlights areas for potential improvement.
World Population Prospects 2024
Published annually by UNDESA’s Population Division, this publication offers the most up-to-date assessment of the world’s population. It forecasts that the global population will likely peak in the mid-2080s at 10.3 billion people before declining. This projection marks a significant downward revision from previous estimates. Read the full report for more insights into these trends related to fertility, mortality, and their impact on international development.
Geographic Reports
This year two major regional reports were released. These documents highlight work being done in Africa and and the Arab world.
2024 Africa Sustainable Development Report
Focusing on the work being done on the African continent, this report outlines the successes and challenges faced. While some progress has been made, it highlights several areas requiring urgent attention. These include poverty reduction, hunger, climate change, good governance, and financing for sustainable development. The report concludes with recommendations for African countries, such as advocating for increased access to financing.
Arab Sustainable Development Report 2024
The Arab Sustainable Development Report analyzes policymaking trends across the Arab countries to assess progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation, the report highlights positive trends such as increased investment in data collection methods and a growing focus on science-based policymaking. It also identifies weaknesses in approaches that have hindered SDG achievement.
Voluntary National Reviews
The Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) provide countries with a prime opportunity to showcase their progress and priorities in implementing the Global Goals. This year, 36 nations presented their reviews during the HLPF plenary sessions. The documents supporting these presentations are accessible on the VNR website:
A compilation of main messages for the 2024 voluntary national reviews is also available in PDF.
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Disclaimer: Generative AI tools such as OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Gemini were used in the creation of this article to assist with summarization and proof reading.
