High Level Political Forum 2018
9 – 18 July, 2018
The High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is the United Nations central platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda.The HLPF 2018 was convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and it was held from 9 to 18 July 2017. The forum also included a three-day ministerial meeting from 16 to 18 July 2017.
Under the theme, “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies,” HLPF 2018 reviewed SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnership for the Goals).
For more information on transport and SDGs, please see here.
The Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport (SLoCaT) represents over 90 international organizations that are actively working to promote sustainable transport in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Advocacy to raise the profile of sustainable transport in the 2030 Agenda and its subsequent SDG review process at the HLPF is one of the key priorities of the mandate of SLoCaT.
Since the inaugural HLPF in 2016, SLoCaT has been conducting analyses on the VNRs submitted each year. While only 64% of the 22 VNRs submitted in 2016 contained references to transport (with not all references sustainability-specific), 98% of the 43 submitted VNRs in 2017 have some degree of reference to the transport sector, with 35% of submissions in 2017 giving specific examples to link transport with sustainable development impacts.
SLoCaT continued to track the references to transport in the 47 VNRs submitted to HLPF in 2018. Results of this analysis finds that despite a slight improvement from 2016 and 2017, gaps remain in reporting on transport and its contribution to sustainable development in VNRs submitted in 2018.
In 2018, references to the transport sector have been included in 94% of the VNRs submitted so far (44 out of 47 VNRs). More than 80% of VNRs refer to the role of sustainable transport in achieving the SDGs but only 12 out of 40 VNRs (26%) offer considerable information with specific cases and policy examples on sustainable transport. The majority of VNRs fall short to offer any concrete evidence and policy measures to demonstrate their commitment to achieve sustainable transport. Key findings and the final report are available here.
Transport Events at HLPF 2018
Several sustainable transport events were convened at the HLPF 2018. The Fia Foundation was present with events by the Child Health Initiative and the Global Fuel Economy Initiative. The UN organizations UN-HABITAT, UN Environment and UNCTAD held events on sustainable mobility planned as well.
Please find an overview of all sustainable transport events here.
Other SLoCaT’s Input to the HLPF 2018
Advocacy Letters to VNR Coordinators: Advocacy letters were sent to 24 country coordinators who are responsible for the VNR submissions in 2018. The letter presents the critical role of sustainable transport in achieving the SDGs and give specific recommendations on how to further emphasize the critical role of sustainable transport in SDG implementation through the VNR process during the HLPF in 2018.