Preparing for the 2027 Review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Including the SDGs

This side event at the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), like several others over the next two weeks, is aimed at building momentum towards the 2027 Heads of State meeting on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It is a pleasure to put together this event with WWF International

Last year, under a UNEP/EC grant, Stakeholder Forum prepared eight primers on eight different Sustainable Development Goals in preparation for the seventh UN Environmental Assembly.

The eight include four that are being reviewed at the 2026 HLPF: 

• SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, 
• SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy, 
• SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, and 
• SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals.

The additional SDGs addressed in the primer are SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water, and SDG 15: Life on Land.

There are few people who were around when Rio+20 and the Open Working Group on the SDGs (2013-2014) took place, so the Stakeholder Forum focused on key components to help today's stakeholders as they prepare for the review. These include:

• Challenges and progress
• Targets and indicators
• How the SGD fits into the UNEP Medium Term Strategy
• Relevant linkages with other SDGs
• Key science reports
• Funding for the SDG
• Key partnerships and commitments
• Just Transition
• Key dates
• Stakeholder bodies engaged in this SDG

This side event examines the challenges and progress on the 4 SDGs for the HLPF 2026, to help stakeholders develop their engagement in the 2027 process of reviewing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It will also promote the idea that for each of the eight SDGs addressed in the primer, one should be profiled each month in the run-up to the 2027 HLPF.

An overarching goal of the side event is to contribute to building a positive approach and mobilization towards 2027 and beyond 2030.

Of course, I would suggest that if you haven’t read the book Negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals, which I co-wrote with David Donaghue and Jimena Leiva, it is very worth reading because it explains how they came about, and as we move to 2030, it will help you to understand what was possible.

Of course, this was when we were going through a much more progressive time period. The possibility of a new agenda now would be very difficult, so we hope for a focus not on new goals but on accelerating implementation, and that, if there are any missing targets, they will be supported by indicators we are already measuring.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Accord need to be realized, and the 2027 Summit offers us a platform to build momentum to achieve them.

To leave you with a Bobby Kennedy quote from 1968

"Some people see things as they are and ask why? We see things that should be and ask why not!! "