UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to focus on accelerating progress on 2030 Agenda
The UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will take place in New York between 7 and 15 July. The purpose of the annual meeting is to review the progress made in achieving the objectives of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Finland’s delegation will be led by Mika Nykänen, State Secretary to Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.
Global progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is significantly behind schedule. Despite good progress on some of the SDGs, only just over one third are on track to achieve their targets or making moderate progress. Nearly half of the SDGs are progressing too slowly, or not at all, while some are regressing.
The theme of the 2026 meeting will be ‘Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all’. The HLPF will conduct in-depth reviews of the following SDGs: clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); clean and affordable energy (SDG 7); sustainable industrialisation, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9); sustainable cities and human settlements (SDG 11); and global partnership and cooperation (SDG 17), which is reviewed annually.
Finland emphasises the importance of international multilateral cooperation in, and stronger political commitment to, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The HLPF is an opportunity for Finland to demonstrate its commitment to advancing the jointly agreed SDGs and to highlight Finnish solutions that support their implementation .
This year, the Finnish delegation will focus on water-related themes. In connection with the meeting, Finland will host two receptions dedicated to water issues and actively participate in HLPF dialogues and events on the theme. Finland will co-chair, together with Zambia, the Water for Cooperation dialogue on transboundary water cooperation at the UN Water Conference in December 2026. The conference is an important platform for advancing the 2030 Agenda.
The Finnish delegation will consist of representatives of central government from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Prime Minister’s Office. The UN Global Compact Network Finland, the 2030 Agenda Youth Group and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters will also join the delegation.
Inquiries:
Jenny Haukka
Team Leader, coordination of the 2030 Agenda
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
tel. +358 295 350 585
Taru Savolainen
Secretary-General of the National Commission on Sustainable Development
Prime Minister's Office
tel. +358 295 160 304
Kaisa Arkkila
Desk Officer, sustainable development and the least developed countries
tel. +358 295 351 003
Annika Lindblom
Ministerial Adviser for International Affairs
Ministry of the Environment
tel. +358 295 250 163
Email addresses are in the format [email protected].