For this year’s High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, numerous Forus members and partners will be actively participating both in New York and remotely. From our new report on inclusive governance, to several events and campaigns, this article highlights some of the collaborative initiatives undertaken by Forus members and their partners. 

Overview 

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from Monday, 8 July, to Wednesday, 17 July 2024, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The theme will be "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”. 

The 2024 HLPF will review several Sustainable Development Goals in-depth, including SDG 16 and SDG 17, which are crucial for the Forus network. SDG 16 focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, ensuring justice, and building effective institutions. SDG 17 aims to strengthen global partnerships and enhance the means of implementation for sustainable development.  

Forus launches new report on SDG16 and inclusive governance 

On July 9, Forus, TAP Network, UNDP, and the governments of Uganda and Nepal will host a side event at the High-Level Political Forum in New York, titled "From Margins to Mainstream: Achieving SDG 16 through Inclusive Decision-Making." This event will address the global erosion of trust in institutions, which undermines progress towards SDG 16. 

The event will coincide with the launch of the Forus report with global examples from across the membership, "Rebuilding Trust for Inclusive Governance – At the Core of Unlocking SDG 16", which will also take place online on July 8. Participants will include Forus members, civil society partners, UN institutions and governments, discussing challenges, sharing best practices, and outlining actionable recommendations for effective SDG 16 implementation. The focus will be on diagnosing the trust deficit, showcasing inclusive decision-making, and highlighting the critical role of civil society in supporting and pushing for transparent, accountable, and effective governance. 

Forus is also participating to this year's 16 Days for #SDG16 coodinated by our partner the TAP Network. The campaign runs from June 27 till July 12 with the mission of creating spaces for dialogue on how to promote more peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Learn more here.

Support to Forus members whose governments are presenting their Voluntary National Review 

We find ourselves at a pivotal moment. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, established in 2015, set forth a vision to create a world that is just, peaceful, and prosperous. Yet, the 2024 Special Edition of the SDG Progress report delivers a stark reality check. The world faces significant challenges in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by the target year of 2030.  

At this year’s HLPF, several governments in countries where Forus members are active, have expressed interest to carry out voluntary national reviews of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda including: Brazil, Chad, Colombia, Congo (Republic of the), Honduras, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe. 

As part of our Support pillar focused on capacity-strenghtening with impact, from Uganda to Mexico, Forus is supporting several of its members with the monitoring and implementation of the Agenda 2030. From producing shadow reports, to participative awareness campaigns on the SDGs, discover some of the projects carried out by Forus members here.  

UNMute initiative

In 2020, UNMute launched as a collaborative effort between member states and civil society to highlight and expand the shrinking civic space at the UN. 

As civil society organizations closely following UN processes, we are concerned about the preparatory process for the Summit of the Future. As a follow-up to the UNMute 2020 recommendations to ensure meaningful civil society participation at the United Nations, we continue to advocate for inclusive and participative UN processes. The HLPF will be an opportunity to continue sharing our collective statement for meaningful civil society participation at the Summit of the Future. Furthermore, side-events will be the opportunity to continue hearing about the challenges civil society may have faced to participate at the UN as well as good practices and recommendations for practical steps to enhance participation. Input will help create a “How to UNMute Manual” with concrete, practical and operational guidance tool for Member States who strive to deliver networked, inclusive and effective outcomes and approaches to participation at the United Nations.