Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh Participates in the 2025 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

28-Sep-2025

As part of his unrivalled commitment to sustainable development at global level, HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh took part in the 2025 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh has been relentlessly working on achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through his involvement in the United Nations and as the Honorary President of the New York-based Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU). The United Nations' 17 SDGs address various international challenges including poverty, climate change and creating a better future for people and the planet by 2030.
The Forum was attended by over 6000 participants, including ministers and other high officials, stakeholders representatives, wide-ranging experts and scientists and other major civil society groups.
Voluntary national reviews of progress on SDGs were conducted for 13 countries  and 187 side events and exhibitions were organized by various stakeholders.
In a 'Report on the Impacts of Long-Term trends on the achievement of the SDGs', the UN Secretary General, Mr. António Guterres, identified five key trends impacting the SDGs: the negative impact of geo-political tensions on the global economy,  the changing labor markets and their increasing digitization, rapid technological change with its positive impacts as well as associated risks, the adverse impacts of accelerating climate change, and the evolving nature of the social contract.
The Report indicates that in the last five years the world economy has experienced the weakest growth in over 30 years and the projections for the next five years indicate a further slowdown.  More than 80 percent of the countries have experienced a slump in their growth. Average growth has slowed in developed countries to 1.3 percent and in developing countries to 4 percent. 
The current decade may thus turn out to be a lost one for the world economy. The report also states that ‘World trade is also growing at a slower pace  with governments imposing some 3000 new restrictive  trade measures in 2022 as compared to fewer than 1000 such measures in 2019.’
On the other hand and despite the economic challenges referred to in the report, significant progress has been made in global health, education and sustainability. According to the report, new HIV infections have fallen by 40 percent since 2010 and malaria prevention has saved 12 million lives. 
The report also stated that ‘only 35 percent of the SDGs are on track and 18 percent have regressed.’
The HLPF concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration by a vote of 154 for and 2 against (the US and Israel) which calls for urgent, coordinated actions by all stakeholders to accelerate progress towards the SDGs.
The Forum also affirmed that the need for multilateral cooperation and fundamental reform of the international system remains urgent.