…Releases 12 special events to take place during the forum

…Plans in-depth review of five SDGs at the HLPF July session

The United Nations system, Member States, and stakeholders are getting set with preparations for the July 2023 session of its High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) of the 2023 SDG Summit. 

The HLPF will convene twice this year from 10-20 July under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); and at the level of Heads of State and Government under the auspices of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), from 18-19 September.

With the theme: “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels,” the HLPF’s July session will hold in-depth reviews of five SDGs: 6 (clean water and sanitation); 7 (affordable and clean energy); 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); 11 (sustainable cities and communities); and 17 (partnerships for the Goals).

Marking the mid-point in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2023 SDG Summit will bring together leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders to “carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs, respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world, and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the 2030 deadline for achieving the SDGs.”

The UN Secretariat’s concept note for the July session is available in PDF format. The provisional agenda (E/HLPF/2022/1) is here. The draft programme of work for the session, dated 19 June, provides information on daily events and includes guiding questions for the thematic sessions. Background notes for the thematic sessions are here.

In addition to the official programme, the HLPF Secretariat has released the details on twelve special events taking place during the Forum:

• SDGs Learning, Training, and Practice (10-14 July);
• Launch of the special edition of the Sustainable Development Report 2023: A High-level Event Call to Action (10 July);
• Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report and the SDG 7 Policy Briefs (11 July);
• Launch of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report (12 July);
• Local and Regional Governments Forum (12 July);
• Local 2030 Coalition Special Event: Actions, Solutions, and Partnerships to Foster Multilevel Governance and Unlock Financing to Accelerate SDG Localization (12 July);
• Science Day: Evidence-based Strategies for SDG Acceleration (15 July);
• Global Climate & SDG Synergy Conference (16 July);
• Higher Education Sustainability Initiative’s (HESI) Global Forum (17 July);
• SDG 6 & Water Action Agenda Special Event (17 July);
• 2023 Global Business Forum: Turbocharging the 2030 Agenda with Business Impact (18 July); and
• Parliamentary Forum (18 July).

The HLPF Secretariat has also published a tentative programme of side events taking place in the margins of the 2023 HLPF. The spreadsheet, dated 20 June, is available here.

Source: IISD SDG Knowledge Hub