(11th meeting) High-Level Political Forum 2025 | Voluntary national reviews (VNRs)
Economic and Social Council
Date: 21 July 2025
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/en/asset/k1g/k1ggr7tz33
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

---

ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [0:00]:

All right, we shall get started. I want to welcome all of you to the 11th meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council at its 2025 session, and I so call it to order. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I invite the Forum to continue its consideration of Subitem C, entitled Voluntary National Reviews, of Agenda Item 2. This afternoon, the forum will hear 2 sets of panel presentations. In order to promote the interactivity of the discussion, and similar to previous years, a limited number of questions may be presented by stakeholders in video format. If I hear no objections, we shall proceed accordingly. First panel presentation. I'm pleased to welcome the presenters from El Salvador, Malta, and Thailand. Before we begin, I want to ask the presenting countries if they would please— you can hear my tone, right? I'm asking, I'm saying please keep your presentations to 10 minutes. if that's possible, to allow sufficient time for all presenters as well as engagement with other states and participants. If you go much longer than that, I shall have to interrupt, which I would rather not do. So I'd appreciate your full cooperation in this regard. Given the number of countries making PNR presentations at this year's HLPF, and I believe we all also understand the need to some kind of understanding about the brevity of presentations. The same thing will be true for presentations and questions from the floor. So we will now hear the voluntary national review from Thailand, and I'm very pleased to be able to invite His Excellency Maris Sanjampongsa, who's the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand, If he would make his presentation, Mr. Minister, you're most welcome.


Thailand · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Maris Sangiampongsa [2:19]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. I'm honored to lead Thai delegations to present Thailand's voluntary national review for the third time at this forum. We are in a critical time to accelerate. SDGs implementation with only 5 years remaining until 2030. Against this backdrop, Thailand 2025 seeks to examine overall progress and challenges in SDGs implementation over the past decade since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The key highlight of this VNR is the use of SDGs data and strengthened statistical analysis to ensure that our assessment is science and evidence-based. At the same time, we also showcase best practices and case studies from different government agencies and partners in the country. As we did with our previous VNRs, we continue to engage stakeholders across sectors of the society while also traveling to different parts of the country to listen to reflections and recommendations of the local populations. From this exercise, we have identified Thailand's key challenges in SDGs implementation including persisting inequalities of access to basic services, the demographic shift towards an increasingly aging society, the economic and social effects of climate change, and disruption from digital technology. There is also the need to be prepared for emerging technologies like AI and new challenges like online scams. On the other hand, most recommendations we receive focus on structural matters, especially calling for: first, continued improvement of SDGs data capacity; second, increased and better utilization of science, innovations, and technology driven by the development needs for local communities; Third, an SDGs financing framework to identify financing gaps as well as possible sources of funding. And the fourth, the strengthening of SDGs localization efforts and stakeholders' engagement. There's a brief overall picture. This is a brief overall picture of Thailand's key challenges and the recommendations received from these I would now like to invite Mr. Danusha Pichayanand, Secretary-General of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, to present Thailand's SDG implementations efforts and findings from SDG data, as well as how recommendations from this VNR will be taken forward.


Thailand · Secretary-General · Danusha Pichayanand [5:52]:

Thank you, Excellencies. I'd like to start by saying that Thailand remains firmly committed to the principle of the SDGs, with our national development priorities deeply integrated into the 13th National Economic and Social Development Plan. Since the launching of Thailand's SDG Roadmaps in 2019, data has become a backbone of our monitoring process. We do not only publish SDG data on Thailand's SDG dashboard but track progress using a robust trend-to-target methodology based on 205 out of 248 indicators. Drawing on indicators from line agencies, this approach goes beyond reporting to diagnose challenges, close policy gaps, and steer targeted interventions. We have seen strong advancement in SDG 14, which is Life Below Water, SDG 12, Sustainable Consumption and Production, and commendable progress in SDG 5, Gender Equality. And SDG 10, Reduce Inequalities. But yet we acknowledge the need to intensify efforts in SDG 15, which is Life on Land, SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 17, Partnership for the Goals. Thailand leverages household and individual-level data through the the Thai People Map and Analytic Platform, which we call TP Map in short, to enable precise policy intervention, narrow policy gaps, and strengthen coordination between central and local governments. This data-driven and people-centered approach effectively identifies and addresses localized challenges. Our efforts Extend beyond policy tools, Thailand has made substantial progress in advancing universal health coverage, expanding social protection, promoting sustainable agriculture, and strengthening environmental and climate resilience, demonstrating our commitment to inclusive and sustainable development that deliver tangible results to the ground. Indeed, partnerships are the foundation of SDG journey. Through close collaboration with UN agencies, particularly UN-Habitat and UNDP, Thailand has localized the SDGs and successfully completed 2 voluntary local reviews, with a 3rd currently underway. These partnerships have brought not only technical expertise but also a platform for shared learning and mutual growth. Looking ahead, the forthcoming 14th National Development Plan will deepen the integration of SDG principles, shaping policies that respond to our national context while contributing meaningfully to the Global Sustainable Development Agenda. And this is to ensure that Thailand stands ready to continue this journey with resolve, partnership, and purpose, and leave no one behind. Thank you.


Thailand · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Maris Sangiampongsa [9:38]:

Thank you very much. Now I would like to invite Assistant Professor Chon Boonnak, Director of the Center for SDG Research and Support SDG MOVE at Thammasat University, who played key roles in coordinating stakeholders' engagement for this VNR, to share his reflections.


Thailand · Director · Chon Boonnak [10:00]:

Thank you, Excellency, for allowing SDG MOVE to be part of this year's VNR process and to join the presentation. Since our establishment in 2016, we have been working across various sectors to create the knowledge base for SDGs implementation in Thailand including by connecting the academia with other actors. I was in this room 8 years ago when Thailand's first VNRR was presented. Since then, we have witnessed the increased commitment of many players on SDGs. Businesses, banks, and government agencies, particularly those supporting SMEs, are increasingly driven by international sustainability-related trade regulations. Similarly, Thai universities have embraced sustainability, where 83 universities participated in Times Higher Education Impact Ranking this year, with 5 ranked among the global top 100. Yet disparities still exist, especially within our parliamentary system, where discussion on SDGs remains limited. It was therefore a privilege for SDG MOVE to present this VNR by conducting stakeholder consultations across the country and to share the key findings at this forum. First, we were reminded that the SDGs is an important unifying force. We saw how local stakeholders were eager to understand their local realities, where the SDGs framework provided a common language to grasp complex issues and served as a powerful starting point for conversations toward a sustainable future. Second, Stakeholders highlighted the need for the decentralization of knowledge, research skills, and appropriate technologies. There was a strong call to revitalize a highly effective past initiative, the Community-Based Research Program, which empowered villagers and local organizations to conduct their own research to solve local problems facilitated by university scholars. Third and last, the consultations revealed a profound need for platforms that enable meaningful participation for communities and civil society organizations, enabling the co-design of SDG policy and integrating citizen-generated data into official monitoring evaluation frameworks. Thank you.


Thailand · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Maris Sangiampongsa [12:20]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President. To conclude these presentations, I would like to reiterate Thailand's full commitment in accelerating SDG implementation during this final sprint towards 2030. We stand ready to share our experiences with partner countries, including through South-South and Triangle cooperation. I look forward to exchanging further during the Q&A. Thank you very much.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [12:53]:

Thank you.

I want to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand for this presentation, this opportunity to have this overview. I'm now going to call upon El Salvador, and I'm going to invite Mr. Francisco Martinez, who's the Technical Coordination Specialist of the National Council for Sustainable Development of El Salvador, to make a presentation to us. Muchas gracias, señor presidente.


El Salvador · Technical Coordination Specialist · Francisco Martinez [13:25]:

Thank you very much, President. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We'll begin our presentation by showing you a video on the new reality being lived in our country, El Salvador. El Salvador is driving major transformations under our president.


El Salvador [13:54]:

Con base a nuestro marco legal y constitucional, se ha transformado en el país más seguro del hemisferio occidental, ha realizado la mayor inversión histórica en educación de nuestra historia y se ha convertido en la nación de Latinoamérica con mayor crecimiento turístico. El Consejo Nacional para el Desarrollo, presidido por el vicepresidente Félix Ulloa Hijo, presenta ese tercer informe sobre el cumplimiento de los Objetivos Estratégicos de Desarrollo. En el ámbito social, el Gobierno de El Salvador ha priorizado la atención integral desde la primera infancia con la política Crecer Juntos, destacando avances significativos en salud, como la reducción de la mortalidad neonatal gracias a la Ley Nacer con Cariño y el fortalecimiento de la atención cardiovascular. En educación, el proyecto Mi Nueva Escuela y el programa Dos Escuelas por Día moderniza la infraestructura, los contenidos educativos y el acceso digital, reduciendo la brecha tecnológica mediante la instalación de fibra óptica en centros escolares a nivel nacional y realizando la mayor inversión en educación en la historia de El Salvador, para que nuestros jóvenes tengan mayores oportunidades laborales y realización humana. Asimismo, en materia de seguridad alimentaria, se han implementado en diferentes zonas del país los agromercados, que garantizan a la población el acceso de alimentos de la canasta básica a precios accesibles para las mayorías. De la misma forma, se impulsa un programa en el campo para transformar y robustecer los sistemas de producción agrícola, con el que se fortalece la participación de pequeños y medianos productores, creando alianzas estratégicas con países amigos. La transformación digital del país avanza con leyes innovadoras y plataformas digitales integradas que facilitan servicios públicos, servicios registrales y procesos fiscales, con normativas como la Ley de Activos Digitales y la Factura Electrónica y Firma Digital. En conectividad vial se desarrollan obras estratégicas como los Periféricos Claudia Lars y Gerardo Barrios, el Viaducto Francisco Morazán y la modernización de los puertos de Acajutla y La Unión, considerada la mayor inversión privada en la historia de El Salvador. El reciente acuerdo con el FMI ha fortalecido la estabilidad fiscal y la sostenibilidad macroeconómica, que junto a la certidumbre legal, la modernización institucional y el buen gobierno son factores clave para la atracción de inversiones. Las alianzas público-privadas que se impulsan en sectores estratégicos como la infraestructura, el turismo con Surf City 1 y 2, y la innovación tecnológica con Contribuyen a impulsar un crecimiento continuo que abre espacios a la generación de empleos de calidad y de inserción económica a microempresarios. En materia ambiental, El Salvador lidera una transición energética hacia fuentes renovables, promoviendo la energía solar, geotérmica e hidroeléctrica en su ruta hacia la descarbonización. Y con la creación de la Ley de Energía Nuclear, se busca contribuir al avance científico Económico y social del país. Estos esfuerzos estratégicos reflejan un compromiso institucional colectivo integrando a todos los sectores de la sociedad. El Salvador reafirma su compromiso con una visión de futuro transformadora, justa y sustentable.


