Since 2016, the HLPF has been reviewing progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Under the auspices of the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the member states report on their work to achieve the Agenda's goals within their own countries. Once again this year, the member states will also assess the implementation of a selection of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while some 39 voluntary national reviews will also be presented and discussed. Switzerland will present its review in 2026.
As at the regional preparatory conference in Geneva in April, international representatives at this year's HLPF will focus on five of the 17 SDGs included in the 2030 Agenda, namely: good health and well-being (goal 3), gender equality (goal 5), decent work and economic growth (goal 8), life below water (goal 14) and partnerships for the goals (goal 17). Representatives of UN member states and NGOs will consider innovative approaches and discuss how best to implement these SDGs. Switzerland is in favour of an integrated and broad-based approach, with, for example, measures to promote gender equality being closely linked to efforts to ensure access to high-quality healthcare services and decent work. Cooperation between different government levels and organisational units is also seen as key to achieving these common goals.
Swiss focus on decent work and economic growth.
Markus Reubi, Federal Council Delegate for the 2030 Agenda and head of the Swiss delegation, emphasises the importance of multilateralism as a guiding principle of international action. Despite growing challenges in the geopolitical environment, Switzerland will continue to advocate for the cooperative approach to implementing the universally applicable SDGs. “We cannot call into question what we have achieved since 2016. On the contrary ‒ we can only meet the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda if states work together with sub-state and regional actors, as well as stakeholders from business, academia and civil society.”
Switzerland is organising a side event on sustainable economic growth and decent work in cooperation with Qatar and the International Labour Organization (ILO). By examining the need to strike a better balance between the demands of economic growth and the requirements of social development, the event also creates momentum for the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha in November 2025. The involvement of the ILO ‒ which is based in Geneva ‒ and the side event's strong focus on human rights and trade issues demonstrate the vital role International Geneva is playing in finding solutions and meeting objectives in New York.
The Swiss delegation includes high-level representatives from the FDFA (the State Secretariat and SDC) and three other departments with specialist offices in the relevant focus areas. These include the Federal Office for Spatial Development at DETEC, the Federal Office for Gender Equality at the FDHA, and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs at the EAER. The delegation will be joined at the HLPF by Antonio Hautle, who is a member of the 2030 Agenda Advisory Group and head of the UN Global Compact Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Implementing the 2030 Agenda in Switzerland
The 2030 Agenda is universal in scope and comprises fundamental principles in areas ranging from cooperation to poverty reduction. In 2015, all 193 UN member states adopted the Agenda with its 17 goals and 169 targets, as well as a review mechanism involving regular national reports and analyses.
The Federal Council views the 2030 Agenda as an important guiding framework for its sustainability policy. Based on the Federal Council's decision in 2018 and its Sustainable Development Strategy (2030 SDS) of 2021, Switzerland is committed to the best possible implementation of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda and to substantive exchanges at the international level.
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Address for enquiries:
FDFA Communication Bundeshaus West 3003 Bern +41 58 460 55 55 kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Publisher:
Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
