Recapping the 2022 HLPF on Sustainable Development
Insights from High Level Political Forum on the SDGs
The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is the most significant annual gathering for discussing the Sustainable Development Goals. Delegates, advocates and experts met in New York in July for the first in-person gathering of the forum since the COVID-19 pandemic began. While there was news of positive developments — especially as it relates to efforts to recover from pandemic setbacks — overall the mood was more concerning as participants discussed the ongoing challenges and setbacks facing the 2030 Agenda. As the Global Goals reach the midpoint of implementation, one would hope to be able to celebrate progress; instead, we find the Secretary General for the UN calling for “an urgent rescue effort for the SDGs” in his forward to the SDG Report which was released at the forum. 2022 is shaping up to be a time for a reality check in the global development community and the HLPF has served a platform for that discussion.
In this article, we will breakdown the highlights (and lowlights) of the HLPF while sharing the best resources released during the assembly.
Themes and Prominent Discussions
Officially the theme of the 2022 HLPF was “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” This focus on mitigating the effects of the pandemic was apparent in all sessions as participants discussed implementation setbacks, emerging struggles, and novel approaches developed in light of recent global changes.
The effects of COVID on the SDGs have been discussed extensively but the pandemic is not the only significant challenge development implementers are facing. The impact of climate change and the war in Ukraine has also hampered efforts. The combination of these crises resulted in an unofficial HLPF thematic focus on the 3 C’s of COVID, Conflict and Climate — a dangerous triad that was often referenced in official meetings and side events.
In his introduction to the HLPF progress report, Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for the UN summarized these themes and their impact:
This year’s report paints a realistic picture of the impact of the multiple and interlinked global crises — the COVID-19 pandemic, a climate crisis, the conflict in Ukraine and growing geopolitical tensions — that have gathered to test the viability of achieving the SDGs by 2030. However, times of crises also offer the opportunity to take decisive action and build innovative partnerships that drive transformative economic and social change.
Focus Goals
Each year the HLPF concentrates on a select number of the 17 Global Goals resulting in additional attention being paid to these specific areas. Most highlighted Goals received a dedicated plenary session for discussion with helpful background information published to summarize progress and challenges. In 2022, the highlighted goals and key points were:
- SDG 4: Quality Education — The pandemic forced many learners out of in-person opportunities and set back tangential support systems such as school provided nutrition and health services.
- SDG 5: Gender Equality — Women and girls have experienced disproportionate challenges, especially in light of COVID19 disruptions and in conflict areas.
- SDG 14: Life Below Water — Human pressures on aquatic life continue to increase. Positive movement from the UN Ocean Conference has been seen, but economic considerations are pressuring environmental objectives.
- SDG 15: Life on Land — With over 40,000 species at risk for extinction in the coming decades, focus on long term strategies is essential.
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. — The COVID pandemic revealed the importance and limitation of global strategies. Moving forward, international leaders must continue to leverage cooperation.
Reports and Key Statistics
Due to its prominence in the international development world, the HLPF also serves a launch point for significant reports. The most notable were the official UN SDG Report and the Voluntary National Reviews.
Sustainable Development Goals Report
The SDG Report is the primary UN publication for sharing updates about the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals. It provides detailed analysis on each goal while highlighting key figures. Published by UNDESA, the report uses “the latest available data and estimates, [to give] the global community a reality check on the devastating impacts of multiple crises affecting people’s lives and livelihoods.”
In addition to the full report, the following resources have been published:
- Extended Reports for each of the 17 Goals
- Progress chart detailing the implementation status of each goal in 8 geographic regions
The SDG Report has been released with this list of Key Messages:
- Cascading crises put the SDGs at risk.
- COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the SDGs.
- Conflicts are destroying the lives of many and destabilizing the world.
- We are in the grips of a climate catastrophe and the window to avert it is rapidly closing.
- The vulnerable are being hit the hardest.
- Data and statistics can light the way.
- SDGs are our roadmap out of crises and for our own survival.
Key Findings
Because the SDG Report serves to summarize overall progress, the statistics contained within were regularly cited throughout the meeting. All figures are based on the official SDG Indicator database. While not an exhaustive list, our team has collected the most important statistics to pay attention to:
Important Resources
In addition to those mentioned above, we recommend the following resources if you want to learn more about the most recent HLPF:
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