High-level Political Forum

• CIVICUS at the 2023 UN High Level Political Forum  

  

  Without civil society, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would not be possible. Civil society actively contributes to each of the goals, while also fulfilling an important watchdog role in the monitoring of government commitments. That’s why every July civil society representatives from around the world attend the UN High Level Political Forum in New York, the governance body for the SDGs. This year’s meeting took place from 10-19 July, 2023 and represented the halfway point between the adoption of the global goals and their 2030 deadline. Very few of the goals are on track and some targets, including commitments to protect civic freedoms are regressing below their 2015 baseline.

  In particular, five of the SDGs were under review at the meeting:

  • Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
  • Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
  • Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
  • Goal 11: Sustainable citieis and communities
  • Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals

  38 countries presented their Voluntary National Reviews at the 2023 meeting while civil society presented their own progress reports (see the halfway report by the TAP Network). CIVICUS’ interventions had an emphasis on Goals 16 and 17, which specifically relate to civil society’s important role in sustainable development. Key targets in focus for us to include:

  SDG Target 16.7. Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels SDG Target 16.10 Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms (see CIVICUS’ ratings on how UN members are protecting fundamental freedoms) SDG Target 17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

  Across each of these targets, attacks on civil society and civic freedoms are threatening adequate progress. During HLPF 2023 CIVICUS participated in roundtables organized by the Action for Sustainable Development coalition and the Transparency, Accountability and Participation network. We also co-organised a side event organized by the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and Denmark on the Unmute Civil Society initiative. Further, we participated in a civil society roundtable at the South Korean Permanent Mission on SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. We also engaged with the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on civic and democratic participation in Agenda 2030.

  The next big moment for the Sustainable Development Goals is scheduled for 18-19 September, at the second UN SDG Summit to be held in New York.

  Read More

  • [Article] ‘It’s Time UN Turned Ideas to ‘UNMute’ Civil Society into Action’
  • [Article] Agenda 2030: Why civic participation is key to meeting UN sustainability targets
  • [Campaign] UN SDG Action Campaign (mobilisation activities for 15-25 September)
  • [Grant] Host an event in September to mark the anniversary of the SDGS
  • [Event] Global Peoples Assembly from 17-18 September in New York
• Crowdsourcing the Post- 2015 Development Agenda

  With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals fast approaching, the United Nations is already planning its post-2015 agenda. But rather than looking inward, it has partnered with various civil society organizations, including Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and CIVICUS, to produce The World We Want 2015, a website that encourages discussion, solicits opinion and crowdsources on a global level. The conversations will be moderated, synthesized and presented to a high-level panel that will formulate an agenda based on this global feedback.

  Read more at The Independent

• Harmonisation, Participation and Coherence are Key to Realising the 2030 Agenda

  By Mandeep Tiwana and Tor Hodenfield 

  Two challenges – overlapping reporting requirements and less than universal compliance with human rights obligations – could be addressed by involving civil society more meaningfully in substantive processes. Furthermore, it is essential that positions on human rights matters that are taken at the UN Human Rights Council are followed up at the UN General Assembly and, most importantly, are implemented at the local level.

  Read on: International Institute for Sustainable Development

• UN Members States Begins Negotiations on HLPF

  In the first informal meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on establishing the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF), Members States and Permanent Observers convened to discuss its format and organizational aspects.

  
  The consultation took place on 30 January 2013, at UN Headquarters in New York, US, convened by the two co-facilitators for the process, Cesare Maria Ragaglini, Permanent Representative of Italy, and Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Permanent Representative of Brazil. The consultation followed from the decision at the June 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) "to establish a universal, intergovernmental, high-level political forum, building on the strengths, experiences, resources and inclusive participation modalities of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), and subsequently replacing the Commission."

  Noting that the HLPF was one of the key outcomes of Rio+20, Ragaglini said the meeting should allow delegates to express their initial views on modalities and format of the HLPF. He requested, inter alia, conducting the negotiations in an inclusive and transparent manner and avoiding reopening agreements reached in Rio. He said that Major Groups will be engaged in the process and negotiations should be concluded by May 2013, in order for the HLPF to start at the beginning of the 68th session of the UNGA.

  Read more at Sustainable Development Policy &  Practice

• Unanswered Questions: How Civil Society’s Contributions to Sustainable Development are Undermined at the HLPF

  By Lyndal Rowlands, CIVICUS UN Advocacy Officer 

  As Colombia joined 45 other countries in New York last month to review progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda, four grassroots activists were killed as they fought for sustainable development in Colombian communities. A question posed by an Indigenous representative to the government about such killings – of which there were more than 100 last year – went unanswered, illustrating the many layers at which civil society is obstructed from meaningful participation in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, from the local level to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

  Read on: International Institute for Sustainable Development