El Salvador · Technical Coordination Specialist · Francisco Martinez [17:21]:

Distinguido representante de distinguished representatives of member states. international organizations, and other participants in this panel. On behalf of the Vice President of the Republic and the President of the National Development Council, Dr. Félix Ulloa, it is a profound honor for me to address this multilateral forum to present the 3rd Voluntary National Review of the Government of the Republic of El Salvador on the implementation of the Strategic Sustainable Development Goals. This review is a technical assessment, but also a political commitment through which we reaffirm our determination to build a fairer, safer, more resilient, and more sustainable country. Since the presentation of the second report in 2022, El Salvador has undergone a structural transformation across multiple dimensions. This process was made possible thanks to the firm, visionary, and deeply reformist leadership of President Nayib Bukele, whose administration has enabled significant progress in public safety, economic growth, social inclusion, and institutional strengthening. This new report shows that 65% of the 222 prioritized indicators show a positive trend towards achieving the SDGs. This figure represents a relative increase of 4.84% compared to the previous report. This progress bears out the strengthening of the country's technical capacities and the effectiveness of the public policies we've adopted to accelerate national development through a national perspective. Based on the 3rd Voluntary National Review, of the 20— 222 prioritized indicators, 65% show a positive trend, 23% need faster progress, and 12% lack sufficient or updated information. And we're working on that. One of the most significant achievements over this period is the increasing levels of public safety. The homicide rate, which reached 106 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015, which led us to be considered as the capital of crime, dropped to just 1.9 in 2021. This is the lowest recorded in over a century. This is the outcome of a comprehensive security strategy implemented through the Territorial Control Plan, which was further enhanced by the state of emergency adopted in 2022. Far from temporary, rather, these measures have dismantled criminal structures that for decades instilled terror, paralyzed investment, and fragmented the country's social fabric. At the end of the first year of President Bukele's second term, there had been 921 days without homicides, and high-impact crimes had fallen by more than 40%. 98.2% of homicide cases have been solved and prosecuted, reflecting a substantive improvement in the institutional effectiveness of the justice system. This new climate of peace and tranquility has radically transformed daily life in communities that were historically affected by violence. Further, it has restored the fundamental right to live without fear. In El Salvador, safety is no longer an aspiration, but rather a tangible reality that underpins the entire development process. This safer environment has created favorable conditions for economic dynamism. El Salvador has surpassed pre-pandemic levels now and has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for its recovery. This performance has been driven by a strategy that combines strategic public investment, openness to trade, institutional modernization, and macroeconomic stability. Furthermore, innovative laws have been implemented offering tax incentives to high-tech sectors, advanced manufacturing, and high-rise construction. The aim of this is to generate quality jobs and to reconfigure the country's productive matrix. Among the flagship infrastructure projects in the eastern region of the country, we have Surf City 2, the Pacific Airport, the Pacific Train, and the Gerardo Barrios Ring Road. These not only improve internal and regional connectivity, but also position El Salvador as a strategic logistics hub in Central America. Fiscal stability has been strengthened through strategic agreements with multilateral organizations such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Latin American Development Bank, as well as through sovereign debt buybacks and the strengthening of international reserves. These steps have contributed to improving the country's risk profile and increasing the confidence of both national and international investors. These economic results have not happened in isolation. Rather, they are part of a comprehensive development vision that prioritizes people's well-being, productive inclusion, and social cohesion. This progress has been systematized through the strengthening of the national monitoring system for the Strategic Development Goals, which includes 222 prioritized indicators and is supported by the National Strategy for Comprehensive Development presented in 2023. This strategy is a framework for public action. It establishes 4 key pillars: people's well-being, economic prosperity, protection of the planet, and promoting peace. Through these pillars, the aim is to align plans, programs, and budgets towards common goals with a territorial and rights-based approach, as well as the strategic use of evidence. The National Development Council has coordinated this monitoring process with over 35 government institutions with technical support from the UN system. We have strengthened public governance through mechanisms for inter-institutional coordination, policy— connecting our policies across the country, and ensuring multi-sectoral participation. El Salvador presents this report in the belief that sustainable development is not an abstract aspiration, but rather a concrete goal that is built through leadership, planning, inclusion, and commitment. We invite the international community to continue being part of this effort as strategic partners to build a country that today is moving forward with firm steps, renewed hope, and the certainty that a better future is possible and within reach. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [24:16]:

I thank the presentation from El Salvador. We're now going to hear from Malta, and I'm going to invite Francine Pace Caruana, who's the Director for Sustainable Development, at the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Public Cleanliness of Malta to please make her presentation. Francine, please.


Malta · Director for Sustainable Development · Francine Pace Caruana [24:36]:

Thank you, President. On behalf of the Government of Malta, it is my honor to present Malta's 2nd Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The presentation will commence with a dedicated video that illustrates Malta's sustainable development governance framework. and the participatory process undertaken in preparation of this VNR. The video highlights the collective efforts of all stakeholders whose voices and perspectives have been vital in shaping Malta's sustainable development trajectory.


Malta [25:14]:

Malta, a small island state at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by its warm climate, which brings hot summers and mild winters. It covers just over 316 kilometers squared, making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries with limited natural resources. The inherent nature and landscape of the Maltese archipelago are heavily influenced and shaped by the surrounding sea, offering natural scenes home to an array of biodiversity. The landscape of the islands is characterized by hills with terraced fields and numerous bays along the indented coastline. These features have helped shape the history of the archipelago, making it a hub of culture with fortified cities and Baroque architecture coexisting with the natural beauty of its coastal and rural environments. Malta Malta is fully committed to the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Malta's Sustainable Development Act enshrines this commitment and mainstreams the principles of sustainability across all workings of government and society at large. As we look ahead, we embrace Malta's Sustainable Development Vision for 2050, a comprehensive framework published in 2018 that outlines our long-term goals and priorities for mainstream sustainable development. This vision is translated into Malta's Sustainable Development Strategy for 2050, published in 2024, which is comprised of 5 strategic goals: transitioning towards a climate-neutral green and blue economy, towards the preservation of sustainable urban development and cultural heritage, ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all, accelerating digital transformation, smart mobility and connectivity, and achieving social fairness and prosperity for all. In 2018, Malta undertook its first Voluntary National Review. In the creation of the second VNR, ministries, entities, civil society organizations, academics, industry representatives, and local councils joined forces in in a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to provide invaluable insights shaped by diverse voices and national statistics, culminating in Malta's first Sustainable Development Multi-Stakeholder Forum. Young voices took center stage. The Young Artists, Big Impact exhibition engaged children in depicting their vision of the SDGs through various art forms. While the SDG Youth Meetup provided an opportunity for young persons to discuss good practices, challenges, and the road ahead. Malta's SDG Youth Champions also worked on compiling a dedicated youth-driven chapter. Keeping in mind the concept of Leave No One Behind, Malta set about creating something truly special: plaster tokens crafted by members of the Society of Christian Doctrine, and painted by persons in prison, symbolizing the unity and inclusivity at the core of sustainable development. Malta's Sustainable Development Action Days serve as a powerful platform to mobilize action towards achieving the SDGs. Malta is a small island with a big vision, a vision of inclusivity, sustainability, and responsibility. As we continue our journey, we remain steadfast in our commitment to build a nation that thrives today and inspires generations to come.


Speaker 14 [29:00]:

No CSGO!


Malta · Director for Sustainable Development · Francine Pace Caruana [29:17]:

Building upon the foundations laid by Malta's first VNR in 2018, the second review provides an integrated assessment of the country's progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda across all 17 SDGs. The review not only captures achievements and milestones but also identifies ongoing challenges and areas requiring further action, thereby reinforcing our dedication to continuous improvements and long-term resilience. Distinguished delegates, Malta has made meaningful progress with notable achievements across several areas. However, as a small island state, we continue to face distinct and ongoing challenges. Our geographic position and economic structure heighten our vulnerability to climate change, limited natural resources, and external shocks. Malta has experienced a slight overall decline in the population living below the national poverty line. The poverty rate among adults aged 18 to 64 has steadily decreased. However, child poverty levels have shown some fluctuations in recent years. Malta has made notable healthcare gains through sustained investment in infrastructure and services. However, obesity remains a concern and challenges persist with rising communicable diseases and the ongoing impact of non- of non-communicable conditions. Education indicators continue to show positive trends. Completion rates for primary and lower secondary education remain consistently high, while upper secondary completion has increased significantly. The rate of early school leavers has declined, and participation in education and training among adults aged 25 to 64 has risen across all age groups and genders. Tertiary educational attainment has also made strong progress. The overall unemployment rate has dropped, with notable gains in female workforce participation and a reduction in pay disparities between genders, signaling meaningful progress towards workforce equality. Women are increasingly represented in leadership roles across sectors, with notable gains also seen in parliamentary and judicial representation. Additionally, Malta continues to lead in LGBTIQ+ rights, ranking first in Europe for the 10th consecutive year, reflecting its strong commitment to equality, inclusion, and human rights for all. Malta has made commendable strides in enhancing its judicial system, upholding the rule of law, and strengthening institutional integrity. While these reforms lay a strong foundation, there remains an important opportunity to to further build public confidence in parliament and government institutions and addressing perception of corruption. The entire population of Malta benefits from safely managed drinking water and full wastewater treatment connectivity. Malta has advanced marine conservation by establishing 18 marine protected areas and embedding nature protection measures into national policies to safeguard critical habitats and species. Malta has also taken further bold steps in environmental sustainability. We are committed to transitioning to a climate-neutral economy, supported by our Green and Blue economic strategies. Our efforts in waste reduction, renewable energy, and sustainable mobility are key components of this transition. A cornerstone of our progress has been the strengthening of data collection and monitoring systems. Malta has developed a robust framework of sustainable development indicators aligned with both national priorities and global SDG targets. These indicators are essential for tracking progress, informing policy, and ensuring transparency and accountability in our sustainable development efforts. Distinguished delegates, through the VNR process, we have identified strategic priorities to accelerate our sustainable development journey. These include the need to further strengthen institutional and statistical capacities to support more effective data-driven decision-making. Secondly, boost further stakeholder engagement and public awareness to foster shared ownership of the SDGs. Thirdly, deepen collaboration with international partners to leverage global expertise and resources. And lastly, advance inclusive and equitable digital transformation to ensure accessibility and leave no one behind. Malta remains deeply committed to Small Islands Developing States agenda, actively contributing to regional and international efforts that promote sustainable development in island contexts. We continue to advocate for enhanced support, knowledge sharing, and cooperation among SIDS and with the broader international community. In conclusion, Malta reaffirms its commitment to the 2030 Agenda. We believe that sustainable development is a shared responsibility, one that demands solidarity, cooperation, and collective action. We extend our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders for their continued support and look forward to working together to build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for all. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [34:40]:

Thank you, Malta. Thank you very much for the 3 presentations. Those of you who've done this before will know the steady routine. We will hear comments and questions from states and other participants. Please press the microphone button on your console. We already have a number of speakers who've signed up. If there are others, I will leave the guest list open for another 30 seconds or so.


Speaker 17 [35:06]:

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [35:06]:

Because you've all had a chance. Before I give the floor to the first speaker, I'd like to remind you to kindly limit your interventions to 2 minutes each if you could. That would be great. And then the panelists will come back at the end and in turn have 5 minutes each, and then we'll turn to our next panel. So here we go. Germany's up first, followed by Suriname and Antigua and Barbuda.


Germany [35:34]:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Germany congratulates all 3 presenters on their voluntary national review and the inspiring presentations. Please allow me to pose a question to Thailand. Honorable Minister, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the close bilateral cooperation and the successful pearling exchange on our VNRs. The dialogue was open and trusting and both sides benefited. What particularly impresses me about your VNRs is the participatory approach to drawing up the report. The systematic and comprehensive inclusion of a wide range of stakeholders is impressive. Another significant aspect is Thailand's strong commitment when it comes to local implementation of the SDGs. The development of the SDGs profiles in a total of 15 pilot provinces created transparency, promotes local responsibility, and clearly demonstrates how global SDGs can be effectively translated into regional development strategy. We also congratulate you on the 2 voluntary local reviews and establishment of the national VLR framework with UN-Habitat. My question. One of your key recommendations is localizing the SDGs for sustainable and demand-driven development. Could you share how Thailand is integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into local and regional development planning in the country, and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that diverse communities are meaningfully engaged in the implementation?

