HLPF 2023 is now over and we want to thank all of those who joined in person and everyone who participated from close or far. It was such a pleasure to finally meet in person and see the newest members and older members of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders constituencies introduce themselves to each other. We also want to thank those who supported us from afar, you were essential to the smooth running of the whole forum.
HLPF 2023 was an opportunity to connect, exchange, discuss, analyze, and think together, but also to plan the next steps toward 2030 together as well as the upcoming junction points, namely the SDG Summit.
The program was rich: main events, side events, VNR sessions, special events all to say so many occasions for the MGOS to be present, deliver statements, work on the Political Declaration, and connect together and with the Member States and all stakeholders, to forward our political agenda and priorities.
We would like to esp ecially thank The VNR Task Group, Events Task Group, Selection Task Group, Advocacy Task Group, as well as all others who contributed with their endless efforts to ensure that we had a successful and seamless HLPF 2023!
Additionally, Mackenzie Jensen, from Together 2030, for the tireless support in handing out badges and facilitating speakers during the week and Maria Aïcha Boumedienne, from the LGBTI Stakeholder Group Secretariat, for supporting us in this summary as well as to all others who contributed with their endless efforts.
See you very soon and we wish you all a great rest after a fruitful and energizing HLPF!
Best regards, Mabel, Ajay and Rashima
MGOS Morning Meetings
During the two weeks, we had early morning meetings to share and discuss with MGOS members and constituents the main issues of the day. The meetings were facilitated and led by the MGOS Co-Chairs with support from the wider CM. This allowed for sharing of important information, advocacy opportunities, as well as gave us all a chance to get to know one another. We also had to coordinate the distribution of badges for each MGOS, clarify how to enter some spaces and make sure everyone was able to access the rooms, were in place for delivering statements, and to lead overall coordination amidst a week of many moving parts.
These morning meetings were not just technical but an important way to bring together our stakeholders to foster support and capacitate each other to feel more empowered during the HLPF.
MGOS’ Interventions from the Floor
MGOS constituencies were able to make at least 2 statements in every official session of the HLPF, putting forward collective as well as individual priorities concerning the themes of the sessions. This ensured that civil society and stakeholder views were heard by Member States and all others in the room. Statements delivered and these opportunities were shared between all constituencies participating. All statements will be made available on the MGOS website (mgos.org) as well as through UNDESA.
Meetings with different governments, the President of ECOSOC, UN DESA and many more
We had the opportunity to meet with multiple Ambassadors, key decision-makers, individuals from the Secretariat, and others. For instance, we met with the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland who gave us an update on the closed informal meetings, and the modalities for the SDG Summit and who requested for us MGOS to share proposals about the Political Declaration for the next day.
The Co-Chairs met with the current and incoming President of ECOSOC, strengthening our relationship with the Presidents and putting forward our priorities, ensuring continued close collaboration and engagement.
The MGOS also met with the Ambassador of Germany and discussed the Summit of the Future (SotF), while trying to gain transparency and clarity. There was much conversation happening after to discuss MGOS participation in the SoTF, to call for more inclusive ways of working and to ensure that MGOS voices are actively sought and engaged in the process while recognizing that neither all MGOS nor Member States have alignment on the SoTF process.
MGOS Main Event
We had a very successful main event “Perspectives from major groups and other stakeholders at the mid-point of the SDGs: Towards inclusive transformation”, where we discussed the impacts of COVID-19, the priority areas and transformative actions as well as well as the policies to overcome crises’ impacts and resume SDG progress. The session was very good in terms of participation, since the room was full, including active participation from governments, who also echoed the sentiments of the MGOS, many of which echoed the importance of civil society. It was great to hear so many voices representing different regions and we note that it was very good to have the participation of the Special Rapporteur of the Right to Development.
MGOS Side Event
Our side event “Recovery and Sustainable Development from the Margins: MGOS perspectives and demands at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda” was held on the last days of HLPF with a timider room-filling, but nonetheless, a great conversation that unpacked multiple systemic barriers to achievement of the SDGs, elevated MGOS perspectives and demands and fostered and encouraged solidarity among regions and communities engaging in the 2030 Agenda process.
Voluntary National Reviews
The VNR sessions were spread over a number of days this time, starting on Friday 14th July and extending through Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th. There were 39 reports this year as Syria withdrew from the VNR presentation but within the 39 there was also a report from the European Union, the first time that there has been a ‘regional’ level Voluntary Review.
