Video Message
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, I warmly welcome you to this preparatory workshop for African voluntary national reviews and voluntary local reviews.
We are deeply grateful to the Economic Commission for Africa for their continued leadership in convening the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, and we thank the Government of Uganda for hosting the Forum.
Regional forums are integral to the preparatory process for the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, held under the auspices of ECOSOC in July.
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.¡± It will review global progress on SDGs 3, 5, 8, 14 and 17.
Out of the 37 countries that will be presenting their VNRs at the HLPF, 10 are from Africa. Three of these countries will be undertaking a second review and seven will be undertaking a third.
Not only have all 54 countries of the region undertaken at least one VNR, the region is also experiencing an exponential increase in the number of Voluntary Local Reviews.
I commend you for your continued dedication to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the Africa¡¯s Agenda 2063 in a coordinated manner, against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties and other global challenges.
For its part, my department, UN DESA, is committed to collaborating with ECA and other partners to continue support capacity building for African VNRs and VLRs.
In last year¡¯s Ministerial Declaration of the HLPF, Member States agreed to strengthen the quality of their VNRs, including through a more systematic use of accurate and comparable data and evidence-based reviews, supported by participatory processes involving all relevant stakeholders.
Evidence-based reporting systems enhance more effective policies and decision-making. By aligning the SDGs with national policies, budgets, and development strategies, we can ensure that global commitments are translated into tangible results, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
I am confident that this two-day workshop will equip you with the knowledge and tools to leverage the VNR and VLR processes as catalysts for continued action on the SDGs.
I wish you fruitful and productive discussions.
Thank you!