Process.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [37:23]:

Thanks to Germany. I now give the floor to Suriname, followed by Antigua and Barbuda.


Suriname [37:31]:

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I want to congratulate Thailand, El Salvador, and Malta on the presentations of their PNR. My question is to El Salvador, distinguished speaker. What plans does your government have to follow up on the progress of the strategic development objectives at the national and subnational levels.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [38:06]:

Next question will go to Antigua and Barbuda, please.


Antigua and Barbuda [38:13]:

Thank you, Chair, and congratulations to presenters. Question for Malta. Malta's Voluntary National Review Report contains several areas in which follow-up is required. How does the Government of Malta plan to conduct this follow-up, and what will be the topics of primary importance? Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [38:35]:

Thank you for that question. We now go to the LGBTI stakeholder group.


Young Prime Foundation · Founder · Bass [38:41]:

Distinguished Chair, my name is Bass. I'm a founder of Young Prime Foundation and the first transgender speaker at Thailand's VNR, representing marginalized communities that aren't even mentioned in report or presentation. On behalf of CSOs across Thailand, we recognize Thailand's significant progress on SDG, but lack of engagement of CSOs and not enough data for measuring SDG implementation are still concerns. On the Goal 3, non-communicable disease caused 76% of deaths, mental health service remains underfunded at just 0.14% of the budget. Many rural disability and LGBTI individuals face persistent barriers to inclusive and accessible healthcare. On goal 5, domestic violence cases rose 18% post-pandemic. The lack of legal gender recognition and the rigid gender binary policy in education severely limits student gender expression and perpetuates stereotypes. On Goal 8, rural LGBTI migrant ethnic stateless undocumented and Indigenous individuals encounter compound inequality due to limited job opportunity and labor protection. Under SDG 14, water toxicity in rivers and oceans remains a concern. Solutions must empower marginalized and Indigenous communities with dedicated financing. Here are our recommendations. Enact an Gender Recognition Act based on self-determination, increase civil society budget allocated to at least 2% of national development spending, and expand community-led implementation, and build SDG data systems disaggregated by gender, age, ethnicity, disability, and digital access. Thailand's path forward must be one where every person, every ethnicity, every identity, every ability can fully participate and contribute to the future that ensures no one is left behind. I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [40:32]:

Thank you. Now I'll give the floor to, in this order, Bulgaria, Indonesia, and Ireland, starting with Bulgaria.


Bulgaria [40:46]:

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. And my question is for the delegation of Thailand, and it's about the SDG indicators. And the question is, how does your country manage the governance of SDG indicators. And with reference to your presentation on trend-to-target assessment using over 200 existing indicators, how is the data collection process organized and managed? And also, what mechanisms are in place to coordinate this extensive data gathering.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [41:32]:

Thank you. Indonesia followed by Ireland.


Indonesia [41:38]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Indonesia joins others in congratulating Thailand, El Salvador, and Malta for their presentations and best practices in implementing the SDGs. From Thailand, we learned the importance of better utilizing data, building financing framework and strengthening SDGs localization efforts across all communities. From Malta, we see the importance of maintaining a clear vision in development policies which embrace an inclusive participatory approach. And from El Salvador, we learn of its comprehensive transformation coupled with strategic and targeted projects in various essential sectors. Our questions will be for El Salvador. How has your government undertaken efforts for inter-institutional coordination and promote a better collaborative approach in the implementation of the strategic development objectives.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [42:32]:

Thank you. Now I'll give the floor to Ireland.


Ireland [42:36]:

Thank you, President, and we thank Thailand, El Salvador, and Malta for their presentations. Ireland has a question for Malta. When countries prepare voluntary national reviews, best practice indicates that they should do so hand in hand.

with a wide representation of domestic stakeholders, including civil society.

And we heard some information on stakeholder engagement in your presentation.

Could you please share some further detail on the process that Malta used in preparing its VNR, and in particular how it incorporated recommendations from civil society organizations? Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [43:12]:

Thank you. The next is the Stakeholder Group on Aging. Please, Stakeholder 2.


Stakeholder Group on Aging [43:18]:

This joint statement has been developed through a consultative process with civil society organizations representing a diverse range of major group stakeholders, those working in the fields of education, academia, LGBTI rights, children and youth, women, older persons, workers, and trade unions. The process was coordinated by the Maltese NGO COPINH, with the support of the Eastern and Central Europe Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism. Efforts since 2018 to set up a transparent and evidence-based BNR review process was a necessary first step, but wider engagement of stakeholder groups is required for truly effective whole-of-society participation. Gaps remain that need to be acknowledged including decades of myopic GDP growth that has increased inequalities, harming low-skilled workers, increasing homelessness, substance abuse, and poverty among marginalized people, including older persons. We're very worried by misguided public displays of arrests and deportations of so-called irregular migrants. Children and youth are keenly vocal about the deterioration of mental and physical well-being linked to diminishing public and green spaces, poor urban planning, air pollution, and a lack of effective traffic management. Many also asked for improved education focusing on crucial life skills. We hereby request our government to accelerate the implementation of pending measures, especially those addressing inequalities and supporting vulnerable groups. While continuing to focus on carrying forward the SDGs beyond 2030. Address spillover effects stemming from unsustainable economic practices. Finally, engage meaningfully with CSOs beyond the tick-the-box exercise. And I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [45:26]:

Thank you for that. We have 4 more speakers: Japan, Philippines, State of Palestine, and the Women's Major Group. Japan, please.


Japan [45:36]:

Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to pose a question to the delegation of Thailand. First of all, we would like to extend our congratulations to Thailand for the significant progress that you made toward achieving the SDGs. As you highlighted, we share the view that SDGs localization and multi-stakeholders engagement are crucial in these efforts. With that in mind, could you share insights from Thailand's recent stakeholder consultations conducted to support this VNR? And what do you see as the most critical recommendation arising from these regional dialogues that should shape Thailand's policy prioritization going forward?

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [46:22]:

Thanks to Japan. Next is Philippines, followed by the State of Palestine.


Philippines [46:27]:

Thank you, Mr. President.

The Philippines commends all the country presenters this afternoon—

Thailand, El Salvador, and Malta— for their comprehensive and insightful reports. In particular, we congratulate Malta for presenting their second VNR.

We commend the Government of Malta for building on the lessons learned from its first VNR, enabling positive trends in key areas such as in education, health, and the environment. The Philippines and Malta share common interests as maritime nations vulnerable to climate change, also in advocating for the welfare of migrants and recognizing their positive contributions to sustainable development.

We would like to ask the distinguished delegation of Malta, what measures is Malta implementing to promote social cohesion, combat racism, and integrate migrants into society? Thank you, Mr. President.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [47:21]:

Thank the delegate from Philippines. I turn now to the State of Palestine, and then the final speaker will be from the Women's Major Group. State of Palestine.


State of Palestine [47:33]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Excellencies and distinguished delegates, we want to thank and congratulate the delegations of Malta, Thailand, and El Salvador on their fruitful and valuable presentations of their VNRs. especially at this critical time. Our question is for the delegation of Malta, and in recognizing the challenges faced as a small country, how has the principle of leaving no one behind been applied at the local level? What have been some of the main challenges faced, and how were they successfully addressed?

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [48:00]:

Appreciate the comment. Women's Major Group, please.


Women's Major Group [48:13]:

Salvadoran civil society, in light of the threat of reprisals, would like to read the following position. Nayib talks about a false sustainable development while it terrorizes more than 86,000 in arbitrary detentions. There is a violation against LGBT persons and women and many deaths in custody. The state is not transparent. Investigations show the discretionary use of public funds, including the diversion of U.S. aid, and through a speech on public safety, migrants, critical voices that point to a lack of transparency and corruption and abuses without a due process. Leaders such as Rude López and more than 100 journalists and social defenders have fled the country. What else has to happen so that we recognize the dictatorship in El Salvador? The state accuses those, uh, of— that point to the abuses, uh, of wanting to create a bloodbath. In the meantime, they are sowing fear. And society and rights can coexist, but Nayib is incapable of ensuring that. We ask the international community to ensure that there is consistency to not provide financing to a dictatorship that is dismantling democracy and human rights. We ask for sanctions against Bukele, his family, his allies, and those that sustain his regime to freeze assets, um, and under the global regime of the European Union to suspend financial international cooperation from the IMF and other banks, so until the rule of law is maintained. How many more deaths do we need to ensure that we do not legitimize these deaths and the government of El Salvador continues with her mission? One day this will come to an end.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [50:36]:

Thank you. We're now going to hear from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Mr. Cham Benpongseth. We're going to hear from Francisco Martinez, and then we're going to hear from Francine Pacheco-Ruana from Malta. So, Minister, you had several questions directed to you. And you have unfortunately only 5 minutes to respond to all of them. Thank you very much for coming, and go ahead.


Thailand · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Maris Sangiampongsa [51:02]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much for your questions and comments. First, I would like to acknowledge the statement made by the representative of major group and other stakeholders, which we will convey to all relevant agencies in Bangkok. Now I'd like to respond to Germany's questions. Thailand places a strong emphasis on localizing the SDGs through multi-stakeholder collaborations. Since 2016, Thailand's SDG localization policy has been spearheaded by the Ministry of Interior through areas best SDGs implementation system, with provincial governors and local administrations organizations serving as coordinator. Localization ensures that the development policies and measures respond to the needs of the people in each communities who face different challenges and opportunities, as well as to ensure sustainability of efforts. This is what was confirmed in our stakeholders' engagements in the 6 regions of the country. Also, with the support of the UN countries' teams, we developed provincial-level SDGs profiles in 15 pilot provinces. Completed 2 voluntary local reviews with the 3rd one underway. We are also developing national frameworks for VLRs as guidance for interested municipalities. I would, I would like now to pass the floor to Secretary-General Danusha to respond to the questions on data and then the Associate Professor— Assistant Professor Chon to respond to the questions on stakeholders and catchment.


Thailand · Secretary-General · Danusha Pichayanand [53:17]:

Thank you, Excellency.

For the question on the mechanism and data collection, I'd like to answer that in Thailand, we established the National Committee on Sustainable Development chaired by the Prime Minister. The committee endorsed Thailand's SDG roadmap, which affirmed the role of civil society as a key development partner and emphasized on the importance of the data-driven monitoring and evaluation system. The committee has tasked agencies with data collecting, which it then The data will submit to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, which acting as a national secretariat, and the data will be reviewed and validated by the National Statistics Office and is now publicly accessible through Thailand SDG Dashboard. And recognizing the vital role of data in identifying development development gaps and shaping strategic responses. Thailand incorporates trend-to-target assessment in our latest VNR to more effectively guide policy direction. And as you all know that technology innovation is crucial to enable in improving both the quality and efficiencies of data collection I would therefore like to take this opportunity to warmly invite all of you to the side event titled Leveraging Data and Technology to Accelerate SDGs Implementation, Monitoring, and Follow-up, hosted by Thailand and Saudi Arabia, which will be held on Wednesday, 23rd July, at Conference Room 3 from 1:15 to 2:30 PM. And I will now pass the floor to Assistant Professor Shon to answer the remaining question.


