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Regional Forum on Sustainable Development

The Regional Forum is a valuable multi-stakeholder platform for SDG solutions, organized by UNECE in close cooperation with the Regional UN System. The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) follows up on and reviews the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UNECE region. Focusing on practical value-added and peer learning, it creates a regional space to share policy solutions, best practices and challenges in SDG implementation and helps identify major regional and subregional trends.
As an intergovernmental mechanism, the Regional Forum is convened by UNECE, in close cooperation with the regional UN system. It is open to the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, civil society, academia and the private sector.


Regional Forums for Sustainable Development
The United Nations Regional Commissions have a significant role to play in promoting sustainable development in their respective regions by promoting peer learning and cooperation, as well as effective linkage among global, regional, subregional and national processes to advance sustainable development.
The five Regional Commissions convene Regional Forums for Sustainable Development in the regions which support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including its follow-up and review process, and provide regional inputs to the High Level Political Forum (HLPF).

 

Background: Regional Forums accelerate actions to realize the SDGs

In the run-up to the 2019 High-level Political Forum, each of the five UN Regional Commissions convenes a multi-stakeholder forum in their respective region to share experience and discuss concrete solutions on how to achieve the SDGs. Regional Forums feed both into national and global processes. Discussions at the forums foster mutual learning and help countries accelerate national progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda. The Chair’s summary of each Regional Forum provides the region’s official input for the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) which will be held in two sessions in 2019. In addition to the annual July session under ECOSOC auspices, the HLPF will also convene for 1.5 days in September 2019, under UN General Assembly auspices, for the first four-yearly review of all 17 SDGs.

Set of gears explaining the relationship between the regional organisations and sustainable development

High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
The HLPF is the main United Nations platform on sustainable development and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. The Forum adopts intergovernmentally negotiated political declarations.