Reflecting on the 2024 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
The United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development, held from July 8 to 17, 2024 in New York City, brought together global leaders, experts, and advocates under the banner of “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises.” As the world faces unprecedented challenges, last month’s forum emphasized the urgent need for sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions to ensure a better future for all.
At the heart of this year’s HLPF were the reviews of five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
- Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
- Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
- Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Across 250 associated events, participants reinforced the need to address these complex issues through a multifaceted approach. Key recommendations focused on critical areas such as increasing financing for climate change, reforming the international finance architecture, addressing inequalities and conflict, promoting human rights, alleviating debt, promoting localization of action, and strengthening multilateralism. These recommendations underscore the importance of collective action and global solidarity in the face of slow-progressing goals and growing crises.
The discussions unfortunately highlighted that international progress on SDGs remains slow with setbacks from the pandemic, environmental and social shocks, and conflicts. The Secretary-General’s 2024 SDG Progress Report revealed that only 17% of the SDG targets are on track, with the Asia and the Pacific region projected to achieve none of the 17 Goals by 2030.
Shumei representatives participated in sessions that focused on Goal 2. There was a growing recognition and emphasis on the intersection between the goals from the impacts of poverty on smallholder farmers and communities to the devastating impacts of climate change on agriculture to the transformation of our current food system.
As we look toward the upcoming Summit of the Future in September 2024, we hope that the event will represent a turning point, fostering the global unity and collaboration needed to overcome obstacles and drive meaningful progress.
Fostering communication, peace, and harmony in our global partnerships is essential to protect the health of our planet and achieve international commitments to sustainable development. Through a renewed sense of purpose, collective action, and innovative thinking, we can navigate these turbulent times and build a future where all people and the planet can thrive.
