Review of the Implementation of General Assembly Resolution 72/305 on the Strengthening of the Economic and Social Council : Review of the Implementation of General Assembly Resolutions 67/290 on the Format and Organizational Aspects of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and 70/299 on the Follow-Up and Review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Global Level

A/RES/75/290BView PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda items 14 Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields and 122 Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit, published in 2021.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

3 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited
Subprogramme 1	Intergovernmental support and coordination for sustainable development	21
Programme 16	Economic and social development in asia and the pacific	254
Subprogramme 5	2030 Agenda and SDG coordination	6

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

3 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
Subprogramme 1	Intergovernmental support and coordination for sustainable development	21	—
Programme 16	Economic and social development in asia and the pacific	254	—
Subprogramme 5	2030 Agenda and SDG coordination	6	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Coordination Within UN System Economic Development Social Development Sustainable Development

What’s in this document?

8 operative paragraphs

B

Reaffirms that, in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,⁵ Member States committed to engaging in systematic follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in accordance with agreed guiding principles, including those set out in paragraph 74 of resolution 70/1, and asserted that the high-level political forum on sustainable development would have a central role in overseeing a network of follow-up and review processes of the 2030 Agenda at the global level, working coherently with the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other relevant organs and forums, in accordance with existing mandates;

⁵Resolution 70/1.

Declares that the Economic and Social Council and the high-level political forum on sustainable development should be closely coordinated, in accordance with their respective roles and mandates, to ensure that their interconnected and interlinked work is coherent and mutually reinforcing in supporting the accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda throughout the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development from now to the year 2030;

Notes that the Economic and Social Council is a Charter body of the United Nations and that the high-level political forum on sustainable development is held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly;

Adopts the annex to the present resolution on the review of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, and calls upon the Economic and Social Council and relevant bodies and platforms of the United Nations system to implement the provisions contained therein in an expeditious manner;

Decides that the arrangements contained in the present resolution and its annex shall be reviewed at its seventy-eighth session, in conjunction with the review of the Economic and Social Council, in order to benefit from lessons learned from the previous cycles of the high-level political forum on sustainable development as well as from relevant processes under the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda;

Reiterates its decision that the review of the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council at subsequent review cycles shall be in conjunction with the review process of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, while recognizing their distinct roles and mandates;

Recalls its decision contained in resolution 74/298, and decides to agree at its seventy-seventh session on the annual theme of the 2024 session of the Economic and Social Council and the 2024 high-level political forum on sustainable development and the set of Goals to be reviewed by the high-level political forum in 2024, without prejudice to the full review of the Council and the high-level political forum to be conducted in conjunction with each other at the seventy-eighth session;

Decides that all mandates contained in resolutions 67/290 and 70/299 shall remain in effect unless updated or replaced in the present resolution or subsequent resolutions of the General Assembly and that the mandates contained in the present resolution and its annex should be implemented starting with the 2022 high-level political forum on sustainable development and its preparations.

Annex I

Review of the implementation of General Assembly resolutions 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the high-level political forum on sustainable development and 70/299 on the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level

The high-level political forum on sustainable development, consistent with its universal intergovernmental character, shall provide political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development, follow-up and review progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development⁶ in its entirety and other sustainable development commitments, and enhance the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced, holistic and cross-sectoral manner at all levels, while also addressing the pledge of leaving no one behind. It should have a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda, ensuring the appropriate consideration of new and emerging challenges and mobilizing further actions to accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

⁶Resolution 70/1.

The General Assembly reaffirms its resolutions 67/290 of 9 July 2013, 70/299 of 29 July 2016 and 74/298 of 12 August 2020 and the central role of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, established in the 2030 Agenda, in overseeing the follow-up and review of the Agenda at the global level, while also contributing to knowledge-sharing and creating synergies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

In accordance with the political declaration of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit (high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly), held on 24 and 25 September 2019,⁷ the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level should support the accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals through the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.

⁷Resolution 74/4, annex.

