EU Statement – UN General Assembly: First informal consultation on the 2026 High Level Political Forum Ministerial Declaration
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
We would like to start by congratulating Her Excellency Ambassador Suela Janina, Permanent Representative of Albania, and His Excellency Ambassador Michael Imran Kanu, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, for assuming the role of co-facilitators of the Ministerial Declaration of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum. You can count on the EU’s full and constructive engagement in this important process.
Just over ten years ago, when the 2030 Agenda was adopted, it carried a simple but powerful promise: that global cooperation could translate into real change in people’s daily lives to promote peace and shared prosperity, while protecting the planet. Today, that promise is being tested – not by a lack of ambition, but by the gap between our commitments and their implementation as well as by a growing erosion of trust in multilateral cooperation and in the international rules-based system itself.
The High-Level Political Forum is designed to help close that gap. It is meant to be a space where political will meets practical action, and where progress – and setbacks – are examined honestly.
With just four years remaining, the EU notes with grave concern that progress towards the SDGs continues to be severely impeded by multiple and interlinked crises, especially wars and conflicts, geopolitical tensions and increasing uncertainties as well as the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Increasing inequality, both within and between countries, is also a persistent challenge that jeopardizes the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.
Yet much can be achieved in the span of four years. The 2030 Agenda remains our universal, indivisible, inclusive, integrated roadmap to a peaceful, healthy and secure life for current and future generations, preserving our planet and leaving no one behind, while also increasing resilience against external shocks.
The EU stands by this agenda and stresses the urgent need to take accelerated, just and transformative actions in the remaining years to 2030 and beyond, to reverse alarming trends, consolidate hard-won gains, but also rebuild trust and reinvigorate a rules-based multilateral system.
In that respect, the EU highlights the need to build on the political momentum of major recent milestones, including the Summit for the Future, the Sevilla Commitment, the World Social Summit, the World Summit on the Information Society and the Global Digital Compact, the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the 2023 UN Water Conference, and the UN Food Systems Summit +4.
The WSS Political Declaration underpinned by the Sevilla Commitment forms the basis of a renewed global social contract, grounded in solidarity, in international cooperation, in human and labour rights. We are looking forward to working together ahead of the next high-level meeting to follow up on its progress in 2031 to turn this Political Declaration into tangible progress in people’s lives.
The EU and its Member States have long been at the forefront of supporting global efforts to promote sustainable development - in multilateral settings, in partner countries and at home.
We recall that the SDGs are interconnected, and that all our efforts and commitments are interlinked, with primary responsibility resting with UN Member States. We also remain particularly attentive to cross-cutting critical issues for sustainable development including the full realization of human rights and gender equality. Women and girls continue to face structural barriers to health and education, economic participation, access to resources and decision-making. In many contexts, gains achieved are at risk of being reversed. Advancing the 2030 agenda requires a renewed commitment to the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of inequality and a human rights-based approach, as those issues are the main drivers to accelerate the SDG implementation.
Among cross-cutting issues, SDG localisation presents opportunities to review territorial priorities and needs, strengthening local and locally-led development, building resilience and promoting social inclusion. We must also strengthen global climate action, which remains insufficient. The EU is fully committed to the Paris Agreement, its long-term goals and multilateral cooperation based on mutual respect. We are ready to work with partners worldwide to drive real progress and we underline the role of cities and territories in contributing to global climate action.
As we recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, the EU and its Member States recall that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. We condemn all forms of aggression and call for respect of international law and its principles as enshrined in the Charter. Territorial integrity, political independence of States and international humanitarian law must be respected. Global backsliding on peace, democracy and the rule of law poses a serious threat to sustainable development. Achieving the SDGs requires effective, accountable, transparent, inclusive and democratic institutions, as well as coordinated efforts to combat corruption and ensure equal access to justice for all.
We are facing testing times for multilateralism, and we only have a four-year window before 2030. Nevertheless, significant progress can still be made, provided our actions are transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated, as clearly emphasized by the theme of this year’s HLPF.
Co-facilitators, to ensure efficiency and concrete results, and in the spirit of the UN80 initiative, we should aim for a concise and action-oriented Ministerial Declaration, focusing on the SDGs under review and follow-up points on interconnected commitments.
The EU would also appreciate a clear and concrete roadmap for the negotiations of the HLPF Ministerial Declaration. Such a document would provide the necessary clarity and predictability to ensure timely coordination within the group throughout this complex process.
Co-facilitators, on the substance of the SDGs under review, we would like to share the following observations.
