New Insights from the 2025 HLPF

As the world marks the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2025 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) has adopted a Ministerial Declaration and released a report that sheds light on both progress and persistent challenges. While the Declaration reaffirmed commitments to inclusivity, poverty eradication, and decent work, the Forum’s official record reveals new critical data, unprecedented participation, and stark geopolitical divisions. 

According to the Secretary-General’s progress report presented at the HLPF, the global community is far from on track: 

• 35% of the 137 SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress. 

• 47% show insufficient progress. 

• 18% are regressing compared to 2015 levels. 

These data serve as a wake-up call for the international community: we remain steadfast in our efforts to restore progress on the SDGs.  

Beyond general discussions, the HLPF undertook in-depth reviews of five Sustainable Development Goals: 

• Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being 

• Goal 5: Gender Equality 

• Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

• Goal 14: Life Below Water 

• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals 

These sessions connected global policy debates with practical progress assessments, highlighting interlinkages among health, gender, labor, environmental sustainability, and multilateral cooperation. 

The 2025 session marked a significant milestone in Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs): 

• 35 countries presented reviews, bringing the total to 402 since the process began. 

• 150 countries have now presented at least twice, reflecting a growing culture of accountability. 

• Many reports emphasized the importance of localizing the SDGs and adopting evidence-based decision-making. 

The HLPF drew over 6,000 participants, including 87 high-level speakers, of whom 50% were women and 65% represented the Global South. The program featured 187 side events, 15 exhibitions, and 12 special events, alongside discussions led by scientists, parliamentarians, and private sector actors. 

While the Ministerial Declaration was ultimately adopted by an overwhelming 154–2, with only Israel and the United States opposing (Iran and Paraguay abstained), several contentious votes revealed sharp divides: 

• A UK-sponsored amendment backed by Western states was rejected 52–99. 

• Paragraph 14 was retained by 116–2, with Israel and the U.S. in opposition. 

• On paragraph 72, the U.S. stood alone in opposition (145–1). 

• Ethiopia joined the U.S. in opposing a block of paragraphs related to implementation. 

These results highlight ongoing geopolitical tensions within multilateral negotiations, even as most states reaffirmed the need for collective action. 

Together with the report, the Declaration sets the stage for the upcoming Second World Social Summit, where commitments on digital inclusion, social protection, and decent work are expected to be refined into actionable policy. 

Taken together, the data on regression, the surge in national and local engagement, and the stark voting patterns paint a fuller picture of the global landscape: while political will for the 2030 Agenda remains strong, the path forward is marked by both urgent challenges and fault lines in consensus.