The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The HLPF takes place at United Nations headquarters in New York City each year in July to conduct regular, in-depth reviews of global progress on the SDGs. The HLPF brings together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments and a wide range of expertise and stakeholders from the UN, academia, and civil society, and includes presentations by countries on their progress in advancing and implementing the SDGs (known as Voluntary National Reviews). Learn more on how progress for the SDGs remains alarmingly off-track.
In 2025, the HLPF will be convened from Monday, July 14th through Wednesday, July 23rd. This year's HLPF theme is “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind”.
Hundreds of events are typically organized during the HLPF, including main stage formal proceedings at the UN and numerous "side-events" organized by civil society groups and others. With the localization of the SDGs recognized as an important approach at the UN, we've included below a selection of HLPF events with a focus on localization available for the public to attend in-person or online:
- July 10 & 11 (online), VLR-VSR Days - A global gathering about unlocking the power of Voluntary Local and Subnational Reviews (VLRs and VSRs) to drive SDG localization forward. The event brings together key stakeholders to tackle a crucial question: How can VLRs and VSRs evolve from bold commitments into long-term strategies that accelerate systemic, inclusive and locally-led SDG action?
- July 16, 3-5pm (in-person), Local 2030 Coalitions Special Event- A spotlight on how local action is accelerating progress on the six SDG transitions, showcasing localization as a driver of systemic transformation through multilevel collaboration, policy alignment, and inclusive participation.
- July 17, 4:30-6pm (in-person), Transformation from the ground up: Acting at local level - A showcase of successful local and regional approaches to accelerating sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the SDGs, including discussion on the enablers of these successes and how local action can be expanded to accelerate SDGs progress.
- July 18, 9-1 EDT (in-person), Annual Meeting of the Partnership Platform Localizing the SDGs - An operational initiative designed to accelerate the localization of the SDGs at the country level through the promotion of National SDG Localization Frameworks and the identification of high-impact projects at the local level. The meeting will explore experiences and lessons learned, focusing on multilevel governance and policy coherence and practical solutions around data, finance, and capacity-building to improve SDG delivery.
The Local Futures team will not be attending the HLPF in-person this year, though we plan to in 2026 and 2027.
For more information about Canada's role at the HLPF, follow the Government of Canada's SDG Unit or reach out at Programme2030-2030Agenda@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.