The Ministerial segment of the 2025 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) kicked off in the morning. In his opening remarks, Bob Rae, President, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), stressed that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “are not optional ideals but essential commitments,” and even more so at this time of crisis. While decrying how diminished national budgets are making it harder for the UN to tackle global challenges, Rae stressed that “it does not make it impossible,” and challenged all countries to demonstrate that multilateralism can deliver tangible benefits.
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the successful conclusion of three recent global events – the World Health Assembly, the UN Ocean Conference, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) – are not isolated wins, but signs of momentum that demonstrate that “multilateralism can deliver.” Noting that countries have presented more than 400 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) at the HLPF to date, he said the VNRs are a testament to our commitment to the SDGs as a template for joint learning to accelerate the 2030 Agenda.
Philémon Yang, President, UN General Assembly, suggested that the HLPF can be a platform for implementation policy, guided by science and evidence in the spirit of global solidarity and collaboration.
Carolina Rojas, representing Children and Youth, stressed that sustainable development requires equitable distribution of resources and power, calling for a multilateral framework to address unsustainable debt, and long-term financial support to grassroots organizations, who are “the first to respond, and last to get paid.”
During the high-level General Debate, which continued for the rest of the day under the overall theme, “UN@80: Catalyzing Change for Sustainable Development,” more than 70 ministers and other high-level representatives of Member States, regional groupings and interest groups delivered statements.
In addition to outlining national SDG progress, many speakers welcomed the Sevilla Commitment adopted at FfD4 as a sign of renewed commitment to multilateralism, with some speakers pointing to links with the Ocean agenda and upcoming events, including the second World Summit for Social Development and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for advancing women’s rights, as opportunities to accelerate a fair and just transition.
In the afternoon, presentations of VNRs continued in parallel to the General Debate, with six more countries (El Salvador, Malta, Thailand, Czechia, Israel, and Papua New Guinea) presenting their VNRs.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For HLPF 2025 please use: Photo by IISD/ENB - Kiara Worth
Opening of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC and the Ministerial Segment of the HLPF
Delegates gather in the UN General Assembly hall for the start of the High-level Segment
Bob Rae, President, ECOSOC
Philémon Yang, President, UN General Assembly
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Carolina Rojas, Technology Focal Point, Major Group for Children and Youth's Science-Policy Interface
General Debate
The General Debate continued in the UN General Assembly hall
Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland
Muhammad Ali Tamim, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, on behalf of the G-77/China
Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda
Tomáš Taraba, Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia
Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan
Delegates listen to the interventions
Guylain Nyembo Mbwizya, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Coordination of Development Aid, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment, Saint Kitts and Nevis, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Zhecho Stankov, Minister of Energy, Bulgaria, on behalf of the Group of Friends on Children and SDGs
Shiva Raj Adhikari, Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission, Nepal, on behalf of Least Developed Countries (LDCs)
Faisal Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning, Saudi Arabia
Darragh O'Brien, Minister of Climate, Energy and the Environment, Ireland
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, Canada
Anar Guliyev, Chairman, State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, Azerbaijan
Leslie Urteaga, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, Peru
Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative of Palestine to the UN
VNR Presentations
The VNR presentations continue throughout the afternoon
Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
Thailand's VNR highlights their progress in achieving the SDGs
Malta's VNR highlights their five strategic goals to achieve the SDGs
Francine Pace Caruana, Director for Sustainable Development, Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness, Malta
Francisco Martínez, Technical Coordination Specialist, National Council for Sustainable Development, El Salvador
El Salvador's VNR highlights their progress in transitioning to renewable energy
Katherine Kline, Older Persons Stakeholder Group
Claxton Duberry, Antigua and Barbuda
Sandra Castañeda Martínez, Women's Major Group
Asad Awawdeh, State of Palestine
Bereket Fesehatsion Tesfamariam, Ethiopia
Joseph Schechla, NGO Major Group
Chitsanupong Nithiwana, LGBTI Stakeholder Group
Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Delegates listen to the VNR presentations
Papua New Guinea's VNR highlights the work they are doing to promote sustainable agriculture to support SDG efforts
Ano Pala, National Planning Minister, Papua New Guinea
Petr Kulhánek, Minister of Regional Development, Czechia
Czechia's VNR highlights how they are including elderly people in their SDG efforts
Israel's VNR highlights their efforts to promote care within the country
Rami Rozen, Director General, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Israel
Around the Venue
National flags fly outside UN Headquarters as the High-level Segment of HLPF 2025 begins
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, UN Secretary-General's Office
Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs
Nico Pampier, South Africa
Ahmed Ouda, Major Group for Children and Youth
UN Security presides over the meeting
