ABSTRACT
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the United Nations’ main political body for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It meets annually under the Economic and Social Council, and quadrennially, at head of state or government level, under the UN General Assembly. Despite its mandate and institutional status, the HLPF lacks independent resources, legal decision-making authority, and enforcement capability. It must therefore govern indirectly through orchestration: enlisting public and private actors with resources and direct levers of influence as intermediaries. Strengths identified in the HLPF’s first cycle include participation in Voluntary National Reviews, providing a platform for discussion and learning, and generating momentum for the 2030 Agenda. Reform proposals include more action-oriented political declarations; improved “thematic reviews” of SDG implementation, based on evidence-based inputs such as the Global Sustainable Development Report; greater civil society participation, specifically in voluntary national Reviews; and improved learning and dissemination of best practices.
