2016 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2016)
Ensuring that No One is Left Behind

The 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) concluded on Wednesday, following two sessions on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) in the morning, a session on “Prospects for the future: projections, scenarios and new and emerging issues” in the afternoon, and the general debate. A Ministerial Declaration focusing on the theme of “Ensuring that no one is left behind” was adopted during the closing session, after the retention of a paragraph relating to the Paris Agreement on climate change was put to vote. 141 countries voted to retain the paragraph, one voted against, and three Member States abstained, and the Declaration was adopted with the paragraph intact.

On Tuesday morning, two sessions of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) took place at the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). In the afternoon, a special address by UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon was followed by another session of VNRs, and the general debate.

Following the opening of the Ministerial Segment on Monday, participants at the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) discussed “Main messages from first HLPF week: our starting point.” This was followed by keynote speeches and panel discussions related to the meeting’s theme of “Ensuring that no one is left behind,” on: “Reaching the most vulnerable;” “Challenges of countries in special situations;” and “Unlocking means of implementation (MOI) for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and creating an enabling environment.” A general debate took place at the end of the day.

Sessions on Friday focused on the theme of “From inspiration to action: Multi-stakeholder engagement for implementation” at the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). In the morning, discussions took place on “Ensuring that no one is left behind – the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by Major Groups and other stakeholders,” and “Multistakeholder approaches at the national level – the opportunity to enhance follow-up and review by engaging Major Groups and other stakeholders.” In the afternoon, a discussion on “Regional experiences” was followed by the wrap-up session, concluding the discussions of the first week.

The 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) started with panel discussions on “National mechanisms for monitoring progress and reporting on implementation for the achievement of SDGs” and “Making the 2030 Agenda deliver for SIDS, building on the SAMOA Pathway” on Thursday morning. In the afternoon, discussions took place on “Countries in special situations.”

On Wednesday, the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) started with panel discussions on “Creating ownership at the national level” and “Mainstreaming SDGs into national policies, plans and strategies and integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development” in the morning. In the afternoon, discussions took place on “Vertical cooperation – local authorities and national governments working together for implementation of the 2030 Agenda” and “Challenges in mobilizing means of implementation at the national level (Financing, Technology, Capacity building).”

The second day of the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) continued with two panel discussions related to the theme of “Ensuring that no one is left behind” in the morning. Discussions took place on “Food security and sustainable agriculture, climate action, sustainable oceans and terrestrial ecosystems – adopting a nexus approach” and “Creating peaceful and more inclusive societies and empowering women and girls.” In the afternoon, a discussion took place on “Science-policy interface: New ideas, insights and solutions.”

Following an opening plenary, the first day started with a session on “Where do we stand at year one” of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015. This was followed by three sessions related to the 2016 HLPF theme of “Ensuring that no one is left behind,” on: “Envisioning an inclusive world in 2030”; “Lifting people out of poverty and addressing basic needs”; and “Fostering economic growth, prosperity, and sustainability.”