In times like these, simply refusing to lose sight of the long-term goals in the fight for a better world takes courage. Despite the backlash against the global sustainability agenda, government representatives and stakeholders gathered from 7 to 15 July 2026 at the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) to discuss progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its future. This blog presents the key insights that have emerged from the conference.

The global sustainable development agenda remains a unifying force in UN-based multilateralism

Despite the adverse circumstances, the global sustainable development movement is very much alive. 36 countries presented Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Progress was also documented through numerous local sustainability reports (Voluntary Local Reviews), as cities and local authorities play a key role in the implementation process. This year’s forum focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 (water and sanitation), 7 (energy), 9 (infrastructure, industrialisation and innovation), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 17 (global partnerships). In the corridors and at side events, initial discussions also took place on scenarios for continuing the process beyond 2030.

The current state of SDG implementation is sobering 

Only 36% of the 139 measurable targets SDG targets are available are on track or showing moderate progress. These findings come from the United Nations’ annual Sustainable Development Goals Report. A further 46% show only marginal or no progress, while 15% have fallen below their 2015 baseline. One in ten people worldwide lives in extreme poverty and 2.3 billion people experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

In view of these figures and the dramatic annual US$4 trillion SDG financing gap, there have been repeated calls for a concerted effort by the international community to accelerate implementation in the remaining four years. 

Of course, there has also been progress since 2015. Amid overlapping global crises, the world would be a much worse place without the collective efforts that have pushed forward the 2030 Agenda. For example, by 2026, for the first time, more than half of the world’s population is covered by at least one social protection benefit even though coverage remains highly unequal. There have also been improvements in the health sector, in the supply of clean drinking water, in access to electricity and in the fight against child and maternal mortality.

Key voices were missing from the broad participatory process

The HLPF and the SDG implementation depend on the participation of the Major Groups. The 2030 Agenda brings together 21 different interest groups that are relevant to the shaping of global sustainability policy. They include civil society organisations, youth groups, Indigenous Peoples and representatives of local authorities.

Due to funding cuts, restrictive visa policies and an overall shrinking space for the participation of non-governmental organisations, key stakeholders – particularly those from the so-called Global South – were absent this year.

The US remains largely isolated in rejecting the global sustainability agenda

The adoption of the ministerial declaration the at the conclusion of the HLPF’s three-day ministerial was eagerly anticipated. It is usually adopted by consensus. 

In 2025, a showdown occurred when the US insisted on a vote and, together with Israel, voted against the declaration. In 2026, there was no such row; the document was adopted by consensus. But this doesn’t mean that the US has fundamentally changed its position and will endorse the process in the future.

Overall, new research presented in this year’s Sustainable Development Report shows that UN General Assembly resolutions on sustainable development generally enjoy broad support, and that the US and Argentina are the only countries that regularly oppose them.

The focus is on the (insufficient) means of implementation

Unsurprisingly, the US$4 trillion financing gap is the central theme of the ministerial declaration. In 2025, funding for official development assistance fell by almost a quarter, returning to its 2015 level. 

The declaration therefore emphasises the urgent need for reforming the international financial architecture, providing substantial debt relief and improving access to affordable finance as part implementing the commitments under the Seville Process. 

However, the declaration makes no mention of reform proposals that aim to mobilise additional funds through improved taxation of multinational corporations and the ultra-wealthy, such as those currently being discussed in the negotiations on a UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

What happens next?

Whoever succeeds António Guterres as Secretary-General of the United Nations at the end of the year will be judged on their ability to generate new momentum for the 2030 Agenda.

We can only speed up if international trade and financial relations as well as local production systems support sustainable development The HLPF itself is annual. The General Assembly-level SDG Summit takes place every four years -- the next one in 2027. By then at the latest, decisions will need to be made on how the process should continue. The challenges are immense, and time is running out.