News
By Elena Marmo
As the global community coalesced to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in September 2020 under the shadow of COVID-19, Member States in their Declaration A/RES/75/1, made commitments to strengthen the multilateral system and set forth plans to “build back better”. Among the tools to do so, as recognized by UN leadership and Member States, are the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their importance is highlighted by marking 2020 as the start of the Decade of Action, the final 10 years to achieve the SDGs, as well as the widespread recognition that COVID-19 is threatening to reverse development gains over the past decade. Also, in September during the GA, Member States reacknowledged their pledge to achieve gender equality by recommitting to the Beijing Platform for Action.
However, even before the COVID-19 crisis, after five years of SDGs implementation, the world is not on track to achieve the goals nor has any country fully achieved gender equality. The Global Sustainable Development Report 2019 (GSDR 2019) emphasized that much more is needed – and quickly – to bring about the transformative changes that are required.
It is now within this context that Member States will conduct the HLPF Review Process, negotiating an outcome to inform the next cycle of the HLPF. Along with a diverse group of CSOs through the Women’s Major Group, Global Policy Forum presents a concrete proposal for reimaging the HLPF and broader sustainable development architecture.
The HLPF is not only mandated to provide political leadership and guidance, but also to enhance integration of economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It has the responsibility to address new and emerging sustainable development challenges—and in doing so, to investigate and remove structural barriers in achieving the SDGs. The WMG assessment on HLPF uncovers major gaps in addressing these structural impediments and offers meaningful processes throughout the follow up and review cycle.
Within the WMG HLPF Review Position Paper, you can find WMG’s concrete proposals to review and change the monitoring and review of the 2030 Agenda for holistic, interlinked and strong implementation of the SDGs and to transform the systemic issues that are hindering a just and equitable sustainable development.
You can read the position paper here.