The principles established in the 2030 Agenda for guiding follow-up and review processes at all levels, including those set out in paragraph 74 of the Agenda, should continue to be implemented at all levels. Accordingly, follow-up and review processes at all levels will be guided by the following principles:

They will be voluntary and country-led, will take into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and will respect policy space and priorities. As national ownership is key to achieving sustainable development, the outcome from national-level processes will be the foundation for reviews at regional and global levels, given that the global review will be primarily based on national official data sources;

They will track progress in implementing the universal Goals and targets, including the means of implementation, in all countries in a manner which respects their universal, integrated and interrelated nature and the three dimensions of sustainable development;

They will maintain a longer-term orientation, identify achievements, challenges, gaps and critical success factors and support countries in making informed policy choices. They will help to mobilize the necessary means of implementation and partnerships, support the identification of solutions and best practices and promote the coordination and effectiveness of the international development system;

They will be open, inclusive, participatory and transparent for all people and will support the reporting by all relevant stakeholders;

They will be people-centred, gender-sensitive, respect human rights and have a particular focus on the poorest, most vulnerable and those furthest behind;

They will build on existing platforms and processes, where these exist, avoid duplication and respond to national circumstances, capacities, needs and priorities. They will evolve over time, taking into account emerging issues and the development of new methodologies, and will minimize the reporting burden on national administrations;

They will be rigorous and based on evidence, informed by country-led evaluations and data which is high-quality, accessible, timely, reliable and disaggregated by income, sex, age, race, ethnicity, migration status, disability and geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts;

They will require enhanced capacity-building support for developing countries, including the strengthening of national data systems and evaluation programmes, particularly in African countries, least developed countries, small island developing States, landlocked developing countries and middle-income countries;

They will benefit from the active support of the United Nations system and other multilateral institutions.

The preparations of the high-level political forum and its programme and proceedings, including the thematic reviews and the voluntary national reviews, shall reflect the universal, integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, and give due consideration to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development,⁸ the Paris Agreement⁹ and the outcomes of other major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields, in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

⁸Resolution 69/313, annex.

⁹See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex.

The high-level political forum shall strengthen peer learning and implementation, by providing sufficient time for the sharing of best practices and experiences relating to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and, on a voluntary basis, the sharing of knowledge and advice, including on successes and challenges. It will address the interlinkages between the global, regional, national and subnational levels of the implementation and review of the 2030 Agenda, building on the regional forums on sustainable development, preparations for voluntary national reviews and expert and other preparatory meetings leading to the high-level political forum.

The high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, shall continue to review a set of Goals and their interlinkages, including with other Goals, at each session, representing the three dimensions of sustainable development, with a view to facilitating an in-depth review of progress made on all 17 Goals over the course of its four-year cycle. Means of implementation, including with respect to Goal 17, shall be reviewed annually, including based on the outcome of the Economic and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up.

The high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council shall strengthen its analysis of the interlinkages across the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, including policy implications of their synergies and trade-offs, and of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, while also addressing issues cutting across the 2030 Agenda and the Goals as well as the principle of leaving no one behind. While respecting its universal intergovernmental character, the high-level political forum will continue to involve Governments, as well as the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, parliamentarians, local governments, women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, civil society, non-governmental organizations, business and the private sector, the scientific and academic community and other major groups and relevant stakeholders.

The high-level political forum will strive to strike a balance between giving greater attention to interlinkages across the Goals and targets and ensuring in-depth reviews of individual Sustainable Development Goals. To better address the synergies and trade-offs across the Goals, the high-level political forum shall also bear in mind, each year, areas in which measures to achieve the Goals can have the greatest and most transformative impact across multiple Goals and targets, building on policy and scientific analysis.

The high-level political forum shall strengthen the science-policy interface to support actions by policymakers and other stakeholders with solid evidence on progress and challenges in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the related policies. To this end, it will also examine documentation, bringing together dispersed information and assessments, including through the Global Sustainable Development Report, building on existing assessments, and enhancing evidence-based decision-making. It will give dedicated attention to issues related to the availability of data and the strengthening of capabilities for data collection and analysis.

For the remainder of the current cycle of the high-level political forum, the themes shall be:

For 2022: Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;

For 2023: Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels.

For the remainder of the current cycle of the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, the sets of Sustainable Development Goals to be reviewed in-depth shall be:

For 2022: Goals 4, 5, 14, 15 and 17;

For 2023: Goals 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17.

In 2022 and 2023, the high-level political forum shall take into account the different and particular impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across all Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2022 and 2023, the high-level political forum will also maintain the integrity of the 2030 Agenda and ensure continuous action on the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals with a 2020 timeline, while keeping track of and taking fully into account the related ongoing intergovernmental processes to allow updated targets to reflect a suitable level of ambition for 2030.

In 2022 and 2023, the high-level political forum shall also promote and review the implementation of the intergovernmentally negotiated political declaration adopted at the 2019 Sustainable Development Goals Summit (high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly), as well as intergovernmentally negotiated ministerial declarations adopted by the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, so as to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

In the conduct of the thematic reviews, the high-level political forum could consider the inputs to the high-level political forum from intergovernmental bodies and forums, including relevant multi-stakeholder forums, and, as appropriate, the findings, research, data and recommendations from the United Nations system, as well as those emanating from the expert preparatory process organized by the Secretariat, and expert and scientific sources such as the Global Sustainable Development Report and the Technology Facilitation Mechanism that strengthen the science-policy interface.

