Highlights for Wednesday, 17 July 2019
As 16 countries present their VNRs, questions remain as to whether we will be able to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
At the HLPF on Wednesday, 16 countries presented voluntary national reviews (VNRs) during two sessions, in the morning and afternoon. VNR presentations were made by Central African Republic, eSwatini, Iraq, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Tonga, South Africa, Rwanda, Kuwait, New Zealand, Chad, Ghana, Israel, Timor-Leste, Tanzania, and Vanuatu.Meanwhile, the General Debate continued in parallel throughout the day, with 73 Heads of State, Heads of Government, ministers, and ambassadors making statements, which can be accessed here.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from HLPF 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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Voluntary National Reviews
Mona Juul, Vice-President, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Félix Moloua, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation, Central African Republic
Tambo Gina, Minister for Economic Planning and Development, eSwatini
Nouri Al-Dulaimi, Minister of Planning, Iraq
George Gyan-Baffour, Minister for Planning, Ghana
Gale Rigobert, Minister of Education, Gender Relations, Innovation, and Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia
Zeev Elkin, Minister of Environmental Protection and of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Israel
Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Minister without Portfolio in charge of Demography and Population Policy, Serbia
Semisi Lafu Kioa Sika, Deputy Prime Minister, Tonga
Philip Mpango, Minister of Finance and Planning, Tanzania
Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Minister of Tourism, South Africa
Craig Hawke, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the UN
Claudine Uwera, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Rwanda
Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Timor-Leste
Issa Doubragne, Minister of Economy and Development Planning, Chad
Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Kuwait
Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and External Trade, Vanuatu
Video presentations are shown as part of the country VNRs.
General Debate
Delegates gather in the Trusteeship Council to listen to the General Debate.
Bocchit Edmond, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cults, Haiti, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Lois Young, Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Julio César Arriola, Paraguay, speaking on behalf of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs)
Hala Helmy El-Said, Minister of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform, Egypt
Maria Ubach Font, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andorra
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran
Francis Kai Kai, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Sierra Leone
Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Malaysia
A delegate listens to the discussions from the gallery.
Around the Venue
Delegates speak informally at the start of the session.
Kehkashan Basu, World Future Council
Danilo Arsenijevic, Serbia
President Thomas Esang Remengesau, Palau
Rafael Da Soler, Brazil
Delegates speak informally between sessions.
A delegate reads the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) to keep up to date with the meeting's proceedings.
An exhibition hosted by Singapore shares information on innovative waste systems.
