I had the privilege of attending the 2024 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations during the month of July. I first participated in this event last year.
The theme for this year’s forum was “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and Eradicating Poverty in Times of Multiple Crises: The Effective Delivery of Sustainable, Resilient, and Innovative Solutions.” This year, five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were highlighted.
The States that were invited to report this year included: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belize, Brazil, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Kenya, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Palau, Peru, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
The official opening of the forum took place in the General Assembly Hall, featuring a performance by a local orchestra, on Monday, July 8th. That week, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) hosted events from 8:00 AM until late evening, both in-person and virtually. These excellent meetings highlighted the significant work being carried out by numerous NGOs.
The official Ministerial Opening of the HLPF 2024 occurred the following Monday, July 15th, chaired by H.E. Ms. Paula Narváez, President of the Economic and Social Council. We tried to attend the relevant Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) from Brazil, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, Peru, Spain, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Although South Sudan was among those to participate in the VNR for the first time, they ultimately did not attend the forum.
Approximately 90 Heads of State and government officials were present. Civil Society’s response to these government reviews involved what are known as Major Groups and Other Stakeholders (MGOS), who actively contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through various initiatives such as knowledge-sharing, advocacy, and monitoring the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past 30 years, the UN has recognised that achieving sustainable development requires engagement from all sectors of society. These participants are collectively referred to as the “Major Groups,” which include Women, Children and Youth, Indigenous Peoples, Non-Governmental Organisations, Local Authorities, Workers and Trade Unions, Business and Industry, Scientific and Technological Community, and Farmers. Our group falls under the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and is known as the Faith-Based group.
Approximately 1,000 MGOS and NGOs were represented, resulting in 13 special events and 13 Voluntary National Review (VNR) Labs; around 236 side events (162 in-person and 74 virtual) and about 14 exhibitions. Given the plethora of events, we aimed to attend those most relevant to our interests. Janet and Sarah were involved in hosting some side events, with a hybrid presentation format that allowed those unable to attend in person to provide input.
During this busy week, we had the opportunity to engage with the Justice Coalition of Religious (JCOR), an organisation of Religious Orders involved in the UN. This provided us with a space to reflect, share insights, and pray together each evening. Throughout the Forum we also had the opportunity to network and engage with people from all the different groupings, both at the various events and between meetings.
We managed to set up a meeting once again this year with the Irish Permanent Mission. During our discussions with Ambassador Mythen we covered many issues and looked at how we can network into the future.
Author: Fionnuala Lynch IBVM