The high-level political forum shall dedicate adequate time to review progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda in countries in special situations, especially with regard to the Sustainable Development Goals under review and their interlinkages, particularly in African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations. The dedicated thematic sessions for countries in special situations in previous high-level political forums must be maintained and the circumstances and challenges of countries in special situations should also be addressed throughout the high-level political forum thematic reviews. Specific challenges facing middle-income countries should also be considered.

Countries presenting voluntary national reviews are encouraged to report on their progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, consistent with the provisions of the 2030 Agenda and resolution 67/290. While bearing in mind the voluntary and country-led nature of voluntary national reviews and previous experience with presentations of such reviews, countries may wish to share best practices and experiences, including successes, challenges, gaps and lessons learned, as well as next steps. Such forward-looking accelerated action could also inform voluntary national review country contributions to the SDG Moment, convened by the Secretary-General in September. Countries having already conducted a voluntary national review could consider, during the next review, highlighting trends, areas of progress, remaining challenges and, as much as possible, the impact of measures taken since the last review.

While reaffirming the voluntary nature of the voluntary national reviews, countries are encouraged to conduct a review once during the four-year cycle of the high-level political forum at their convenience, including countries in special situations. Countries that have not yet conducted a voluntary national review are encouraged to do so, bearing in mind their capacities and national circumstances.

The President of the Economic and Social Council and the Bureau of the Council shall consider ways to allocate as much time as possible to the voluntary national reviews during the high-level political forum in order to strengthen interaction, substantive discussion and peer learning. Based on the voluntary national reviews, countries at the high-level political forum are encouraged to continue to share their own experience and lessons learned, constructive feedback and ideas to accelerate progress. Countries conducting voluntary national reviews may also continue to provide written answers after the high-level political forum if they so wish, in case time was too short for them to provide detailed answers during the forum. The participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders in the discussion of the voluntary national reviews at the high-level political forum should continue to be ensured as mandated in resolution 67/290 and the 2030 Agenda. Countries conducting voluntary national reviews should be given priority for organizing forum side events, on a voluntary basis, outside of the main sessions of the forum.

In the 2030 Agenda it was decided that the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council shall carry out regular reviews, in line with resolution 67/290. Reviews will be voluntary, while encouraging reporting, and include developed and developing countries as well as relevant United Nations entities and other stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector. They shall be State-led, involving ministerial and other relevant high-level participants. They shall provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders. The essential role of national parliaments in implementation and review is also acknowledged through their enactment of legislation and adoption of budgets and their role in ensuring implementation and accountability at the national level for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Countries are encouraged to work towards strengthening the evidence, science, evaluation and data basis for their voluntary national reviews, which may require enhanced national statistical capacities to address the gaps in data on the 2030 Agenda, and to obtain high-quality, timely, reliable, disaggregated data and statistics. Support should be provided for building such capacities in developing countries.

Countries are also encouraged to continue the practice of using the Secretary-General’s voluntary common reporting guidelines as a suggested tool in preparations for voluntary national reviews. The Secretary-General is requested to update these guidelines, as appropriate, notably with a view to strengthening analysis and evidence-based reporting on all Sustainable Development Goals and on the 2030 Agenda as a whole, and taking into account feedback from countries participating in the high-level political forum and the lessons learned from the forum, and to make them available to Member States.

Countries are further encouraged to participate in the various preparatory processes for the voluntary national reviews organized by the Secretariat and other relevant partners, as well as in the voluntary national review labs and other side events during the high-level political forum which may allow them to continue the interaction on their reviews or discuss specific themes from the reviews with other countries.

During the preparation of the voluntary national reviews, countries, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations and other stakeholders in a position to do so are invited to provide support to countries that request it for the conduct of their review.

To improve the follow-up to the voluntary national reviews, countries, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations and other stakeholders are invited and encouraged to launch partnerships and provide support, including capacity-building, to voluntary national review programme countries, at their request and in consultation with them, in order to help them to address the challenges related to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The United Nations development system is invited to support the follow-up to the voluntary national reviews in developing countries, at their request, including by addressing gaps and challenges in implementation identified by the reviews in implementing United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks where possible.

