IAU at the UN HLPF 2023

HLPF 2023

The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) was held from Monday, 10 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. This included the three-day ministerial segment of the forum from Monday, 17 July, to Wednesday, 19 July 2023 as part of the High-Level Segment of the Council. The last day of the High-Level Segment of ECOSOC was on Thursday, 20 July 2023. The theme was "Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels”.

The HLPF in 2023, without prejudice to the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the SDGs, also reviewed in-depth SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 on Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 17 on Partnerships for the Goals.

Events with IAU and higher education involvement:

SDG 11: Progress, Challenges, Lessons Learned and Tools for Sustainable Transformation of Cities

14 July, Session 9, 8.30am-10.00am ET/ 2.30pm-4pm CEST As in previous years, IAU’s proposal to hold a virtual workshop as part of the UN DESA 2023 SDGs Learning, Training and Practice Workshops was successful. This year’s event focused on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities, and in particular the role of universities in contributing to a sustainable city and building partnerships with local actors and communities. Partners for this event were: Sustainable Cities Institute (Brazil), World Blind Union (WBU), UNIBO and University of Paris Saclay. Read more and find the recording in the Session Description.

2023 HESI Global Forum

17 July, 10am-1pm ET/ 4pm-7pm CEST (Conference Room 2, United Nations Headquarters, New York and virtual).
The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) is a partnership between several United Nations entities and the higher education community. It is currently chaired by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). The IAU and many other UN agencies, associations, and higher education institutions are part of the HESI initiative. Each year, HESI organizes a global forum as a special event to the HLPF to highlight the critical role of higher education in achieving sustainable development. Learn more about the hybrid event and the programme here.

International Green Gown Awards Ceremony

The International Green Gown Awards Ceremony took place virtually on 17 July. More information on this year’s finalists can be found here. IAU is pleased to be a longstanding partner of HESI and the IGGAs.

SDG 6: Community and Partnership Based Approaches to Capacity Building in the Water Sector

18 July, 8am-9.30 ET, 2pm-3.30pm CEST Recognizing that research, knowledge transfer, and community engagement are essential for the achievement of all of the Sustainable Development Goals, and that SDG 6 is under review at this year’s HLPF, the "How we know what we know about water: Community and partnership-based approaches to capacity building in the water sector" side event explored best practices in water sector capacity building from around the world, including a focus on partnerships (with educational institutions, local governments, NGOs, etc.) as an accelerator for action.

The event brought together experts from across the global networks of the International Association of Universities, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Global Water Partnership, representing higher education, policy, and practice, who presented and discussed innovative approaches to, and the remaining needs of, capacity building in the sector. The virtual event was co-organized by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the IAU. More information on the concept note here.

Event visual SDG 6

More about IAU at the HLPF: IAU has Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) which enables participation in this High-Level event since 2019. Read about current and previous IAU engagement at the HLPF here.