Convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is the UN’s central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The HLPF is an important entry point for civil society to monitor governments commitments, progress, and setbacks in the implementation of the SDGs, as well as advocate for equitable, evidence-based, and sustainable HIV and human rights responses in development.
Each year, the HLPF takes place in New York to review global, regional, national and subnational progress on the SDGs. Through the Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS), particularly the LGBTI Stakeholder Group, LGBTI and HIV advocates can engage in HLPF processes prior to, during, and after the HLPF. Country governments can elect to participate in a Voluntary National Review (VNR) of SDG implementation and present a VNR report during the HLPF. The VNR reporting process is a unique opportunity for civil society and communities to input into and offer a different perspective on SDG implementation at the national and subnational level.
Inclusion of human rights and development needs unique to LBGTI people, key populations, and people living with and affected by HIV is crucial for the realization of the promise to ‘leave no one behind.’ Please view the below information and resources about the HLPF:
The 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, and High Level Political Forum:
- Agenda 2030 for LGBTI Health & Well-Being. This briefing paper argues for a global health and development approach that is inclusive of LGBTI people by detailing the current data and data gaps in an in-depth review of the Targets in Goal 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages).
- Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 for All: Linking HIV, Key Populations, and Human Rights: This brief analyzes five targets within Goal 16 and explains how progress in these areas is essential to ending HIV, to protecting and respecting human rights, and to achieving the ambitious 2030 Agenda. Insufficient attention has been given to the ways key populations are implicated in this Goal, and this brief outlines the ways that discriminatory and punitive policies, violence, lack of inclusive and participatory decision-making, and restrictions to fundamental freedoms and access to information create serious barriers to the realization of SDG 16 for criminalized populations.
- To Achieve Sustainable Development Goal 17, Invest in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria: This brief outlines the ways that replenishment of the Global Fund can serve as a model for achieving the broader call for Universal Health Coverage and achieving the 2030 Agenda. This year the Global Fund is seeking a replenishment of US$14 billion to sustain its work through 2022, and donors should realize the complementarity of Replenishment and Goal 17.
- Advocacy Update for the 2019 HLPF
- Centering LGBTI Health and HIV at the [2017] HLPF
Voluntary National Reviews of Sustainable Development Implementation:
- Make Your Voice Heard in Your Country’s VNR: this short info sheet highlights opportunities for civil society engagement in SDG reporting, including key concepts for creating parallel reports.
- Getting on Track in Agenda 2030: this paper presents an overview of the VNR process and assesses the inclusion of HIV and key populations in 2017 VNR reports, as well as case studies from governments and civil society on engagement in the VNR process.
- Using Voluntary National Reviews to Keep HIV on the Global Health & Development Agenda: this paper assesses inclusion of a variety of HIV and key population related topics in 2018 VNR reports and includes case studies about government and civil society participation in VNR consultation and parallel reporting processes.
- Webinar Recording from February 2020 on the VNR civil society reporting process, including testimonies of activists from Azerbaijan and Indonesia who completed parallel reports in 2019.
Civil Society Parallel Reports to Voluntary National Review of Sustainable Development:
- Malawi 2020, Center For the Development of People (CEDEP): Civil Society Parallel Report of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Implementation in Malawi
- Kyrgyz Republic 2020, Kyrgyz Indigo (KI): LGBT+ Inclusion to Sustainable Development Goals Agenda – LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND | ВКЛЮЧЕНИЕ ЛГБТ+ ЛЮДЕЙ В ПОВЕСТКУ ЦЕЛЕЙ УСТОЙЧИВОГО РАЗВИТИЯ – Никого не оставить позади.
- Tanzania 2019: Civil Society Parallel Report of the Voluntary National Review of SDG Implementation in Tanzania
- Indonesia 2019: Indonesian Civil Society Organisation Parallel Report 2019 on Sustainable Development Goals