The first ECOSOC High-level Political Forum (HLPF) following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recently concluded in New York with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration.

 

The HLPF was held from 11 – 20 July at UN Headquarters, and consisted of roundtable sessions, 22 voluntary national reviews, side events, and general debate. Summaries of daily sessions can be found here.
 

The Secretary General presented two reports: the 2016 Sustainable Development Goals Report, which provides a baseline overview of current statistics according to the global indicator framework, and a report during the high-level segment on Progress Towards the SDGs, which provides a high level outline of the current status of each goal in the context of the theme of the HLPF, Ensuring that no-one is left behind.
 

Additionally, the annual Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) was presented to the HLPF, providing an “assessment of assessments,” for the operationalization of the SDGs from a science-policy perspective. The GSDR responds to the mandate from the Rio+20 Conference to contribute to strengthening the science-policy interface for sustainable development.
 

There were a number of NCD-focused side events during the HLPF. These included an event on the outcomes of the WHO Global NCD National Capacity Survey and launch of "NCDs & Me", the WHO Global Coordination Mechanism’s communications campaign; an event by NCD Child on involving youth and adolescents; and an event on the Decade of Action for Nutrition.

 

Additionally, there were events on Universal Health Coverage and the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health. 
 

NCD Alliance, together with The Permanent Missions of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held a side event on Tuesday 19 July, on the need for integrated implementation of the SDGs. The event also served as the launch of a new NCD Alliance resource – NCDs Across the SDGs: A Call for an Integrated Approach. A summary of the event can be found here.
 

 
Looking Ahead

Next year, the HLPF will commence its review of the SDGs, beginning with Goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 14, and 17, under the overarching theme Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world.

 

As Goal 3 on health will be reviewed, the HLPF will provide an important opportunity to highlight NCDs within the broader context of sustainable development, and to illustrate how NCDs are integrated throughout the agenda, necessitating an integrated approach.

 

As countries begin to prepare their reviews for next year, advocates have an opportunity to engage with their governments to ensure that NCDs are reflected.