ASPBAE Engagements in the 2026 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF)
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will soon be convened from Tuesday, 7 July, to Wednesday, 15 July 2026, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The theme for the 2026 HLPF is “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 Goals to undergo in-depth review are Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
ASPBAE contributed to the Sectoral Paper for the HLPF 2026 of the Major Groups and Other Stakeholders’ (MGoS) Education and Academia Stakeholder Group (EASG), which presents key recommendations and policy perspectives on the role of education in advancing sustainable development. Inputs were drawn from the ASPBAE Civil Society Spotlight Reports on SDG 4 developed with national education coalition members and youth representatives. The publication will contribute to EASG’s advocacy and engagement throughout the High-Level Political Forum 2026 and ongoing discussions on the future of education and the post-2030 agenda.
Earlier this year, ASPBAE participated in the 13th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) held in Bangkok, Thailand, which serves as the regional preparatory process feeding into the main HLPF. In its interventions during the APFSD Roundtable Discussions, ASPBAE emphasised the interlinkages between Goal 4 (Quality education and lifelong learning) and the Goals up for in-depth review, including Goals 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure). ASPBAE also participated in the APFSD-related events, the APFSD Youth Forum and the Asia Pacific Peoples’ Forum on Sustainable Development (APPFSD). As its practice, ASPBAE is committed to sustaining its presence and strong engagements in official regional SDG-SDG4 processes, feeding into key intergovernmental global-level mechanisms that foster multilateral cooperation.
Further, as part of the Collective Consultation of NGOs on Education 2030 (CCNGO Ed2030) representing the civil society constituency in the global SDG 4 High Level Steering Committee (HLSC), ASPBAE provided inputs to the HLSC Contribution to the 2026 HLPF and in earlier periods.
The SDG4 HLSC’s input to the 2026 HLPF provided a valuable opportunity to take stock of follow-up actions undertaken to support the implementation of the 2024 Global Education Meeting (GEM) Fortaleza Declaration, the Pact for the Future, the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) Sevilla Commitment in 2025, and the outcome of the 2025 Second World Summit for Social Development (WSS2). To know more on SDG4 HLSC’s work and its contributions to HLPF, please visit this website.
For more information on this year’s HLPF, please visit this website or download the HLPF app. Below are other important details and links for the HLPF.
Programme
Click on the link to see the 2026 HLPF Programme.
Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs)
This year, 36 countries will be presenting VNRs at the 2026 HLPF. In the Asia Pacific, the Marshall Islands, Tonga, and Kiribati have volunteered to present their VNR reports.
Registration
The HLPF will have registered participants who will be able to attend the in-person meetings, while others can follow the meeting through the UN webcast (http://webtv.un.org/), Facebook (@UNwebTV), YouTube (@UNwebTV).
Side Events
Side events and exhibitions, both onsite and virtually, will be organized on the margins of the HLPF.
Stay tuned on the ASPBAE website and social media pages for more updates and engagements on key education and development processes, especially in the final years of the SDGs-SDG4, and the post-2030 education agenda consultative processes.