Inputs to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

This online review platform is dedicated to compiling voluntary inputs from countries participating in the national voluntary reviews of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, as well other voluntary governmental inputs, inputs from ECOSOC functional commissions and other intergovernmental bodies and forums, inputs from major groups and other stakeholders, as well contributions from multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments.

The documents posted on this page do not represent the views of the United Nations and their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the United Nations of the position or information provided by those documents.

Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)

As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member states to "conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven" (paragraph 79). These national reviews are expected to serve as a basis for the regular reviews by the high-level political forum (HLPF), meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC. As stipulated in paragraph 84 of the 2030 Agenda, regular reviews by the HLPF are to be voluntary, state-led, undertaken by both developed and developing countries, and involve multiple stakeholders.

The voluntary national reviews (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.

Intergovernmental Bodies & Forums

The General Assembly in resolution 70/1 called for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to conduct thematic reviews of progress on the SDGs, including cross-cutting issues. These are mandated to be supported by reviews by the “ECOSOC functional commissions and other inter-governmental bodies and forums which should reflect the integrated nature of the Goals as well as the interlinkages between them”.

General Assembly resolution 75/290 B reiterated that “In the conduct of the thematic reviews, the high-level political forum could consider the inputs to the high-level political forum from intergovernmental bodies and forums, including relevant multi-stakeholder forums, and, as appropriate, the findings, research, data and policy recommendations from the United Nations system.”

The President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has therefore requested the Council's functional commissions, and other intergovernmental bodies and forums and the UN system, to provide substantive inputs to the annual meetings of the HLPF under the auspices of the Council, in accordance with the themes and the Sustainable Development Goals under review at the forum, highlighting relevant research, data and policy recommendations from intergovernmental bodies on the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels.

Major Groups & Other Stakeholders

In an innovative provision of the 2030 Agenda (para. 89), major groups and other relevant stakeholders were called upon to report on their contribution to implementation. That provision is particularly important for the voluntary reporting and accountability by non-governmental actors who manage significant resources or assets, and therefore play an important role in the achievement of individual Sustainable Development Goals and targets on the ground. These could include, for example, business, non-governmental organizations, specific partnerships and alliances, large cities, and others. To ensure comparability, reports from such stakeholders could build on a voluntary template based on existing tools and models.

Multi-stakeholder Partnerships & Voluntary Commitments

In an innovative provision of the 2030 Agenda (para. 89), major groups and other relevant stakeholders were called upon to report on their contribution to implementation. That provision is particularly important for the voluntary reporting and accountability by non-governmental actors who manage significant resources or assets, and therefore play an important role in the achievement of individual Sustainable Development Goals and targets on the ground. These could include, for example, business, non-governmental organizations, specific partnerships and alliances, large cities, and others. To ensure comparability, reports from such stakeholders could build on a voluntary template based on existing tools and models.

This section will feature inputs from multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments, generated from those partnerships that have submitted a progress report through the Partnerships for SDGs online platform.