Regarding SDG 6, ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water, sanitation and hygiene for all is a key priority for the EU. We take note of the 2025 HLPF Ministerial Declaration which addresses water scarcity and the need to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water, sanitation and hygiene for all. Water use efficiency remains low in most countries and water stress is growing in several regions of the world, intensified by the destabilization of the global water cycle, climate change and urbanization. Transboundary water cooperation also remains limited despite the large number of shared water basins. The stability of the global water cycle is a global concern that underpins the achievement of all SDGs.
Special attention must also be paid to the disproportionate impact that lack of safe water and sanitation has on women and girls, including on health, education and dignity. Achieving SDG 6 requires sustained global commitment to ensure water security for all, including through climate-resilient and integrated water resources management, strengthened cooperation, mobilisation of adequate financing, innovative technologies and enhanced institutional capacity. Therefore, the EU looks forward to an action-oriented, cross-sectoral and inclusive 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal. The conference should be a stepping stone towards a regular intergovernmental process on water under the UN.
Regarding SDG 7, progress has been notable, with clean and renewable energy generation on the rise since 2015, along with global electricity access and clean cooking access. However, progress is slowing – renewables lag in the transport and heating sectors, and energy efficiency gains have stalled. Moreover, only a small portion of global energy investment reaches the areas most in need. Achieving SDG 7 will require a significant increase in investment in developing countries, including through private funding, to expand access to electricity and clean cooking, scale up and expand clean and renewable energy, including through grid infrastructure and energy storage, but also to improve energy efficiency, strengthen policy and regulatory frameworks while ensuring a just transition.
For SDG 9, since 2015, notable progress has been made in expanding infrastructure, fostering industrial growth and boosting innovation. However, regional disparities persist and many developing countries continue to face systemic barriers to inclusive and sustainable industrialisation. To advance SDG 9, countries must boost investment in resilient infrastructure, including circular infrastructure, and research and development, expand access to finance for small manufacturers and bridge the digital divide by prioritizing affordable broadband and innovation systems in the world’s most underserved regions.
Relating to SDG11, urbanisation continues to accelerate, with more than half the global population now living in cities, and up to 70% by 2050. Cities are powerful magnets of talent, drivers of competitiveness, digitalisation, innovation and investment. However, cities face numerous challenges, as highlighted in the EU Agenda for Cities such as shortage of housing supply, high energy costs and pockets of poverty. Cities must also be designed to be safe, inclusive and accessible for women and girls, ensuring gender-responsive urban planning and public spaces. To advance SDG 11, cities need integrated and coherent approaches for territorial development and integrated strategies focused on affordable and inclusive housing, participatory urban planning, heritage preservation and stronger local governance, supported by quality, timely and disaggregated data.
We support multilevel governance and policy coherence for sustainable development across urban policy, planning, land-use management and local finance to ensure SDG localisation while guaranteeing impact at local level.
Achieving SDG 17 requires strengthened whole-of-society partnerships, engaging governments, civil society, youth, the private sector and local actors, aligned with national priorities and delivering measurable results. Closing the SDG financing gap remains urgent. At a time when trust in multilateral cooperation is under strain, strengthening global partnerships is not only a matter of effectiveness, but also about rebuilding confidence that collective action can deliver tangible results for people, the planet and peace.
We must be more coherent, inclusive, effective and efficient with the resources that are available. The EU stresses the need to mobilise sustainable public and private finance at scale, to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, address debt vulnerabilities, and advance reforms of the international financial architecture, including Multilateral Development Banks, to better respond to development and climate needs.
Science, technology and innovation are also critical enablers. The EU supports digital and innovation partnerships, voluntary technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing, all essential elements to close the digital divides.
Through the Global Gateway and other initiatives, the EU and its Member States support partner countries in promoting their own strategic autonomy, and accelerating social, digital and green transitions. This can provide investment pathways addressing interlinkages through partnerships and transformative projects in support of the SDGs.
Finally, the EU supports the HLPF as a key inclusive platform for review and acceleration of progress towards the SDGs. We also call for strengthened multi-stakeholder engagement in this forum, ensuring that national and local governments, the private sector, academia and civil society including youth organisations can participate actively in shaping and implementing SDG strategies. Special steps should be taken to ensure that marginalized voices are also heard in the process.
Voluntary national reviews provide for enhanced multi-governance approaches and stakeholder engagement in pursuit of the SDGs, as the EU has experienced through its own Voluntary Review. Two EU MS will present VNRs this year [Estonia, Italy]. The peer-learning character, participatory nature, accountability and harmonisation of VNRs should be strengthened.
Colleagues, we look forward to engaging constructively once again in the High-level Political Forum.
I thank you.