Thailand · Director · Chon Boonnak [55:33]:

Thank you to the distinguished delegate from Japan for your important question. Our recent national consultations for the VNR reveal a clear and unified message from our local stakeholders They call for revitalizing community, community-led research to solve local problems. They seek genuine partnership in policymaking, not just a consultative role. And they stressed the need to integrate citizen-generated data to complement official statistics, ensuring we capture the full reality on the ground. This leads to our most critical recommendation: Thailand must prioritize a deeper and more meaningful localization of the SDGs. This is achieved by empowering local communities as true agents of their own development, equipping them with knowledge, institutionalizing their voice in policy, and valuing their role in generating data. By championing this ground-up approach, we believe Thailand can accelerate its progress towards the 2030 Agenda in a truly inclusive way. Thank you, and I pass on the floor back to His Excellency the Foreign Minister.


Thailand · Minister for Foreign Affairs · Maris Sangiampongsa [56:42]:

Thank you very much. We hope to build our experience together with the recommendations we received to continue advancing sustainable development in Thailand and beyond. I thank you once again for your kind interest in Thailand's VNRR process. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [57:01]:

Minister, thank you very much. I now give the floor to Francisco Martinez on behalf of El Salvador, and then I'll turn to Francine for Malta. Gracias.


El Salvador · Technical Coordination Specialist · Francisco Martinez [57:17]:

Thank you, Chairman. Well, in principle, I think it's important to take up something that sometimes when you hear hypocrisy, it might be underpinned by lies and might weaken countries' transformations. El Salvador has just since the '70s been suffering a civil war. We had 80,000 died. Many are well aware of what is torture in prison. This is what we had in El Salvador between 1970 and 1980. Generations struggled to ensure at least a functional formal democracy. Defeating civil— they defeated civil war. They sought a negotiated political solution. But as you say, when no one wins, this solution isn't implemented. And so what was set up in El Salvador was a bipartisan system which created enormous problems and didn't resolve the complex problems, which was the economic and social situation in the country. At the end of the war, we saw a gang phenomenon that killed around 120,000 Salvadorans, covering around 85% of the country's territory. Those gangs were the governors. They decided on the lives of peoples— humble people, men and women that were subjected to this permanent mechanism of cruelty, repression that were— that we had in El Salvador with the complicity of 6 governments from 1989. This government, since day one of taking office, it decided to face this criminal reality, to relieve and free Salvadorans from the blackmail, terrorism, and— When this government took office, it faced reactions, as it usually does in phases of change. People who want to look backwards to maintain a population that is subjected to the terror of groups that outside— that exist outside the law. Today, El Salvador can say that it is beginning a process of transformation. And obviously, that is not helpful for many people who lived off the blood of those times. There were people, for instance— what I can say is that things have changed now. I invite you to El Salvador to come to visit, to see that El Salvador has changed and that we are undergoing a transformation process. We're not perfect. We are saying that we're doing things that are worthwhile so that El Salvadorans can live happily in a way that is better than the last 10 years in the successive governments But you negotiated with criminals. That led to a situation of perversion. They negotiated with criminals— criminals who played with the heads of people, that violated— raped our women and violated our children. Those were the things that used to happen. Today, on behalf of the Vice President, I came here to show that El Salvador is changing. And obviously, it won't be what everybody wants, But for those of us who live in El Salvador, who suffered war, who are facing gangs through suffer— who face the suffering today, we are very pleased to come to you and say, please come to El Salvador. See that what we're hearing is just the resentment of people who want to go back to the El Salvador of the past. Now, how did we carry out this process? Well, this is related to the leadership of one person, that is the President Nayib Bukele. You may or may not like him, but what you can't deny is that the safety in the country today is unprecedented. The 2 groups that caused the war agreed with these gangs, and it led to a situation that was deteriorating society. But today, society has changed. The President appointed a Vice President. The Vice President is undertaking this social transformation at the highest level so that we could ensure an improvement of the conditions in El Salvador that is needed by the society. Of course, we are still in the midst of this process. With the interinstitutional strength and with the leadership of President Bukele, we will be taking steps forward. Mr. Bukele has the highest levels of approval— 85% of Salvadorans who voted in the last election still approve of him. And this is what we're talking about. Many people are even calling for a third term for Mr. Bukele. I want to close by saying that we are interested in ensuring that El Salvador is seeing— is seen by the world as a country that has broken those change— chains that were holding back development. We want to say that change is possible. That's why our government's commitment is to strengthen institutional mechanisms to recover the role of the law, of the state. The state had been replaced by gangs, and that is what people want us to go back to, but we're not going to. So now, with all of these tools, we can show that we are a new, different country, a country that is still building itself, which has a firm commitment to people, to distinguished people. There is a public safety approach that has been implemented to ensure a— the Supreme Court has already said that these gangs were terrorist groups. In addition, they— convicted the governors and officials of previous governments for coming to agreements with these gangs while they didn't resolve any of the problems. Now these problems are being resolved. Obviously, there will be an impact. One of these impacts is that a significant part of society is under the custody of judicial systems— yes, in the framework of due process.

They—

around 85,000 people have been detained. They were related to gang activity. And many thousands have already been released— have already been freed because they have been able to show that they were not sufficiently linked to the gangs. So we are undergoing a profound transformation in El Salvador where social transformation and sustainable development is the fundamental part of our change. So the strategic development goals for our country are a tool through which, with monitoring, with strong institutions, with civic participation, we will be able to move forward, bringing El Salvador to a new time of coexistence, security, and peace. Thank you very much.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:04:48]:

I thank Mr. Martinez for his, uh, for his presentation and his comments. I now give the floor to Francine Pace-Caruana, please, for Malta.


Malta · Director for Sustainable Development · Francine Pace Caruana [1:05:00]:

Thank you, President. We would like to thank the floor for the questions. Firstly, we would like to answer the question posed by the distinguished representative of Antigua and Barbuda. At the national level, Malta is currently developing a sustainable development action plan which will introduce a comprehensive set of measures and initiatives aimed precisely to address the implementation gaps identified in this PNR in line with Malta's sustainable development strategic priorities. These being transitioning towards a climate-neutral green and blue economy, the preservation of sustainable urban development and cultural heritage, ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all, accelerating digital transformation including smart mobility and connectivity, as well achieving social fairness fairness and prosperity for all. Furthermore, the action plan is being reinforced by Malta's commitment to mainstreaming sustainable development across the public administration. In fact, we will be continuing— we will continue to build on the existing SDG budget alignment framework which was initiated in 2019, and such an approach not only fosters transparency and accountability but also ensures that the principles of sustainable development are consistently prioritized in our work. We also believe it is important to further build institutional capacity within the public administration, and in this regard, a new project with technical assistance from OECD has been launched to develop a training program for civil servants on the SDGs. This training program will ensure that the policies and initiatives are not only ambitious and well-implemented, but also guided by long-term foresight and resilience. With regards to the question posed by the distinguished representatives of Ireland, in preparing its 2nd Voluntary National Review, Malta adopted a whole-of-government and a whole-of-society approach, ensuring a broad and meaningful engagement with national stakeholders, including civil society organizations, academics, private sector, the general public, youth, and local authorities. As part of this inclusive process, Malta conducted a stakeholder mapping exercise to identify and engage a diverse range, range of actors. In particular, feedback was collected through targeted questionnaires, including questionnaires for civil society organizations, allowing them to share their views, priorities, and suggestions in a structured and inclusive manner. The insights gathered from these questionnaires were integrated into the VNR. These questionnaires were also complemented by information sessions, a youth meetup, as well as a multi-stakeholder forum. In response to the questions posed by distinguished representatives from the Philippines and the State of Palestine, Malta remains committed to foster social cohesion and integration thus leaving no one behind. These efforts are anchored in national strategies aligned with EU frameworks and reflect Malta's commitment to build an inclusive and equitable society. Malta's 2nd National Integration Strategy, launched earlier this year, builds on the previous plan and addresses the needs of a population where more than a quarter are not Maltese nationality. The new strategy introduces key measures to enhance integration by offering broader access to Maltese language and cultural orientation. It also highlights the role of civil society by establishing an Integration and Anti-Racism Consultative Council for policy input and support. Additionally, a dedicated integration one-stop shop offering digital and in-person services, including a multi— multilingual hotline, will be launched. This is also complemented by outreach campaigns and training programs aimed at fostering intercultural inclusion and tolerance. Malta's 2nd National Action Plan Against Racism is currently at drafting stage and will build on the outcomes of the first action plan and address new challenges. President, Malta thanks the diverse civil society organizations who contributed to the joint statement. We are grateful for your engagement and constructive feedback. We acknowledge the concerns raised and wish to affirm our shared commitment to strengthen transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability. A number of issues have already been addressed in our replies to the questions posed by the member states. We take note of the concerns regarding regulatory frameworks, social equity, and urban development. These concerns remain at the forefront of Malta's national agenda. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our engagement with civil society organizations through regular dialogue platforms and mechanisms, such as the annual Multistakeholder Forum on Sustainable Development. I will now give the floor to Clara Borg Aquilina, one of Malta's UN Youth Delegates. Thank you.


Malta · UN Youth Delegate · Clara Borg Aquilina [1:10:11]:

A standout feature of Malta's Voluntary National Review is the dedicated youth chapter, which is a by youth, for youth, and with youth effort. Malta's review places young people at the heart of its vision, and as one of Malta's United Nations Youth Delegates, I contributed to the writing of the youth chapter alongside Malta's SDG Youth Champions. This process included an SDG Youth Meetup, which was held to gather direct input from young people, reflecting a multi-stakeholder spirit that really underpins the review as a whole. The methodology of this chapter was to incorporate both a top-down and bottom-up approach, because when young people see themselves in policy, they move from being heard to being trusted as co-creators of Malta's sustainable future. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:11:04]:

I thank you both. I think this concludes this panel. I'd like to thank the panel very much for I want to thank everybody for being here, for responding to questions, and if I may say so, for engaging in vigorous debate, which is the way of the world these days. And also say that it's now time to turn to the second panel presentation. So we'll take a brief pause while we wait for the second panel. I want to thank everybody once again. Minister, thank you so much.


Speaker 53 [1:11:32]:

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:11:32]:

Good to see you.


Speaker 55 [1:11:33]:

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:11:38]:

Thank you.


Speaker 57 [1:11:49]:

Very kind of you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:11:50]:

Thank you. We're starting up again, if I may. If you're coming in, come in. If you're going out, go out. If you're standing up, sit down. Pretty simple. We'd like to begin. Colleagues, this is the second panel presentation, and it's my pleasure to welcome distinguished presenters from Czechia, from Papua New Guinea, and from Israel. Before we begin with the presentations, I would like to ask everyone, as I have done before, to try and stick to your 10 minutes at the beginning and your 5 minutes at the end. And I would deeply appreciate it if you could stick with that. A little disorder in the balcony, please. Thank you. If I have to interrupt people, I will do so. And I'll say right away that we will start, first of all, with Czechia. We're going to hear the voluntary national review presented by His Excellency Peter Kulanek. who's the Minister of Regional Development of Czechia. Minister, the floor is yours to make a presentation. You're most welcome.


