Stakeholder engagement and inclusion of those left furthest behind are key principles of the 2030 Agenda. The follow-up and review of its implementation is supposed to be ‘open, inclusive, participatory and transparent’, ‘support the reporting by all relevant stakeholders’ and ‘be people-centred, gender-sensitive, respect human rights and have a particular focus on the poorest, most vulnerable and those furthest behind’ (A/RES/70/1, paragraph 74).
The annual High-level Political Forum (HLPF) is the main platform within the United Nations for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2019 saw the completion of the first four-year cycle of HLPFs, leading to the first review of the modalities of the Forum itself in 2020.
These modalities include two resolutions codifying the structure and operational rules that govern the HLPF, as well as the thematic focus for each year of a cycle. The review also provides an opportunity to discuss improvements of guidelines and practices that are not regulated by resolutions but still have an impact on the HLPF’s form and function.
This paper series aims to provide reflections on how the HLPF process can become more inclusive of a broad range of stakeholders and more purposefully focused on the implementation of the principle of leaving no one behind.
