High-Level Political Forum 2021 (HLPF 2021) .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform (un.org)
Microsoft Word - 2021 HLPF Note FINAL_POSTING_4 Jun
The high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) will take place from Tuesday, 6 July to Thursday, 15 July 2021 (including the 3 ministerial days of the forum to be held from 13 — 15 July). The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the worst economic recession since 1930 and inflicted unprecedented human suffering.
The combined social, economic, and health impact of the pandemic has outpaced any other major crisis in recent history. At the HLPF, we will take stock of the impact of COVID-19 on the SDGs. The HLPF will also provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations on how to ensure that the recovery from the pandemic is sustainable and resilient and puts the world on track to realize the 2030 Agenda during the Decade of Action and Delivery.
The HLPF will also review in-depth some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are most closely related to the pandemic, while maintaining a balance between economic, social and environmental dimensions i of sustainable development. The present note outlines key aspects of the programme of the HLPF and its preparations.
The programme of the 2021 HLPF and the High-level Segment of ECOSOC is available on the HLPF 2021 website: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2021. Background: As of April 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had killed more than 3 million people around the world. The pandemic is a human tragedy, and a public health, humanitarian and development emergency, in the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
As a result of the pandemic extreme poverty, hunger, unemployment, inequality and violence are rising; education has been disrupted; men, women and children are confined to their home in many parts of the world, while new phases of the pandemic are unfolding. The poorest and most vulnerable people and countries have been hit the most. The pandemic has set back years of progress made on the global Goals and disrupted development activities for the implementation of the SDGs across the world.
The HLPF will review SDG 1 on no poverty, 2 on zero hunger, 3 on good health and well-being, 8 on decent work and economic growth, 10 on reduced inequalities, 12 on responsible consumption and production, 13 on climate action and 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions. As done every year, SDG 17 on the global partnership for development will also be in focus. In addition, the SDG targets that have 2020 as an end date will be discussed. 2 Countries are still struggling to find the appropriate health response in contexts where adequate treatments, medical supplies and strong health systems are often lacking. Life-saving vaccines have been developed with unprecedented speed.
But the inequalities in access to the vaccines is worsening the gap between the have and have not. Governments of developed countries have been quick to implement stimulus packages, of a large scale whereas many developing countries under unbearable debt burden and unprecedented strain on their development resources finding it difficult to provide relief to their people.
Clearly the measures taken so far full short of response required to fight the pandemic as they have not boosted long-term investments in the SDGs, including in physical and human capital, nor have they created new jobs or sufficiently supported transitions to carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability. In the absence of such investments, a slow recovery risks pushing back realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Economic resilience with new fiscal and debt sustainability frameworks, societal resilience with universal social protection schemes and climate resilience with greater investments in the sustainable infrastructure must be the building blocks of a resilient recovery. Such efforts need to be bolstered by international solidarity so that the world can move to the trajectory of sustainable development.
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