Africa Day at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
MINISTERIAL MEETING and Launch of the Africa Sustainable Development Report 2025 (In person)
When: 23 July, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. New York time
Where: Conference Room, African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations
Register: Click this link or scan the QR code to register
Download the Concept Note
Download the Programme
TECHNICAL LEVEL PRE-EVENT MEETING (Virtual)
When: 24 June, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. New York time
Where: Virtually via MS Teams.
Register: Click this link or the image below or scan the QR code to register
Download the Programme
Summary
Africa Day at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development is an annual Ministerial event for African Member States to share good practices and lessons learned in implementing and monitoring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union Agenda 2063.
This year’s event will focus, inter alia, on employment creation, social protection, inclusive growth and partnerships, which are vital to Africa’s sustainable development. It will take place in two phases, starting with a preliminary virtual technical-level meeting for focal points from the African countries presenting Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), followed by an in-person Ministerial-level meeting coupled with the launch of the Africa Sustainable Development Report 2025.
The theme for the technical meeting is “Unlocking decent jobs and social protection through inclusive growth and partnerships,” while that of the Ministerial meeting is “Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 through inclusive growth and partnerships, social protection, and decent jobs.”
As with previous editions, Africa Day 2025 the Ministerial-level Meeting at the HLPF 2025 builds on the outcomes of the 11th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-11) hosted in Kampala in April 2025 on the theme of “Driving job creation and economic growth through sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.”
This edition will also build on insights from the Pact for the Future, adopted last September 2024, and the preparations for the forthcoming Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), to maintain the momentum of renewed efforts to put the SDGs back on track while making progress in implementing Agenda 2063.
This year's Africa Day at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development is organised by the African Union Commission (AUC), UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Video Messages Ahead of the Ministerial Meeting
Watch the playlist of videos from Africa Day at the HLPF 2025
Video Recording of the Ministerial Meeting on 23 July
Watch the video of the launch of the Africa Sustainable Development Report 2025
Speeches from the Ministerial Meeting on 23 July
Session 1
H.E. Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission
H.E. Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Ms. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda and Chair of the 11th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development
H.E. Amb. Robert Rae, President of the 2025 session of the Economic and Social Council
Session 2
H.E. Dr. Rets'elisitsoe Matlanyane, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Lesotho
H.E. Mr. Bereket Fesehatsion Tesfamariam, State Minister of Planning and Development, Ethiopia
Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
H.E. Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Nigeria
Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), and the Senior Advisor to the President of Ghana on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ghana
H.E. Amb. Mateus Luemba Jr., Deputy Permanent Representative and Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations
Mr. Julius Joubert, Senior Economist, Ministry of Finance, Seychelles
Session 3
Dr. Balgis Osman Elasha, Chief Climate Change and Green Growth Specialist- AfDB
Ms. Oyebanke Abejirin, Officer-in-charge, Development Planning Section, Macroeconomics and Governance Division, UN Economic Commission for Africa
H.E. Amb. Charles Masole, Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations
Ms. Dima Al-Hatib, Director, UN Office for South-South Cooperation
Mr. Krishna Pentayah, Founder, Sov Lanatir, Mauritius
Ms. Naomi Nwokolo, Executive Director, Global Compact Country Network Nigeria
Video Recording of the Technical Level Meeting on 24 June
Presentations from the Technical Level Meeting on 24 June
Presentations by Uganda, Eswatini and Nigeria
Presentations by AUC, ECA, UNDP and OSAA