Countries may use the voluntary national reviews as a voluntary, effective and integrated follow-up and review framework to raise awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals and their efforts and progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The regional forums on sustainable development convened by the regional commissions make an important contribution to the preparations of the high-level political forum and to peer learning and knowledge exchange in the regions. The regional forums shall feed into the thematic reviews and the interaction on the voluntary national reviews at the high-level political forum. They are encouraged to prepare the thematic reviews of the high-level political forum and discuss regional progress, challenges, gaps and approaches as well as best practices, emerging issues and innovative ideas to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to continue to strengthen regional capacity-building and networking. The regional forums are also encouraged to enhance peer learning and exchange of experiences among countries during the preparation of the voluntary national reviews and to discuss and follow up on issues arising from the reviews, while avoiding overlap with the high-level political forum. They should also provide adequate space for stakeholder participation.

The high-level political forum should continue to strengthen the attention given to the outcomes of the regional forums in its proceedings and intergovernmentally negotiated declaration, with inputs from the regional commissions and other regional and subregional entities as needed, while improving cross-regional dialogue and incorporating regional dimensions in its reviews. The regional forums are encouraged to submit their respective reports as early as possible to ensure a timely consideration by the high-level political forum.

In recognition of efforts by local authorities to conduct local reviews, the high-level political forum should continue to strengthen the attention given to efforts to bolster local action to accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, in accordance with national circumstances, policies and priorities, and the regional forums are encouraged to discuss trends and findings from voluntary local reviews.

The meetings of the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council shall continue to be informed by the annual progress report of the Secretary-General on the Sustainable Development Goals based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level as well as other relevant inputs. The Secretary-General is invited to consider including in the progress report on the Goals information on data gaps and capacities and options to address the capacity gaps, as well as to explore reporting on the interlinkages among the Goals under review that year, while maintaining the statistical nature of the report. The progress report on the Goals should be available early each year in order to inform the intergovernmental negotiations of the declaration in the run-up to the high-level political forum. The Global Sustainable Development Report will also continue to be presented to the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the General Assembly every four years. The President of the Economic and Social Council and the Bureau of the Council are encouraged to invite the scientists preparing the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report to participate in the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the Council in 2022 and 2023, including to bring new and emerging issues related to the 2030 Agenda to the attention of the forum. The advance unedited version of the progress report on the Goals should be available in April to support the negotiations on the ministerial declaration and the advance unedited version of the Global Sustainable Development Report should be available in March to inform intergovernmental negotiations on the political declaration of the 2023 meeting of the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the General Assembly (Sustainable Development Goals Summit).

Thematic reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, including cross-cutting issues, at the high-level political forum, shall continue to be supported by inputs from the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council and other intergovernmental bodies and forums which should reflect the integrated nature of the Goals as well as the interlinkages between them. The thematic reviews shall also continue to engage all relevant stakeholders.

The intergovernmentally negotiated declaration of the high-level political forum should be concise, focused, action-oriented and forward-looking, outlining priority areas for accelerated action. It should demonstrate the shared political will of all countries to implement the 2030 Agenda. The high-level political forum will continue to have only one negotiated political declaration covering the different but complementary functions of the forum when the forum is convened twice in the same year.

The meetings of the high-level political forum convened under the auspices of the General Assembly (Sustainable Development Goals Summit) shall begin on the first day of the general debate or the Monday before the opening of the general debate of the Assembly to maximize their visibility and impact. In the year preceding the Summit, the United Nations system should focus its global public communication efforts on the 2030 Agenda. The Secretary-General is encouraged to use the annual SDG Moment to highlight inspiring action on the Goals, in the context of the general debate of the General Assembly and with the participation of Heads of State and Government. The SDG Moment will not be held in years when the high-level political forum meets under the auspices of the Assembly.

Reaffirming the provisions stipulated in paragraphs 14, 15 and 16 of resolution 67/290 on the participation of the major groups and other relevant stakeholders in the high-level political forum, the forum should ensure broad, effective and balanced participation of a diverse and inclusive range of major groups and other relevant stakeholders in all aspects of its work, including the voluntary national reviews, including through the use of information technology and innovative web-based interface as an additional means for participation, while retaining the intergovernmental nature of the forum. Countries could consider including major groups and other relevant stakeholders in their delegations at the forum, as done by some countries in the past.

Major groups and other relevant stakeholders are called upon to continue to report on their contributions to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as provided for in paragraph 89 of the 2030 Agenda, and the Secretariat shall continue to compile and make available the documents from major groups and other relevant stakeholders, as provided for in paragraph 15 (d) of resolution 67/290, presented by major groups and other stakeholders on the theme of the high-level political forum.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

B

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