39 Nations Set to Present Progress on Sustainable Development Goals at 2025 UN Forum

In July 2025, 39 countries will deliver their voluntary national reviews (VNRs) to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), with most countries presenting their third VNRs. Guatemala, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Qatar will be among the few presenting their fourth reviews, while no nations are scheduled for a first-time presentation.

UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President Bob Rae shared the final list of presenters in a letter dated October 7, 2024. Twelve nations, including Angola, Bulgaria, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, the State of Palestine, and Suriname, are preparing their VNRs for the second time. Meanwhile, twenty-three countries, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, and Japan, will present their VNRs for a third time.

Rae noted in his letter that VNRs are traditionally presented at the ministerial level, with further logistical details to follow. The UN Secretariat will also reach out to participating countries soon with arrangements for the initial preparatory workshop, scheduled for the first week of December.

The HLPF, convening under ECOSOC’s auspices, serves as the UN’s primary platform for sustainable development, with participation from all UN Member States and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs). The theme for the 2025 HLPF will be “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind.” The forum will conduct detailed evaluations of SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals). Notably, SDG 17 undergoes review each year.

To assist countries in preparing their reports, the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is revising its VNR handbook, designed to supplement the UN Secretary-General’s reporting guidelines for the HLPF. This resource will be accessible on the HLPF website.

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