Czechia · Minister of Regional Development · Peter Kulanek [1:18:14]:

Thank you very much, Mr. President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. It is my honor to introduce Czechia's 3rd Voluntary National Review, which offers a critical assessment of our progress in all SDGs and the 2030 Agenda implementation over the past 4 years. It highlights achievements and identifies persistent and new challenges. We have seen progress in 10 goals, while 6 have shown stagnation. We looked at structural issues that cut across several SDGs, namely decarbonization, just transition, or social resilience in the face of extreme weather events, as well cyber threats and disinformation. The report also describes sustainability in our everyday life, for example, in sports and culture. The BNR was prepared through a broad participatory process involving government departments, local authorities, academia, civil society, and young people. Whose participation brought valuable insights to the process. The video you are about to see brings to you the voices from all over Czechia, voices of women and men who embody the spirit of the SDGs through their actions and leadership. It showcases specific examples of Czechia's contribution to advancing the 2030 Agenda. Thank you, and we will look forward to discussion. Thank you.


Speaker 60 [1:20:02]:

Czechia fully embraces its global responsibilities by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, calling out violations, strengthening development cooperation, and enhancing climate resilience. We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind. Our work starts at home. This review highlights the progress we have made, which places Czechia among the global leaders in implementing Sustainable Development Goals. I take pride in these achievements. We reaffirm our resolve not to stop in our efforts to pursue the 2030 Agenda. Building and sustaining peace and preventing conflicts in the face of the climate crisis demand collective action. Czechia stands ready to do its part, working hand in hand with the United Nations and the international community.


Czechia [1:20:56]:

The standard of living in Czechia is rising, but not everyone benefits equally. Vulnerable groups often face poverty and social marginalization. Women too continue to experience significant inequalities. But let me assure you, we are working hard so no one is left behind. Our Parliament has redefined rape based on the principle of consent. We adopted a new definition of domestic violence and we continue to be committed Across the Czech Republic, cultural life is thriving beyond big cities, driven by local volunteers and people of all ages. The carnival in Rostocky started as a small local event. It was developed by local people. We have been crafting our own masks and costumes. We draw on folkloric traditions. folkloric traditions, with all respects to them, but we play them and remake them and we link them to a current situation, what is happening in politics or around the world.

The active participation of seniors in society is crucial. There are more than 2 million seniors in the Czech Republic and this number will continue to increase. At Ternpidal, we aim to provide seniors with opportunities for lifelong learning and integration into society. In this way, we threaten not only the quality of life of seniors but also solidarity and respect in society and between generations.


Czechia · Minister of Regional Development · Peter Kulanek [1:22:41]:

Not only cultural but also social projects are flourishing across the Czech Republic, bridging generations as people of all ages come together. Innovation and technology are driving economic impact in the Czech Republic. Digital education, AI development, and green transformation help businesses to adapt global challenges. By investing into digital skills, we ensure professionals are ready to technological evolution. Meanwhile, industries embrace sustainability, shifting to low-carbon production and investing into breakthrough technologies.


Holcim Czechia [1:23:21]:

At Holcim, we believe that the future of the construction industry is a sustainable one. That's why we're committed to decarbonize building. Key step is the launch of our new dedicated calcined clay production line. And this actually marks a very important first milestone, not just for us as Holcim Czechia, but for the industry as a whole. Our goal is very clear. It is to build progress for people and the planet.


Czechia [1:23:55]:

Czech National Supercomputing Center supports regional transformation through advanced computing, data processing, and artificial intelligence.

We are currently installing the first quantum computer in the Czech Republic.

Our center leverages cutting-edge technologies to promote sustainable social and economic development in our region.

This twin transition, digital and green, is key to resilient and competitive economy.

The Czech Republic is taking strong steps towards environment sustainability by planting trees, protecting biodiversity, and adapting to climate change, we are restoring nature and making ecosystems stronger. Investment in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and waste reduction are changing our impact on the environment.

Soil is vital for us. It provides our food, retains significant water, and is a major carbon sink. Soil health is in decline along with its natural fertility. Our mission is to stop massive soil degradation through regenerative practices such as no-till and cover crop planting. Key part of our work is empowering and engaging farmers and landowners to take an active role in bringing life back to soil.

A massive fire swept through the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in 2022.

While this may seem tragic, The area is already naturally regenerating with pioneer vegetation.

Observing this natural process with a high-quality scientific approach, we gain valuable knowledge to provide a sustainable future for all forest ecosystems for next generations.

By working together, we are creating a greener future for the next generation, with cleaner air, water, and healthier nature.

The Russian aggression against Ukraine has deeply impacted sustainable development. Its consequences have been felt in our region as well as globally. Czechia has been addressing them together with our partners across the world. The Czech official development assistance has increased since 2021. The 2030 Agenda stands on the pillars of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. We achieve this by supporting accountable institutions and encouraging active participation.

Czechia remains one of the EU countries hosting the highest number of Ukrainian refugees. That's about 35 Ukrainian refugees per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024. Our adaptation center supports teenagers who fled their homes because of the war. The center focuses specifically on them, providing support through Czech lessons as well as organizing other activities to ease their transition.


People in Need [1:27:41]:

People in Need is a Czech-based organization supporting communities affected by poverty, crisis, conflict, and injustice. We operate in over 40 countries with a budget exceeding €200 million, funded both from private and public sources. Each year, we assist over 4 million people worldwide through long-term programs, People in need empowers communities to build resilient and sustainable future.


Czechia [1:28:11]:

No country can reach the SDGs alone, but every country can help. Czechia will keep doing its part. We do not shy away from challenges. We tackle them together with responsibility and determination.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:28:36]:

Thank you very much to the— to Czechia for this presentation. I'm now going to— we're now going to hear from His Excellency Ano Pala, who's the Minister for National Planning of Papua New Guinea, to make his presentation. I thank the minister for being here.


Papua New Guinea · Minister for National Planning · Ano Pala [1:28:55]:

Thank you.

Thank you, Your Excellency Ambassador Bob Roy, President of the Economic and Social Council, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the government and the people of Papua New Guinea, I bring warm greetings from the Pacific region and reaffirm our deep and enduring commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a shared global promise we made as members of this UN family. Mr. President, Papua New Guinea is pleased to place— pleased to present in person for the first time its second voluntary national review since the last one done virtually in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic. This year is essentially especially significant for us. We mark 50 years of unbroken democracy and independence, a remarkable journey of nationhood and resilience. We have remained a united, vibrant, and unbroken democracy for 50 years. Yet defined by our unique diversity in peoples, cultures, traditions, languages, biodiversity, and topography, which is our strength. While we have made meaningful and measured progress on several SDGs targets, especially in areas such as health, education, and infrastructure, We acknowledge that much more needs to be done to meet the full ambitions of the 2030 Agenda. This 2nd Voluntary National Review is not only a reflection on what we have achieved together, it is also a call to deepen our partnership over the next 5 years and beyond. We thank our bilateral and multi- Lateral development partners, including the United Nations systems, civil society organizations, and the private sector, will continue to work with us. Your contributions have been instrumental in our progress. We further encourage this partnership, but one that strengthens our own national leadership and ownership to drive our sustainable development. As we look ahead, our national ambition is bold but realistic: to double the size of our economy, ensure that the benefits of growth are broad-based and inclusive, and to align all development efforts with the principle of leaving no one behind. To achieve this, we are working towards strengthening data systems, And developing— development coordination; investing in local and inclusive institutions; responsible financing and innovation; enhancing cooperation with both traditional and emerging development partners. Mr. President, following my presentation, we will have the video address by my Prime Minister, Honorable James Marapea, on Papua New Guinea's Second Voluntary National Review, and we look forward to the interaction— interactive dialogue after the presentation. In closing, I extend Papua New Guinea's sincere appreciation to the Chair of the Session, the United— UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, for their valued support and acknowledge and congratulate all VNRA-presenting countries and for the partners and friends present here today. Papua New Guinea reaffirms our strong commitment to the SDGs attainment. Let us continue to work together in solidarity and action to make the final 5 years of this Global Agenda the most transformation yet. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:33:47]:

Thank you very much.


Papua New Guinea · Prime Minister · James Marape [1:33:53]:

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is a profound honor to present Papua New Guinea's 2nd Voluntary National Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


Papua New Guinea [1:34:13]:

Papua New Guinea celebrates 50 years of independence this year. This Golden Jubilee is not only a milestone of nationhood but also a strong reminder of the country's resilience and commitment to building a just, equitable, and sustainable future.

Good morning, children.


Papua New Guinea · Prime Minister · James Marape [1:34:44]:

Today we reflect on the progress made since our first Voluntary National Review in 2020. This year, Papua New Guinea marks 50 years of unbroken democracy and independence since 1975. The SDGs provide critical benchmarks as we shape our next chapter towards a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable nation for Since 2020, Papua New Guinea has made important gains across several Sustainable Development Goals.


Papua New Guinea [1:35:20]:

Public investment in social sectors, for instance, rose from 12% in 2020 to 20% in 2024. There has been poverty reduction through Social protection, rural infrastructure, and access to finance. In health, underweight prevalence among children dropped significantly, while maternal health services were strengthened under the National Health Plan.

Okay, blood pressure, please, madam.


Papua New Guinea · Prime Minister · James Marape [1:35:59]:

The heartbeat of our national development, particularly as we recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 adversity and pandemic. We have lowered under-5 mortality from 60 to 58 per 1,000 live births. We have reduced malaria incidences and improved ART coverage under our new HIV strategy and strengthened immunization, family planning, and community We acknowledge persistent challenges remain, particularly in rural areas where health services remain uneven. To build a more resilient health system, we are rehabilitating rural health infrastructure, one that truly leaves no one behind.


Papua New Guinea [1:36:45]:

I'd like you to name this structure, okay? Name this structure.

It has a double bone, alright?


Papua New Guinea · Prime Minister · James Marape [1:36:54]:

Gender equality is fundamental to our national development. Whilst we have made important strides, gender inequality, especially in rural areas, continues to pose a serious challenge. As we look to 2030, our focus remains clear: eliminate gender-based violence and build a society where every woman and girl can equally thrive. Our economy has long depended on extractive industries. Whilst this is important, we are actively diversifying to promote inclusive, broad-based growth. Agriculture sustains over 75% of our population thus far, but at present contributes only 13% to GDP. To address this imbalance, we are investing We have also launched the National Employment Policy 2021 to 2031 to reduce unemployment and empower women and youth entrepreneurs. The sea is not only a resource but a way of life. It's central to our identity, our economy, and our future. We are home to the 4th largest coral reef system We are tackling illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing through regional cooperation and national enforcement to protect the health and resilience of our shared ocean for generations to come.


Papua New Guinea [1:38:33]:

Papua New Guinea's progress is rooted in a whole-of-society collaboration that includes civil society, the private sector, development partners, and academic institutions, which all play key roles in sustainable development outcomes.


Papua New Guinea · Prime Minister · James Marape [1:38:57]:

Excellency, we recognize that strong partnerships, both global and national, are essential to achieving the SDGs. May God bless our collective efforts and guide us on the path towards a more just, resilient, and sustainable world for all our children.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:39:18]:

I thank the Government of Papua New Guinea for that presentation. We'll now hear the voluntary national review from Israel, and I invite His Excellency Rami Rosen, the Director-General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Israel, to make a presentation. Mr. Rosen, you have the floor.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [1:39:37]:

Thank you, Chair. We will begin our presentation with a short video.


