High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) 2018

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is convened in New York between the 9th and the 18th of July 2018. The HLPF is the principal UN body mandated to review implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Each year, the HLPF reviews several SDGs and discusses progress towards the 2030 Agenda under an overarching theme. In 2018, the theme is Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies, a theme of relevance to contemporary migration.

The goals under review in 2018 are:

• Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all;
• Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all;
• Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable;
• Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns;
• Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss; and
• Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.  

Migration, Environment and Climate Change and the HLPF

All environmental related goals being considered at the HLPF are of relevance to contemporary migration movements, as changes in the environment might drive people to migrate and similarly, migration of people might impact the environment.  This year’s HLPF review three environmental goals that are intrinsically linked to the migration of people: water (6), energy (7) and land (15). In this context, it is critical to draw attention to the nexus between migration and environment, discuss existing best practices and support a forward-looking vision of comprehensive environmental approaches systematically including migration dimensions.

• Learn more about migration and climate change in the SDGs
• Learn more about how land and migration are connected
• Learn more about how water and migration are connected
  • Migration and Water
  • Action Panel on Water for Vulnerable People, including Refugees and Migrants
  • Migration in the Age of Vanishing Waters

Migration and Cities and the HLPF

Migration is a global phenomenon that affects us all, yet the drivers and effects of migration are most strongly felt at the local level. Cities and other local and regional authorities are increasingly finding themselves at the forefront of responding to the complex challenges and opportunities that migration presents for development. Governments must therefore establish joined-up and coherent migration governance systems and practices, including mechanisms to consult and support local authorities on migration issues, while also supporting local level authorities with frameworks and measures to ensure inclusive, cohesive and productive communities.

Some of the materials readily at hand are:

• High-level Conference on Migrants and Cities; report accessible here.
• Toolbox for migration-related elements for the city strategy, based on the Migration Governance Framework 
• Local blueprint of the Migrants in Countries in Crises Initiative
• White paper: Mainstreaming migration into development planning, prepared by IOM and the Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) 
• Issue Paper on “Migrants and refugees in urban areas” prepared by IOM, UNHCR and OHCHR in May 2015
• A role for local authorities: from Habitat III to the Global Compact on Migration, prepared for ICLEI