The meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development in 2020 was held from Tuesday, 7 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This included the three-day ministerial meeting of the forum from Tuesday, 14 July, to Thursday, 16 July 2020. .
The theme was “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development “.
The HLPF annual meeting is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In the 2020 HLPF, participants debated where we stand on the SDGs in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. They reflected on how the international community can respond to the pandemic in a way that puts us back on track to achieve the SDGs and accelerate progress during the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development. This year’s HLPF was mostly organised online, instead as of a large forum hosted in New York.
North Macedonia and Slovenia carried out Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
47 countries carried out voluntary national reviews (VNRs) of their implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the 2020 HLPF from Friday, 10 July to Thursday, 16 July 2020.
For this purpose, ERA and its member organisations from North Macedonia and Slovenia previously submitted Spotlight reports on the position of LGBTI persons in North Macedonia and Slovenia. Biljana Ginova from North Macedonia was also given the opportunity to provide a statement on behalf of the civil society from North Macedonia. This was among the very first times LGBTIQ inclusion was so prominently addressed and included in the general questions and points to be addressed by Member States going through Voluntary Reviews.
For more details on VNRs, please click here.
LGBTI Stakeholder Group delivered its first Position Paper
The LGBTI Stakeholder Group is a formally recognized entity within the Major Groups and other Stakeholders structure since 2019, composed of global, regional, and national civil society organizations and activists concerned about the inclusion of LGBTI people and SOGIESC issues in the 2030 Agenda. Major Groups and other Stakeholders (MGoS) are integral to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, through projects, initiatives, advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda. MGoS often work in partnership with other sectors, including governments.
The LGBTI Stakehoder Group delivered it’s first Position Paper, which ERA also contributed to, and is accessible here.
UN LGBTI Core Group Issued a Statement for the HLPF 2020
The UN LGBTI Core Group delivered a statement on the importance of including LGBTI persons in the development agenda. The Core Group highlighted that the goal of leaving no one behind can “only be achieved if all relevant stakeholders offer support and opportunities for all, including LGBTI persons, without discrimination and without violence of any kind, in full respect of their human rights, fundamental freedoms and dignity.”
LGBTI-related side events
Two major LGBTI-related side events were organised during the HLPF 2020:
1. Sustainable development for LGBTI people in times of Covid-19
This was the official side event of the LGBTI Stakeholder Group during the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2020.
2. A decade for action: Leaving no one behind and LGBTIQ inclusion
This event hosted a group of leading LGBTIQ activists from diverse contexts talking about LGBTIQ inclusion in the Agenda 2030 to mark the ongoing High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)
 
If you want to learn more about engagment with 2030 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, check ERA’s Guideline to Sustainable Development Goals.