Israel [1:39:48]:

In a land where ancient landscapes meet global ambitions, a new story is unfolding— one of solutions, of commitment, of a future built together. Like many nations, Israel faces rising challenges— climate stress, a growing and diverse population, and the pressures of a small land. But where pressure rises, so does purpose. Israel's healthcare system is designed to adapt. From trauma recovery to digital mental health services, care here reaches beyond crisis. Gender equality in Israel isn't just policy; it's practiced in labs, clinics, classrooms, and leadership. In a water-scarce region, Israel has redefined how water is sourced, reused, and protected. Opportunity grows where barriers fall. Israel supports inclusive employment and equal access to opportunity across all sectors of society. Innovation isn't confined Israel invests in tech, logistics, and high-speed infrastructure in every region. Urban sustainability is a priority, from energy-efficient schools to inclusive design and accessible public spaces. Facing rising temperatures and a growing number of extreme weather events, Israel invests in real-world solutions— shade trees, solar fields, climate tech. Israel's marine ecosystem, Ecosystems— coral reefs, coastlines, research labs— are critical zones of conservation and innovation. Partnership is at the heart of our impact. Israel shares knowledge and tools with countries near and far, advancing shared resilience. From its heart to the world, Israel is in motion, committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, building a future that is inclusive, innovative, and resilient.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [1:41:50]:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it's a great honor to present Israel's 2nd Voluntary National Review. We present this review at a time of deep challenges for our nation. The tragic event of October 7th, 2023, and the following war have tested Israel's resilience and have impacted every aspect of our society. Just last month, Israel was attacked with ballistic missiles launched at the civilians by the dangerous Iranian regime. Yet we remain steady in our commitment to our 2030 Agenda and to the shared vision of a more sustainable, inclusive, and just world. Israel policy framework for SDG implementation was established in 2019 by a government decision integrating the 2030 Agenda into government work. Why this create a cross-government mechanism to advance the SDGs? Progress remains voluntary and fragmented. We recognize the need for a stronger national mechanism to ensure systematic implementation across all sectors. Despite these operational challenges, progress has been made in many sectors, as you can see on the slide behind me. I wish today to share samples of the progress by focusing on series of case studies that highlight innovation, resilience, and cross-sector collaboration, trademarks of Israel national character. Israel is a very small country of just 10 million people, but Israel population is young and growing. Our VNR presents 2 tools that help our youngsters address social challenges of the digital age, contributing, among others, to better education and reducing social gaps. The Child Online Protection Agency, led by Unit 105 of the Israel Police, is a groundbreaking initiative that tackled more than 60,000 cases of online harassment and cyberbullying since its start. Through a 24/7 hotline and cross-ministerial partnership, AI-driven intervention, and community engagement, we are protecting our young people and promoting safe digital environments. We are also empowering young people to navigate the changing labor market through Avodata, an online digital career guidance platform. Avodata offers transparent data on employment trends, education pathways, and wage expectations, bridging information gaps, especially for groups such as women, ultra-Orthodox communities, and Arab citizens. In addition, all Israelis, whatever the age or population group, are covered by universal healthcare system, which is highly digitalized. This is proven very effective during current war, which required rapid and adaptive healthcare response. Israel healthcare system is treated, tens of thousands of war-related injuries, and addressed widespread psychological trauma affecting over 30% of population. Innovative solutions included mental resilience centers for displaced communities, digital mental health tools, and rethinking rehabilitation techniques to bridge the gap between hospital care and the speedy and successful return of our soldiers and civilians to normal life. In Israel, we also use innovation to drive inclusive economic growth. Israel's investment in R&D is a very high percentage of our GDP, but we need to ensure that everyone benefits from this investment. 13 innovation centers are being established in weaker socioeconomic areas in order to build a more required economy, create decent jobs, and empower communities in the periphery. One of these centers, the Desert Tech and the Climate Innovation Center, is close to my heart. Located in the Negev Desert, it was established as a joint venture by government, civil society, and academia to foster startup companies that address global climate and desert challenges. But groundbreaking climate technologies is not enough. Israel is a climatic hotspot, and the impact is really evident in the cities, which are home to more than 90% of Israel's population. To make our city more adaptive and more sustainable, Israel Green Building Standard has become law instead of voluntary and transformed many buildings into green, into green construction. Together with Neighborhood 360 tool jointly developed by the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Israel Green Building Council, we are designing mixed-use, inclusive urban spaces integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations. In addition, to address climate impact, local authorities in Israel are at the forefront of climate action, building community resilience and adapting urban environments. To date, over 100 municipalities have developed or developing municipal climate adaptation plans. Municipal adaptation includes better emergency systems, upgrading drainage networks, and deploying green infrastructure like the planting of 450,000 street trees nationwide to pervade shade— to provide shade. Israel is also advancing sustainability in aquatic and marine environment. Faced with historic water scarcity, Israelis will know for innovative experience with drip irrigation, reducing pipe leakage, seawater desalination, and large-scale wastewater use so that we can save natural water and protect ecosystem. We are now taking this measure further and good example For the National Carrier Flow Reversal Project that transports desalinated seawater from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee. This can maintain the level of the Sea of Galilee and the river flows in years when the natural rainfall is below average, increasing water supply to northern communities and fulfilling Israel's commitment to provide water to its neighbors. When addressing the sea, then we have combination of expanded marine project area, greater monitoring, and stronger enforcement against illegal fishing. We are actively working to protect marine biodiversity and address climate change impacts and pollution to preserve the Mediterranean and the Red Sea fragile ecosystem. Finally, I want to say a few words about international partnerships. For over 6 decades, Israel actively contributed to global sustainable development through technology transfer on mutually agreed terms of international cooperation. Our VNR highlights recent examples of projects implemented worldwide by Mashav, Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, and others in the area of agritech solutions, water management, healthcare, and women's empowerment. This program demonstrates how Israeli innovation and know-how can reduce inequalities, poverty, improve food security, and foster sustainable growth. Ladies and gentlemen, our VNR is frank about the gaps we must still close, especially the need for stronger national SDG governance frameworks. Challenges remain. We still must work harder to implement several SDGs Yet we have much to be proud of. Our VNR celebrates the power of innovation, cross-sector collaboration, resilience, and strong spirit of our people. Israel is a melting pot, melting pot of diverse traditions, cultures, and views, a mosaic in which Jews, Muslims, Christians, Christians, Jews, and others all live together and all deserve a secure and sustainable living. We stand in solidarity with the international community, committed to the principle of leaving no one behind. We believe that through resilience, creativity, and shared purpose, we can transform challenge into progress not only for Israel but as a part of our collective global mission.

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:52:25]:

I thank Mr. Rosen for his presentation. As we have in other cases, we're going to now turn to comments and questions from states and other participants. Delegations who wish to intervene in the interactive discussion, including those who previously expressed their interest to ask questions to any of the VNR presentations, just heard through the group of Friends of Voluntary National Reviews, are invited to press the microphone button on the console. Please restrict your questions to 2 minutes. And with that, I will turn now first of all to Israel, who I think from the floor has a Question for some of the other delegations. Israel. Is that right or not?

Please.

Jonathan, I'm just going to get your mic, make sure your mic's working. From the floor for Israel, please.


Israel · Jonathan [1:53:33]:

Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, allow me to congratulate Papua New Guinea and Czechia for their outstanding and professional VNR presentations. My question is for Mr. Kulhaneck of Czechia. Your Excellency, VNR is supposed to be a participatory process including the whole society. This was in fact mentioned during your presentation. But could you kindly elaborate how you included stakeholders in the process of the VNR? What stakeholders did you identify and how were different social groups actually involved in your VNR preparation?

Thank you very much.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:54:09]:

Thank the delegate from Israel. I now call upon the representative from Australia to be followed by Czechia.


Australia [1:54:17]:

Thank you very much and can I also just thank Thank you. Thank you, Chair. I'd like to thank the countries, Czechia, Papua New Guinea, and Israel, for their presentations and the very strong work that's been undertaken towards achieving the SDGs, while I think also really recognizing the ongoing work necessary to ensure that we sustain efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030. My question is to Australia's nearest neighbor development partner, Papua New Guinea. Minister Pala, Your Excellency, could the Government of Papua New Guinea please share more details on the challenges encountered in tracking and reporting gender-related progress? Additionally, what policy reforms, institutional capacity building, or data system enhancements are you pursuing to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of SDG 5 going forward.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:55:17]:

Thank you. Thank you for that. Again, Czechia from the floor, please.


Czechia [1:55:28]:

Well, thank you, Mr. President, and allow me to join others in expressing our congratulations to Papua New Guinea and Israel on your successful I have the honor to pose a question on behalf of my country to the distinguished delegation of Israel.

Mr.

Director-General, in your remarks you noted that over 90% of Israelis reside in urban areas. This clearly highlights the pivotal role that local governments play in adapting to the impacts of climate change. My first question concerns the cooperation between the central government and local stakeholders in preparing for climate-related impacts. What are the principal challenges in implementing climate preparedness strategies on the ground? My second question relates to the broader aspects of creating sustainable cities. What measures are currently being undertaken to design and build cities that offer a high-quality life for their inhabitants while ensuring environmental sustainability. I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:56:40]:

Thank the colleague from Czechia. Now turn to the stakeholder group for communities discriminated on work and descent, to be followed by Ethiopia and then to India.


Stakeholder Group on Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent [1:56:54]:

Thank you.

As civil society actors committed to rights-based development, we welcome Czechia's VNR and the opportunity to reaffirm our shared obligation to leave no one behind. But inclusion must not be symbolic. It must be procedural, measurable, and accountable. While we recognize the progress in areas such as education and environmental policy, structural inequalities persist. Roma communities, as part of the global family of CDWD, remain disproportionately affected by anti-gypsyism, educational segregation, housing exclusion, and limited access to political and economic participation. Discrimination continues to obstruct SDGs 10, 4, 11, and 16. Roma must not be reduced to data points. We are rights holders and co-authors of Czechia's sustainable future. Therefore, we call investment in data systems that capture both Roma presence and exclusion, Ensure existing mechanisms deliver systemic Roma inclusion with real civil society participation, supporting grassroots initiatives that foster Roma involvement in policymaking, and importantly, revision of the anti-discrimination law to ensure it's more sensitive, responsive to anti-Gypsism. We really need transparent, needs-based allocation of national and EU funds, including in the design and implementation of the next MFF. A final— and this I would like to stress— a definite commitment to desegregate education and end all forms of school segregation. Our 2030 agenda depends on acknowledging systemic exclusion and building inclusive structures of co-governance. Roma inclusion is not a favour, it's a democratic necessity.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:58:45]:

I thank the representative of the stakeholder group, and I would now give the floor to Ethiopia, followed by India, and then the Dominican Republic.


Ethiopia [1:58:56]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Allow me first to commend all member states presenting their voluntary national review today. My question is directed to the distinguished delegation of Czechia. In light of the critical importance of data for monitoring progress on the SDGs, Could you kindly elaborate on the mechanisms and institutional framework in place to track your progress? Specifically, how does TKA ensure the availability, quality, and use of data for SDGs monitoring and reporting? Additionally, are there nationally defined indicators that complement the global SDGs framework to reflect your national context and priorities?

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [1:59:34]:

I thank the representative from Ethiopia. Turn now to India. and the Dominican Republic, followed by the NGO Major Group.


India [1:59:43]:

Thank you, Chair. I congratulate delegations of Czechia, Papua New Guinea, and Israel for presenting their VNRs. I have questions for all 3 countries. My question to Czechia is as follows: policy coherence is a necessary requirement for fulfilling the 2030 Agenda. How do you ensure that the progress made towards sustainable development is aligned with other policies? Do you have any institutional mechanism or tools in place to enhance policy coherence? My question to Papua New Guinea is as follows: Can the government of Papua New Guinea elaborate on how it is leveraging ICT and digital technologies to accelerate progress on SDGs, particularly in improving service delivery, data collection, and access to information? Additionally, Where challenges or gaps persist in the ICT capacity or digital infrastructure, what strategies or partnerships are being pursued to address these shortfalls? My question to Israel is as follows: Israel contributes to global sustainable development in areas such as water management, sustainable agriculture, healthcare, education, and more. What are Israel's plan to increase its contribution to international development, and what would, would the focus areas be? Israel is known for its spirit of innovation in many tech fields. The VNR presents the concept of regional innovation centers across the country. How can Israel build on this, you know, on this national initiative to create international partnerships? I thank you, Chair.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:01:25]:

And I thank you from India. Dominican Republic followed by the NGO Major Group followed by Indonesia.


Dominican Republic [2:01:34]:

Muchas gracias.

Thank you very much, President. We'd like to congratulate the Vatchekia of Papua New Guinea for their presentations and we also congratulate Israel on its second PNR and the important progress that it has made for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs. My question goes to Mr. Rosen from Israel on the global challenge of the rise in droughts and scarce hydro resources. How is Israel preparing to facing— to face more severe droughts and more reductions in the availability of natural water? And how will Israel guarantee that there is sufficient water for agricultural production while at the same time conserving water resources and protecting natural ecosystems? Thank you very much.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:02:29]:

Muchas gracias para la República Dominicana. I now go to the NGO Major Group, followed by Indonesia and Japan.


NGO Major Group [2:02:39]:

Thank you, Mr. President. We remind of the need for multilateralism, human rights-based development, and leaving no one behind. Reading Israel's VNR is a dystopian exercise. While feigning victimhood, it narrates like a part of Israel's war effort. This VNR evades the core development issues as Israel erases the civilization that preceded settler colony. As we informed this forum back in 2019, Israel's lopsided development reflects two-tiered civil status: a superior class of Jewish nationals and inferior status for mere citizens. Its apartheid-chartered parastatal development institutions and their racist affiliates pursue development and prosperity for settlers at the expense of the country's rightful owners. Amid ecocide, attacking health systems, and industrializing starvation as a weapon of war. The VNR even falsifies the state's territory with maps and numbers, claiming all historic Palestine from the river to the sea, plus parts of Syria. With Israeli Jewish population trends in flux, the VNR projects Israel will reduce the indigenous Palestinian Arab proportion of its population by 2065 to under 20%. The focus on technical advances masks their use as tools of death. Digital progress aside, this VNR's main message is Israel's raison d'état and development project is sustainable genocide. That is, inflicting maximum harm on the indigenous Palestinian people in perpetuity with a widening footprint across the region. We foresee this state behavior will continue to harm all parties for generations yet to come. Thank you, Mr. President.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:04:45]:

Thank you. Order, please. Order, order, order, please. Order, please. Indonesia, followed by Japan and the State of Palestine.


Indonesia [2:05:18]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Indonesia congratulates all presenters and particularly to Papua New Guinea for presenting its 2nd VNR. Indonesia and PNG share strong partnership in various aspects of the SDGs. Last June, for instance, we are honored to host the participants from PNG to the workshop on social inclusion in the creative economy held in Indonesia in collaboration with UNDESA. We note from the presentation that PNG also put focus on enhancing its institutional capacity and national ownership in its SDGs implementation. In this regard, could the Government of Papua New Guinea kindly elaborate more on its current SDGs governance arrangements, particularly how national priorities are integrated into subnational planning and how these mechanisms are supporting local ownership and delivery? Furthermore, what measures are being considered to address coordination challenges and strengthen multilevel governance towards 2030. I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:06:25]:

From Indonesia, I give the floor to Japan.


Japan [2:06:32]:

Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, please allow me to express my congratulations to Czechia, Israel, and Papua New Guinea for the remarkable presentations they have given all. I'm sure that their achievements will give precious insights to the international community and its global efforts toward 2030. Mr. President, my questions go to Israel. As we all know, Israel is a coastal country lying to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. In the presentation, we heard that several measures are being taken to improve the condition of the marine environment. In this regard, I wanted to ask if you could elaborate more on the main challenges that the marine environment in Israel is facing and on current and planned measures to address these challenges. I would also like to know concrete mechanisms in the country aimed at protecting the marine environment. Thank you, Mr. President.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:07:29]:

Thank the delegate from Japan. I give the floor to the delegate of the State of Palestine.


State of Palestine [2:07:35]:

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, the HLPF should not be a stage for whitewashing war crimes and grave violations of international law. The Israeli VNR invokes the language of sustainable development to whitewash a livestream genocide in Palestine as we speak. Under the guise of environmentalism, sustainable agriculture, and water management, no amount of whitewashing, greenwashing, or bluewashing can conceal the Israeli crimes that the world has witnessed being committed in Palestine for nearly 2 years, particularly in Gaza. Therefore, we must call a spade a spade. The VNR boasts about environmentalism, yet the UN Environment Program documented how unprecedented Israeli bombardment has poisoned Gaza's soil, water, and air, making Gaza ecologically devastated. In other words, committing ecocide. The VNR speaks of agricultural innovation, While the Food and Agriculture Organization documented the Israeli destruction of nearly all of Gaza's cropland, with famine and starvation so sadistically designed and controlled. The VNR praises water conservation, yet the World Health Organization reports that Israeli water use is 4 times higher than that of Palestinians who remain systematically deprived of access to their own resources. Mr. President, there's no sustainability in genocide. No development under occupation and no innovation under apartheid. No amount of whitewashing, greenwashing, or bluewashing can conceal these crimes. The Israeli VNR speaks of resilience, but in Palestine, we don't just speak of it, we live it. And as Gaza has shown the world, we have no shortage of it, and nor will we ever. I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:09:13]:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, please. Thank you. I now turn to the education academia stakeholder group who are making because of the dis. distance they had to come to be here, are giving us a presentation by video.


Education and Academia Stakeholder Group [2:10:02]:

Warm greetings from the South Pacific. Civil society welcomes PNG government decision to participate in this, its second VNR. We also welcome its attempt to integrate SDGs in its medium-term development plans. Unfortunately, there is insufficient budgetary detail to allow us to fully understand how it is achieving its targets or measuring progress. PNG is in debt crisis, with debt servicing currently running at 11% of budget, greater than the entire spending for the health sector. Meanwhile, the country's major hospitals are facing a shortage of medicines and inability over quality care. What is the government plan to provide better support to hospitals and increase the health budget? PNG has performed poorly on tackling corruption with a dysfunctional Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, ICAC. ICAC did not bring a single high-profile case to court. What is the government plan to review and support a truly independent ICAC to bring more cases to court? Following COVID and cost of living crisis, the government funded an SME program to through financial institutions. This favored organizations most able to pass stringent bank lending requirements. What plans does the government have to ensure this and future development programs reach the poorest? Education system is in crisis. Recent education reform has meant the dismissal of elementary school teachers. Infrastructure has been neglected for years, with an insufficient number of classrooms for expanded enrollment leading to student-teacher ratio of 50:1 or worse. The government has done virtually nothing to make inclusive education happen, passing responsibility to private institutions and NGOs. PELNA and local CSO Piyans review have found a nationwide shortage of learning materials experienced by 80% of students, two-thirds of learners suffering from absentee teachers, and only 20% of students with their own So what is the government doing to tackle the funding crisis in education, and when will the budget be increased sufficiently to tackle these problematic areas? Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:12:08]:

Thank the Education and Academia Stakeholder Group. I now have 2 more representations, one from Nauru and one from Kenya.


Nauru [2:12:23]:

Thank you, Mr. Chair. At the outset, let me express my sincere thanks to the presenters, Papua New Guinea and the State of Israel, for their informative and valuable presentations. I have a question for the delegation of Israel. In light of the global push to advance biodiversity protection, I would be grateful if you could share Israel's efforts to align with the Convention on Biological Diversity's targets of protecting 30% of land and marine areas by 2030. What specific steps is Israel taking to implement this 30 by 30 commitment? Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:13:02]:

Thank you. Last question, Kenya, please.


Kenya [2:13:06]:

President, I'd like to begin by commending Israel for its advancement in water management, particularly desalination and reuse of water. And that said, how is Israel using— working to ensure that the lessons and technology that it has developed are accessible to developing countries, especially those in Africa facing growing water scarcity due to climate change? Are there any active South-to-South cooperation frameworks? or knowledge-sharing mechanisms in place to support this?

Thank you very much.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:13:50]:

Okay, thank you. Kenya's the last question. I'm going to ask Minister Kalanick, Minister Pala, and Mr. Rosen to respond to all the questions and comments in 5 minutes each, please. Mr. Kalanick.


Czechia · Minister of Regional Development · Peter Kulanek [2:14:08]:

Thank you very much. We will share the answers with my colleague, Ms. Anna Paskova, from the Ministry of the Environment. I'll take care of the question concerning the participation, policy coherence, and data. My colleague will take care of the question concerning the disaggregation and Roma question. As you may have seen in the previous video, we don't consider the ENR as only the monitoring report, but we consider it as the comprehensive process based on long-term collaboration with partners across the government, private sector, expert NGOs. The core of the team for preparation of VNR is the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry for Regional Development, my ministry, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic to cover the human rights perspective. There is also long-term regulation— regular collaboration with the Czech Statistical Office on data collection. I will take this into answer later on. Those representatives worked closely since the beginning of the VNR preparation, and the work was based on the cross-cutting nature of the 2030 Agenda. The main responsibility of composing the VNR remains on the Ministry of Environment. I've also mentioned in my speech that we will— and we worked with the involvement of young people, students from high schools from Czech Republic, Czechia, that often don't have proper space for their voices to be heard. So we organized 4 focus groups where we discussed structural issues related and the importance of the SDGs. And the youth, we feel, are aware of the current geopolitical trends, and they identified the SDG number 16 as the one with the highest highest relevance. We share this belief the governance is really crucial. Good governance means coherent policymaking that ensures that the policy are effective and without serious negative impacts. In this regard, sustainable development presents a lighthouse for us. We embrace the pillars and principles of the 2030 Agenda and translated them to a national context via strategic framework Czech Republic 2030, and it presents an overarching strategy for public administration and sectorial strategies. Another important role for ensuring ownership and coherence for sustainable development belongs to the Government Council for Sustainable Development. That is an advisory body of the Czech government, consisted of representatives from ministries, stakeholders, experts, academia, and the council commented, of course, the VNR and approved the report. Finally, we know and we work with the VNR as evidence-based. The main data source was the indicator set on the SDGs targets managed by the Czech Statistical Office. Of course, not all the indicators are disponible nor relevant, so some indicators were adjusted to the national context. Apart from the SDGs, the Statistical Office regularly collects data for the national indicator set related to the Strategy Czech Republic 2030 and some additional subjective indicators on the quality of life. This is from my side, and I will hand the floor to my colleague Anna Pasková.


Czechia · Anna Paskova [2:18:23]:

Thank you, Excellency, and thank you for the question from the major stakeholder group. The inclusion of Roma minority remains a key priority for the Czech government And we talk about described problems and challenges quite openly in our VNR. Our legal framework includes strong protection against discrimination based on ethnicity, and the Czech government has recently adopted also the definition of anti-Gypsyism, which will strengthen further the application of anti-discrimination law. We have established the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs as well as Governmental Council for Roma Minority Affairs. The Czech Republic has taken a number of steps to address especially the segregation of Romani children in education system, measures which includes legislative changes, diagnostic reforms, and support for inclusion and school funding. For example, the index-based funding for school according to the social circumstances of the pupils will be important as it will bring more stable resources to schools, enabling systematic funding of school psychologists and educators for children with special needs. Moreover, equal access to high-quality education is one of the 2 strategic lines of the strategy for the education policy. And moreover to that, to support inclusive education from an early stage, we are currently working on an action plan to promote preschool attendance of Romani children. And let me stop here. Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:20:16]:

Thank you. Mr. Polo, perhaps you have some answers as well. Appreciate those answers. from our friends from Czechia. Please.


Papua New Guinea · Minister for National Planning · Ano Pala [2:20:32]:

Yes.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:20:33]:

You have 5 minutes.


Papua New Guinea · Minister for National Planning · Ano Pala [2:20:35]:

Mr. President, thank you. Let me thank our distinguished delegates from India, Indonesia, and Australia for your questions. We will respond to each of the questions from those distinguished delegates. Let me start by responding to the question from a distinguished delegate from India in relation to how Papua New Guinea is leveraging ICT and digital technologies. Papua New Guinea recognizes the critical role of ICT and digital technologies in accelerating progress towards the SDGs, particularly in improving public service delivery, enhancing data collection, and expanding access to information. While our government remains firmly committed to this agenda, we acknowledge that significant capacity infrastructure challenges persist, particularly in rural and remote areas. Addressing these gaps will require sustained support from all stakeholders. We have made some meaningful progress in deploying key infrastructure such as fiber optic cabling and mobile towers, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. However, connectivity in rural and remote regions remains limited, particularly currently about only 60% of our population has internet access and the cost of internet and digital services remains relatively high, pushing a barrier to inclusion. In terms of data for SDG monitoring and reporting, we continue to face challenges with systems ability, capacity gaps, and data availability, particularly at the subnational level. As reflected in our VNR, many indicators remain unreported or partially reported due to data limitations. To address these gaps, we are seeking to strengthen partnership with all stakeholders and technical partners to enhance digital infrastructure and last-mile connectivity, improve the capacity and integration of national and subnational data systems, expand digital literacy and workforce skills, and increase investment in open data platforms and real-time reporting tools for SDG monitoring. India has strong capacity in these areas and we have had a collaborative project in the past. We welcome any opportunity to further collaborate with you and other partners on shared solutions and learn from your best practices that can help us bridge this digital divide and accelerate our progress towards the 2030 Agenda. In response to the question from the distinguished delegate of Indonesia on the governance framework, Papua New Guinea has made deliberate efforts to align the SDGs with our national development and budgetary frameworks. The SDGs are fully integrated into our medium-term development plans, which serve as the government's 5-year rolling medium-term development strategy. These plans guide sectoral and subnational planning with all Provinces and districts are expected to align their development priorities accordingly and report progress against nationally defined targets. Despite these efforts, we continue to face challenges in implementation and reporting at the subnational level. The challenges are linked to capacity constraints, limited coordination and mechanisms, and even institutional readiness across districts. To address this, we are progressively introducing digital reporting platforms at a subnational level to improve real-time data capture, monitoring, and reporting. Indonesia's experience in development planning and implementation at subnational level has valuable lessons for us. We welcome further opportunities for bilateral exchange and peer learning and looking forward to working together to accelerate SDG implementation in our region. Finally, in response to the question from the distinguished delegate of Australia, on the outset, we thank the Government of Australia for its continued support and generous financial and technical support to Papua New Guinea's development priorities, including its strong commitment to advancing gender equality and SDG 5. Australia has been a valued partner in both policy development and community-level initiatives, and we acknowledge with appreciation the ongoing bilateral cooperation in this space. Tracking and reporting on gender-related progress still remains a challenge, shaped in part by Papua New Guinea's cultural diversity and some deeply embedded social norms. For example, women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic work, and rates of gender-based violence remain A significant concern. Representation of women in political decision-making remains low. While this remains a persistent challenge, we do have enabling legislative and policy framework in place, including the National Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy aimed at increasing women's participation in public life and leadership, a political voice, as well as in bipartisan parliamentary committee on GBV with its political voice on GBV and gender equality. We recognize the data quality and disaggregation, particularly at subnational level, continues to be a limiting factor in monitoring SDG 5. To address this, we are working with development partners and national institutions to build institutional capacity for gender-responsive planning and reporting, strengthen the national statistics statistical system, including through the disaggregation of data by sex, age, and location, and enhanced coordination between line agencies, civil society, and provincial administration to improve data flows and accountability. We remain committed to working closely with partners, including Australia, to build robust monitoring systems and foster greater local partnership on gender equality initiatives. Continued support in this area will be critical to ensuring we remain— we make meaningful and sustained progress towards SDG 5 in the years ahead. I thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:27:03]:

I thank the representative from Papua New Guinea, and I'm now going to give the floor to the Director-General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Israel and his team for their responses to several questions. Thank you.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [2:27:20]:

We thank all of the many, the many questions. Sadly, we may not have time to answer all of them, but we will make sure that answers are in writing. My colleagues, Rani and Yehuda, will answer the questions. Thank you.


Israel [2:27:45]:

Thank you very much. Let me, Chair, begin with referring to the 2 interventions that were merely interventions, not questions, and say that while we firmly reject any false or politically motivated accusations, Israel welcomes an honest debate and difficult questions. As a liberal democracy, we do not shy away from criticism. On the contrary, we encourage open dialogue. This approach defines our engagement not only with civil society at home, but also with the broader international community. That said, we believe that any attempt to politicize this conversation does a disservice to the core purpose of our gathering. It is particularly troubling when such interventions overlook the very real and relevant tragedy of what happens when radical elements actively neglect sustainable development and instead invest in furthering extremism and division. We are, of course, prepared to continue any political discussion in the appropriate fora. Let me conclude by reaffirming that Israel stands ready to work with all who are genuinely committed to improving the lives of their people through innovation, cooperation, and shared sense of purpose. Thank you, Chair, and I will move now to answer several of the questions. I will refer to the questions made by Czechia, by Dominican Republic, by Japan, and Kenya, given the time you will give me. So to answer, uh, Chekia's question, our national strategy is built on a strong and collaborative partnership with local authorities, recognizing their key role in addressing climate challenges. Central government has taken a proactive approach by providing direct financial and professional support, including funding the development of climate adaptation plans for most of our municipalities. To ensure these plans are both effective and practical, we equip local decision-makers with essential adaptation tools such as a national climate risk portal for data and knowledge-driven analysis and dedicated knowledge-sharing networks to ensure the best practices are scaled and implemented efficiently across of the country. The Digital Climate Risk Portal is currently under development and due to be on the air starting next year. The vulnerability index of each area is created by combining spatial data on exposure to hazards such as urban heat stresses, flooding, sea level rise, and wildfires, with data on sensitivity of the population and infrastructure, and data on the adaptive capacity of that specific area. The portal will also include a climate information database. It will be open and accessible to the public and constantly updated. It will also include a special dedicated area for local decision-makers. Regarding challenges, I would say that funding is always an issue and therefore the central government supports the development of plans And action at the local municipal level. Another challenge is to determine where to put the money since our national adaptation plan includes many actions that need to be implemented. We are currently promoting a cost-benefit analysis to determine which actions should be prioritized. I hope I answered fully to your question. Now, Regarding, Chair, to the question made by Japan on the marine environment. Israel's marine environment faces significant threats such as climate change, including rising temperature, rising sea levels, and extreme storms. Invasive species and widespread marine plastic pollution are one of the major problems. Balancing development initiatives with conservation remains challenging, particularly for fragile coral reefs, such as the one we have in the Gulf of Ailat in the Red Sea. We recognize the fact— we recognize the fact the critical importance of marine ecosystems, and we have undertaken significant efforts to actively implement comprehensive marine protection plans. A key priority is expanding marine protected areas with a master plan to achieve the full 30% and at least 25% by 2030. And this also answers Kenya's question as regards marine environment, marine protected areas by the end of the decade aligning with international directives. We have seen improvement in this area in recent years, but there is still much to be done. Furthermore, Ongoing national programs strive for continued dramatic reduction of industrial and municipal pollution loads to the sea, building on past successes to protect and restore marine biodiversity. Through targeted initiatives, we have achieved a 90% and more reduction of industrial and municipal pollution loads to the sea, as well as significant reduction of nutrient loads to waterways allowing the return of diverse aquatic life. Israel employs strong national and international mechanisms to safeguard its marine environment. Domestically, the National Monitoring Program systematically collects vital scientific data on marine ecosystems to support informed policy and management decision-making. Public engagement and local initiatives such as the Clean Beach program that we are running actively promote marine stewardship and coastal cleanups. It is especially important to engage the younger generation in such activities. Internationally, Israel is deeply committed to SDG 14, Life Below Water, and regional cooperation, exemplified by its 50-year commitment to the Barcelona Convention of the Mediterranean Sea. As a global leader in desalination technology, we supply 70% of our drinking water from the sea while at the same time managing the saline discharge and the physical implication of desalination facilities on the marine environment in the best environmentally sound manner. Last but not least, I will refer to Dominican Republic. And as regards water and water scarcity, I would say that Israel is proactively preparing for enhanced water scarcity with natural water replenishment projects to be decreased 16% by 2050 and 27% by 2075. To ensure a reliable water supply for all sectors and fulfill international agreements on water supply, desalination capacity will vastly increase from 750 million cubic meters annually today to 1,750 million cubic meters by 2050 and 2,750 million cubic meters by 2075. That is more than 3 times the amount today. The national water supply system is being expanded for nationwide desalination— desalinated water conveyance. Connecting remote regions to the national carrier, to be completed in the coming years, will enhance supply stability and help preserve river flows. These initiatives are guided by a comprehensive master plan through 2075. I will conclude with adding to Kenya's question, Mr. Chair, and say that we are currently standing on 28% of protected areas, reservation in the landward of Israel, which is Going almost to 30% by 2030. This is a good thing, but I must say honestly that we are working hard in order to get to 5% marine protected areas during the next year, and we are hopefully to get there by 2030. Thank you. Thank you, Rani.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [2:37:03]:

And I will now also address the question from Czechia.


Israel [2:37:09]:

Israel actively promotes sustainable urban development. A mandatory green building standard for new constructions is in use and focuses on energy efficiency, use of sustainable materials, and better indoor air quality to reduce environmental impact.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [2:37:26]:

Israel also uses innovative tools for urban resilience. These tools include the regulation that required disclosed apartment energy rating readings so that buyers can make knowledge-based choices.


Israel [2:37:45]:

The Neighborhood 316 program is now being implemented, creating socially and environmentally inclusive, higher-quality neighborhoods.


Israel · Director-General · Rami Rosen [2:37:54]:

Additionally, a strategic innovation plan supports construction methods like beam and offsite building to cut carbon emissions and improve urban sustainability. Many local authorities also develop customized climate plan— action plans.


Israel [2:38:13]:

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:38:17]:

I want to thank— first of all, I want to thank all the panelists. I'd like to thank all of you for being with us today and asking all these questions. Just to remind you, the General Assembly resolution establishes that countries conducting BNRs may provide written answers after the High-Level Political Forum if they so wish, and I think there was some indication that that might happen, and if it does, that's fine. We have completed our program of work for today.


Speaker 128 [2:38:47]:

Thank you.


ECOSOC · President · Bob Roy [2:38:47]:

That concludes our meeting for today. The forum will reconvene tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM in this conference room. And anyone who'd like detailed information on the program, it's available on the HLPF website and on iGov. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you.