Expert Group Meeting Emphasises the need to link HLPF to NCSDs

On the 30 April-1 May, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) held a meeting on agenda setting for the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) at UN Headquarters in New York. The purpose of the expert group meeting (EGM) was to provide room for discussion on how the HLPF could best achieve effective agenda-setting for sustainable development in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The session involved panel discussions, discussions with experts and keynote presentations.

Over the course of the two days, stakeholders delivered presentations and thoughts on the role of the HLPF in facilitating implementation, integration and monitoring of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. During the meeting it was suggested that the HLPF must be coordinated with other actors and mechanisms in the broader sustainable development landscape, including National Councils for Sustainable Development, with post-2015 providing a key opportunity to build linkages between the HLPF and national-level institutions such as these.

Other important points highlighted in the meeting included: the need for all stakeholders to be involved in holding governments and international actors accountable for progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the HLPF well placed to enforce monitoring and sanctions. A "robust and inclusive" HLPF review system should include monitoring and assessment by stakeholders, and the creation of spaces for future multi-stakeholder conversations.

The session was held in preparation for the first meeting of the HLPF which is planned for July 2014 under the guidence of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

To read IISD’s coverage of the session, click here