On July 9-19, the UN Headquarters hosted the Third High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the High-Level ECOSOC segment. The events were attended by delegations from over 140 countries, including representatives of governments, civil society, business and academic community as well as international organisations.

The Russian interdepartmental delegation included representatives from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Energy and the Federal Agency for Forestry. It is headed by Deputy Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Andrey Chibis.

The HLPF is the main international venue for discussing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) and for reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a global level. This year, 46 countries presented voluntary national reports on their progress in implementing the goals and tasks of the 2030 Agenda. The focal points at the forum included the following SDGs: 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 15 (Life on Land, that is, preservation of the ecosystems), and 17 (Partnership for the Goals).

During the general discussion, Head of the Russian delegation Andrey Chibis described Russia’s experience in ensuring sustainable development at the national, regional and international levels. He emphasised Russia’s willingness to continue enhancing its contribution to international development (the full text is published on the website of Russia’s Permanent Mission at the UN Headquarters in New York).

Mr Chibis held bilateral meetings on the forum’s sidelines with ECOSOC President Marie Chatardova, the heads of the New York affiliates of UN agencies, and the heads of the delegations of a number of UN member states. During the meetings, the participants exchanged views on implementing SDG 11 and their experience in creating sustainable infrastructure and promoting urban development.

On Ms Chatardova’s invitation, member of the Eurasian Economic Commission Board (Minister) on the main areas of integration and macro economy Tatyana Valovaya took the floor as the main speaker at the special session devoted to the contribution of UN regional commissions and regional associations to achieving the SDGs.

About 200 themed events on major issues of sustainable development were held in the HLPF framework. Under UN programmes and in cooperation with UN agencies, Russia co-organised an event on partnerships in promoting international development, as well as events on cooperation in the Arctic, enhancing traffic safety and the contribution of forest management to the creation of sustainable communities.

Following the forum, the participants adopted a ministerial declaration. The next forum will be held in July 2019 and be devoted to SDG 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), 13 (Action on Climate Change) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).