A speaker from the MGOS was called for every VNR but there was a move to only ‘in person’ presentations so some speakers were adjusted to those who were present in New York. There was a very good balance of speakers from different regions, ages and different stakeholder groups, as well as a great gender balance and diversity of speakers. The speakers were briefed by the MGOS VNR Task Group in regular evening and morning sessions. Many member states did take the time to respond to the questions raised by MGOS in the main sessions and there were several follow-up discussions with a number of government representatives on how to continue the momentum back at country level. The final statements and questions are being shared on the MGO website and will also be submitted to UN DESA for inclusion on the official HLPF website.
SDG Summit
The MGOS have been doing active outreach to Member States, conducting bilaterals and ensuring that the priorities of the MGOS continue to be heard, as well as our concerns, in the draft text of the Political Declaration, which went under silence procedure on the 19th of July. The MGOS prepared an advocacy document, which was distributed, to push forward our specific recommendations and requests for changes in the document. While there are many improvements to the text now, and recognizing the great engagement of MGOS in the informals and with the Co-Facilitators directly, there is much more work to be done on the language of the document.
We met with colleagues from UNDESA to also better capture and encourage MGOS participation and engagement at the SDG Summit itself, and the weekend prior to the Summit, which will be named “SDG Mobilization & Action Weekend” from September, 16th to 17th 2023. The MGOS will have a session during the weekend, on the 16th, and are pushing for civil society inclusion, especially from the MGOS during the official SDG Summit.
The MGOS CM needs to act fast to prepare for our session on the 16th as well as to put forward our application for a side event, this is of urgency.
Important information about the SDG Summit and the program is now available on the website. Please be sure to continually check the website as it is being updated on an ongoing basis.
The current program can be found here. However please note that the program is still in flux and is being amended continually.
Key Events and Engagement of Constituencies (as added by each constituency themselves)
All MGOS position papers for HLPF 2023 are available here.
Workers and Trade Unions Major Group
Main HLPF 2023 highlights from the Workers and Trade Unions Major Group are available here.
Women’s Major Group
Interventions from the Women’s Major Group members at HLPF 2023 can be found here.
The main side events & special events co-organized by the Women’s Major Group are:
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Effective partnership at all levels: The Public Investments We Need for the People and the Planet
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Menstrual Health Rights: Looking at SDG 6 from the Lens of Gender Equality (co-hosted with Permanent Mission of Spain and WECF)
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SDGs Learning, Training and Practice Session 10: Gender-Responsiveness in Partnerships for the SDGs: consultations, tools, strategies and approaches to overcome barriers towards gender equality (co-hosted with WMG, Mediators Beyond Borders International, Center for Gender, Migration and Justice, Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy)
Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM)
Interventions from the APRCEM constituency at HLPF 2023 can be found here.
The main side events & special events co-organized by the APRCEM constituency are:
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Debt, Austerity and Women’s Human Rights: Addressing systemic barriers at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda on 13th July, 7:30am NY time via zoom. This side-event aimed to unpack the systemic barriers and challenges in the context of the multiple systemic crises and how it further impedes women’s human rights and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
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APRCEM official virtual side-event on “Change the System, Shift the Power: Addressing Structural and Systemic Barriers for Transformative Change” on 19th July, 7:30pm NY time via zoom. The side event tried to explore the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs, and why it is crucial to address structural and systemic barriers to achieve full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
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APRCEM Women’s Constituency with WMG had an outdoor action at the park near the UN building held on 18th July. Constituency members showed solidarity by wearing coloured scarves and holding placards from their region with calls of our feminist demands for development justice.
LGBTI Stakeholder Group
It was the LGBTI Stakeholder Group’s first in-person participation at the HLPF. The Stakeholder Group participated in several internal meetings, delivered 5 statements from the floor, attended sessions reviewing SDGs, organized successfully one side-event, attended one event on the sidelines of HLPF 2023 “ Standing in the shoes of LGBTQI+ Communities: Important Stories on Inclusive SDG Implementation for all.”, met with multiple Governments and Ambassadors and finally moderated the official session of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders, (Recovery and Sustainable Development from the Margins: MGoS perspectives and demands at the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda).
Interventions from the LGBTI Stakeholder Group can be found here.
The side-event co-organized by LGBTI Stakeholder Group was:
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“Promoting Diverse and Inclusive Societies: Overcoming Barriers to Water, Sanitation, Housing, Transportation, and Public Facilities for LGBTI Communities”.
ECE Regional Civil Engagement Mechanism (ECE-RCEM)
- ECE-RCEM conducted an onlin Side Event: “Are We Complacent? Halfway there, nowhere near in the ECE Region. Taking stock by the Mid-term of the 2030
- Organized a meeting with Mr. Dmitry Mariyasin, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretar