UNITED NATIONS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Government officials, representatives from civil society, and private sector partners on Monday gathered at the UN headquarters in New York under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to address the pressing need to reinvigorate efforts towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The ambitious set of objectives agreed on in 2015 for people and planet have been "derailed" by the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating global crises, according to the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition published on Monday.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the world has undergone significant changes, and progress towards the SDGs is falling behind due to financial, energy, food, and humanitarian setbacks exacerbated by geopolitical tensions, the report said.
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) takes place at the mid-point in pursuit of the 2030 Agenda. Focusing on ways to accelerate global recovery, it will lay the groundwork for the crucial SDG Summit scheduled for September 2023.
Addressing the HLPF's opening session at the UN General Assembly Hall, Lachezara Stoeva, Bulgaria's permanent representative to the UN and current president of ECOSOC, described this annual HLPF as "the opportunity to build political momentum for the summit, as well as identify key policy priorities to be addressed."
The forum, running from July 10 through 19, will be basing its work on two key documents: the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report and the Special Edition of the Secretary-General's SDG Progress Report.
The COVID-19 pandemic set back gains made towards realizing the SDGs by decades, and, if present trends persist, by 2030, a staggering 575 million people will remain trapped in extreme poverty, according to the new UN report.
Average global mean temperatures have already risen around 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and are likely to reach or surpass the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius tipping point by 2035.
The forum will conduct in-depth reviews of several SDGs. This time there will be dedicated sessions scrutinizing SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation; SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy; SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure; SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and SDG 17 on partnerships for the goals, and the ways they all interlink.
In addition to reviewing the overall progress of the SDGs' implementation, the participants of the forum will closely examine the support required by countries with specific needs in attaining the goals. This includes addressing the challenges faced by Small Island Developing States and African countries and identifying appropriate assistance measures.
A special effort, the ECOSOC president noted, would be made to "include the voices of youth in our deliberations." "We need their wisdom, energy and dedication to confront the challenges we are facing," she said.
It is impossible to track the course of the SDGs unless solid data from countries is received. That's why the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) prepared by individual states are at the heart of SDG implementation, review, and follow-up.
During the forum, representatives from 39 countries will deliver their VNRs. Notably, the European Union will also present its report, marking a significant milestone for both the EU and the HLPF, as described by Stoeva.
"This is the objective of our deliberations this year, and we must not lose sight of it," said Stoeva. ■
