Summary
The High-level Segment/ Ministerial Meeting of HLPF 2018 opened on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York. The opening session was followed by two sessions on Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), where 14 countries presented their reports: Ecuador, Kiribati, Lithuania, Mali, Guinea, Greece, Mexico, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Benin, Cabo Verde, Slovakia, Bahrain, Colombia, and Viet Nam. A parallel session in the afternoon included:
- reporting on regional forums;
- an address by the President of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA);
- an introduction to the UN Secretary-General’s reports on the UN Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) main theme and thematic discussion; and
- an introduction to the report of the Committee for Development Policy.
A general debate started on Monday afternoon.
For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
Visit our coverage of selected side events at HLPF 2018
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from HLPF 2018.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Opening of the High-Level Segment of ECOSOC / Ministerial Segment of HLPF
View of the dais during the opening of the high-level segment
Miroslav Lajčák, President of the UNGA
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed
Marie Chatardová, President of ECOSOC
Michelle Yeoh, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and Actress
Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth
Delegates gather for the opening of the High-Level Segment
Voluntary National Reviews
Mahamane A. Maiga, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mali
José Augusto Briones, National Secretary of Planning and Development, Ecuador
Socrates Famellos, Alternate Minister of Environment and Energy, Greece
Teuea Toatu, Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Kiribati
Kęstutis Navickas, Minister of Environment, Lithuania
Delegates watch a video about fabrics made from sustainable wood fibers,
presented by Michelle Yeoh, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador and Actress
Kanny Diallo, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Guinea
Abdullah Naser Lootah, Director General, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, UAE
Luis Fernando Mejía Alzate, Minister of National Planning, Colombia
José da Silva Gonçalves, Minister of Tourism and Transport, and Maritime Economy, Cabo Verde
Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, Minister of State for Planning and Development, Benin
Francisco Guzmán Ortiz, Head of the Office of the President, Mexico
Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Bahrain
Richard Raši, Deputy Prime Minister for Investments and Information, Slovakia
Nguyen The Phuong, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Planning and Development, Viet Nam
Reporting on Regional Forums
Delegates gather in the Trusteeship Council for the report on regional forums
Jerry Matthews Matjila, Vice-President, ECOSOC
Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Georgia
Mame Thierno Dieng, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Senegal
Ghassan Hasbani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Lebanon
Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Cuba
Siim Kiisler, President of UNEA, and Minister of Environment, Estonia
Michael Gerber, Special Envoy for Global Sustainable Development, Federal Department for Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
General Debate
View of the dais during the general debate
José Antonio Ocampo, Chair, UN Committee for Development Policy (CDP)
Sahar Nasr, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, Egypt, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China
Alicia Beatriz Pucheta de Correa, Vice-President, Paraguay, speaking on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs)
Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, EU
President Thomas Esang Remengesau Jr., Palau, speaking on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Around the Venue
Sergio Bergman, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Argentina
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed speaks with delegates
Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs, speaks with Juan José Gómez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN
Erik Solheim, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, and Jamil Ahmad, UNEP
Reinaldo Salgado, Brazil, speaks with a delegate
Delegates from Kyrgyzstan
Delegates from Jamaica
Delegates from Guinea
Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Sahel
Delegates between sessions
An exhibition about the New Urban Agenda and the 'Right to the City' encourages people to understand the
linkages between SDGs, and how these relate to creating sustainable cities
