The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The meeting of the HLPF in 2021 will be held from Tuesday, 6 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This includes the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 13 July, to Thursday, 15 July 2021 as part of the high-level segment of the Council.
The theme will be “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
Read the Statement
The SDGs in time of crisis: A sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 as an opportunity to realize the SDGs
Watch our events
Unleashing Science: Delivering Missions for Sustainability
📅 6 July 2021
🕥 11:30 – 13:00 UTC
Enhancing Policy-making During an Emergency: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic
📅 7 July 2021
🕕 11:30 – 12:45 UTC
Read the position paper for the 2021 HLPF
Position paper from the Scientific and Technological Community Major Group
The paper sets out ways to advance progress on the SDGs throughout the Decade of Action while living with and through the COVID-19 pandemic and underscores the urgent need to address existing scientific evidence and move from plans to action.
Other events from the community
HLPF official side events
See the tentative programme of all HLPF side events.
Tuesday, 6 July
- 13:00-14:30 EDT United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) – From Science to Practice – The role of research in tackling Covid-19 and achieving the SDGs.
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT United Nations Academic Impact – Partnering to educate the ocean science leaders of the future.
- 18:00 – 19:30 EDT Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future – Governance of disasters risk reduction and resilience to boost the delivery of the sustainable development goals.
Thursday, 8 July
- 07:30 – 09:00 EDT Partners for Review (P4R-GIZ) – Inclusive data partnerships: working with cross-sectoral data to leave no one behind in SDG monitoring and review.
- 13:30 – 14:30 EDT Circular economy and the SDGs
Friday, 9 July
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT World Federation of Engineering Organisations – Deploying Global Youth Capacity in UN Policy and Engineering for SDG 13
Monday, 12 July
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) – A post-COVID recovery to grow wealth rather than GDP?
Tuesday 13 July
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT Secretariat of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 UN High-level Dialogue on Energy 2021: Accelerating progress towards universal energy access and net-zero emissions
Wednesday 14 July
- 07:30 – 09:00 EDT Food Systems Summit Secretariat – Building resilient and sustainable food systems; a panel discussion on what the Food Systems Summit Dialogues are revealing about progress on the SDGs
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) – Rethinking rural development for achieving SDGs
- 13:00-14:30 EDT European Commission – Building back better: the SDGs as a roadmap to post pandemic recovery
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT University College Dublin – Education for Sustainable Development: The Role of Higher Education in Mission 4.7
- 13:00 – 14:30 EDT Center for Sustainable Development (Earth Institute, Columbia University) – Climate Education and Action to drive the SDGs
HLPF Voluntary National Contributions (VNR) Labs
A series of VNR Labs will be convened on the margins of the 2021 HLPF, to provide an informal platform for experience sharing and reflection on the Voluntary National Review process.
- VNR Lab 2: SDG Synergies: systemic approaches in reporting jointly organized by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and UN DESA on Tuesday 6 July, 13:00 – 14:00 EDT
- VNR Lab 9: SDG advisory bodies and their role in national sustainable development policy cycles on Monday, 12 July, 13:00 – 14:30 EDT
- VNR Lab 12 – Governance and policy integration in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on 14 July 2021, 08:00 – 09:00 am EDT
HLPF Special Events
UN DESA and its partner agencies and organizations will organize special virtual events on the margins of the HLPF.
- 2021 SDGs Learning, Training and Practice – 6 – 12 July
Join the 2021 edition of the SDGs Learning, Training & Practice – a series of capacity building and knowledge learning sessions featuring speakers and experts from many sectors on crucial topics related to the implementation of the SDGs under review in 2021. Register here - 2021 HLPF Special Event on SDG Acceleration Actions on Thursday 08 July 2021, 08:00 am EDT. If you are interested to join, register here by COB 7 July 2021.
- 2021 Chief Sustainability Officers for SDGs Event – Time to Transform: How business can lead the transformations needed to realize the SDGs on Thursday 15 July, 09.00 am EDT. For more information, including event registration, please visit the WBCSD event page.
