On 19 July 2018, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) ended. This forum drew attention to numerous challenges: hunger in the world is increasing, the water crisis is alarming, natural disasters and conflicts are fostering poverty… Despite this disturbing state of affairs, the HLPF produced little in the way of commitments or new actions.
Elisabeth Hege wrote down her takeaways in a blog on IDDRI website:
- Thematic discussions at the HLPF have little added value;
- The HLPF is a weak monitoring mechanism;
- Good practices exist but their impact needs to be evaluated.
The litmus test for the HLPF will come in 2019, when the Forum will be placed under the aegis of the UN General Assembly. Who will take the lead for action?
Image courtesy of United Nation ESCAP via Flickr
