Parliamentarians from around the world gathered at the United Nations in New York on 14 July for the IPU Parliamentary Forum at the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), where they reviewed progress and shared good parliamentary practice on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The annual HLPF is the main global accountability platform for the SDGs where lawmakers are recognized not only as observers, but as key actors in holding governments to account, shaping legislation and approving budgets.
The IPU meeting began with a focus on SDG 11, which covers sustainable cities and communities, before broadening to the wider challenge of SDG implementation and the future of the global development agenda after 2030.
According to UN-Habitat, the UN agency responsible for urban development and human settlements, three billion people struggle to afford adequate housing, while more than one billion live in slums or informal settlements.
Parliamentarians discussed how laws, budgets and cooperation with local authorities can help deliver affordable, energy-efficient homes, cleaner transport and more resilient infrastructure.
The second session turned to the broader SDG framework and the limited time remaining before 2030. It referred to the UN Pact for the Future and its call to accelerate SDG delivery, while also pointing to the 2027 SDG Summit as the first formal opportunity to reflect on what should follow the current 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
With four years left until 2030, the message from New York was clear: progress is still possible.
Quotes:
IPU President Tulia Ackson at the ministerial segment of the HLPF said: “Achieving the vision of the SDGs, which is about social justice, environmental sustainability, as well as peace, will be the acid test of the multilateral system as we know it. People expect this system to deliver to them. This is not rocket science. We have the know-how and the resources. All we need is more political will.”
IPU Secretary General Anda Filip closing the IPU Parliamentary Forum said: “Any action for the SDGs is better than no action; every win, big and small, is better than nothing at all. The world may not get to the anticipated finish line in 2030 but it is very important that we get close enough so that we can be better positioned for what comes afterwards.”
