SDGs Knowledge Hub. The UN Secretariat has published the programme for the July session of the 2026 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The annual meeting is held under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). HLPF 2026 will convene under the theme, ‘Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs for a sustainable future for all.’
It is scheduled to take place from 7-10 July and 13-16 July at UN Headquarters in New York, US, including the three-day ministerial segment from 13-15 July, held jointly with the ECOSOC high-level segment, which will conclude on 16 July.
The HLPF and the high-level segment of the Council will result in a negotiated ministerial declaration. Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone Michael Imran Kanu and Permanent Representative of Albania Suela Janina are facilitating informal consultations on the ministerial declaration.
Dated February 2026, the programme indicates that following an opening session, the first week of the HLPF will be dedicated to in-depth review of: SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation); SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy); SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure); and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The four review sessions will also explore how we can strengthen the means of implementation and partnerships (SDG 17) to achieve these Goals.
The first week will also include a series of thematic discussions that will address: accelerating SDG achievement in African countries, least developed countries (LDCs), and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs); strategies for SDG success in small island developing States (SIDS); and strengthening alliances for SDG implementation through multi-stakeholder engagement for the 2030 Agenda.
The presentation of voluntary national reviews (VNRs) will begin on Friday, 10 July, and continue through week two, concluding on Wednesday, 15 July. Thirty-six countries will conduct VNRs. These are Albania, Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Egypt, Estonia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kiribati, Liberia, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Norway, Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, Switzerland, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Tanzania, and Uruguay.
During the second week, the three-day ministerial segment will convene jointly with the ECOSOC high-level segment, from 13-15 July. It will include the general debate and a review of messages from the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA). On Tuesday, 14 July, participants will hear regional perspectives on SDG implementation regarding strategies that can be used to mobilize regional action and leverage regional frameworks to support countries in ensuring acceleration for SDG achievement. The HLPF high-level segment will conclude with the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration on Wednesday, 15 July 2026.
The morning and afternoon sessions of the ECOSOC high-level segment on 16 July will reflect on ‘Way Forward to 2030 and Beyond’ and on ‘Transformation from the Ground Up: Acting at Local Level.’ In the afternoon, the Council will adopt the Ministerial Declaration.
During the HLPF, VNR “labs,” special events, and side events will also take place. [HLPF 2026]
