UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to start on Monday – Finland to present its Voluntary National Review led by Prime Minister Orpo

The United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will convene in New York from 14 to 23 July. The annual forum reviews progress made by the world’s countries in attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will lead Finland’s delegation to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). On July 22nd, Prime Minister Orpo will present Finland’s third Voluntary National Review (VNR) assessing Finland’s progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed in 2015.

“Finland is firmly committed to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It makes me proud that for the fifth consecutive year Finland ranks first in the Sustainable Development Report, which reviews the progress of all UN Member States on the Sustainable Development Goals. The key to our progress is our tradition that spans across electoral terms to collaborate broadly and to engage all of society,” says Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

According to Finland’s Voluntary National Review, our key success factors are our investments in gender equality, education and health and wellbeing. The VNR shows that while in many respects Finland is on the right track towards achieving the SDGs, it is still important to monitor our measures continuously and to make them more effective.

Once again, Finland’s VNR includes an independent assessment by stakeholders of the successes and challenges of the Finnish efforts to attain the SDGs. This year’s assessment was a collaboration of not only civil society organisations but also of young people and the private sector.

The Prime Minister will be joined in the Finnish delegation by Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Mika Poutala, State Secretary to the Minister of the Environment Mika Nykänen and representatives of public administration, the private sector and civil society organisations.

The Prime Minister will present Finland’s Voluntary National Review together with Kati ter Horst, CEO of Outokumpu, and Jenni Palukka, representative of the 2030 Agenda Youth Group. The presentation will be streamed live on UN Web TV on Tuesday 22 July.

The HLPF is an important opportunity for Finland to show our commitment to promoting the jointly agreed SDGs. It is also a valuable opportunity to forge stronger partnerships, engage in dialogue and showcase Finnish solutions.

Only a fraction of the SDGs are on track – Finland emphasises commitment to the jointly agreed goals

The UN Secretary-General estimates that only 20 per cent of the SDGs are on track in 2025. In addition, moderate progress is being made on 15 per cent of the SDGs. Progress on about half of the goals is insufficient, and more than one third of the goals show stagnation or regression.

The theme of the 2025 HLPF is “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind”. The HLPF will conduct in-depth reviews of SDG 3 on health and wellbeing, SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG 14 on life under water and SDG 17 on partnerships.

During the HLPF, Finland organise an official side event focusing on gender equality and sustainable economic growth. Finland will also sign a letter of intent on a Partnership Platform on Localizing the SDGs, a joint initiative by Finland, Italy and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). It aims to support states and local governments to adopt concrete measures and cooperation to promote SDGs.