The United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) was created in 2012 to follow up and review the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The HLPF replaced the Commission on Sustainable Development. The first meeting of the Forum took place on September 24, 2013. Currently, the Forum meets annually under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council for eight days. The HLPF’s focus pertains to the General Assembly resolution 70/299 and works to advance its goals. The Forum promotes the sharing of best practices relating to the implementation of sustainable development and provides political guidance and recommendations for sustainable development.

With just five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community has felt pressure to meet the goals and indicators initially set in 2012. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are far from completion, with 37 percent of the SDGs’ targets experiencing no progress or having regressed. Disease outbreaks, global protests, armed conflicts, and other events have changed how people understand the world, making some of these goals seem unattainable. The SDGs for 2045 are now under construction. While the progress of the 2030 Agenda is still relevant, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) must also focus on building the next set of goals that will define humanity and the path of the United Nations in the future. In addition to creating the 2045 Agenda, the HLPF is an action-oriented platform that guides all United Nations member states, who participate through Voluntary National Reviews. With issues like accountability and transparency at the forefront of the next agenda, constructing a more sustainable and inclusive world grows more complex. This is because in this fragmented and divided world, new crises constantly change the way the world operates. Given the pressing task at hand, the delegates of the HLPF have a fundamental role in establishing attainable but ambitious goals for the future of the UN.