GWL Voices at HLPF 2026: Advancing Inclusive Leadership for the Future of Multilateralism

GWL Voices will participate in the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) at United Nations Headquarters in New York, joining global leaders, Member States, civil society, and young people to discuss the future of sustainable development and international cooperation.

This year's HLPF comes at a pivotal moment. As the international community begins looking beyond the 2030 Agenda while preparing for the selection of the next United Nations Secretary-General, conversations about sustainable development have become inseparable from broader questions of multilateral reform, legitimacy, financing, and leadership.

For GWL Voices, the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without inclusive leadership and accountable multilateralism. Our participation at HLPF will be guided by our Seven Calls for Gender-Equal Action, which argue that gender equality is not one goal among many, but the essential condition for delivering the entire 2030 Agenda. From financing and digital transformation to climate action, peace, and global governance, sustainable development requires women to be represented where decisions are made and resources are allocated.

Throughout the Forum, GWL Voices will contribute to discussions on the future global sustainable development framework, stakeholder engagement for the 2030 Agenda, and pathways toward more effective international cooperation, while advancing our calls to protect women's rights, strengthen gender-responsive financing, expand women's leadership, and build more representative global institutions. Members Carol Bellamy and Jan Beagle will engage in high level political conversations about multilateralism.

Our participation will include:

• 9 July

Informal Roundtable Dialogue on Beyond 2030 Pathways: Risks and Opportunities for a Future Global Sustainable Development Framework.

We the Peoples Dialogue on the role of civil society in shaping the future of multilateralism.

• 10 July

Dialogue on strengthening stakeholder engagement for SDG implementation.

• 11 July

The Global Futures Forum, exploring accountability, UN reform, leadership, and legitimacy in the next era of global governance.

Building on the public debates held in Geneva and Jeju on the selection of the next United Nations Secretary-General, HLPF also provides an opportunity to deepen the conversation on the kind of leadership today's multilateral system requires. As our HLPF statement highlights, representation remains uneven across every level of decision-making—from local government to international institutions—and no woman has ever been elected UN Secretary-General. As discussions on UN reform continue, GWL Voices will advocate for leadership that is more representative, transparent, and accountable to the people the United Nations serves.

Throughout the week, GWL Voices will continue generating evidence, sharing analysis, and engaging with partners on how representative leadership strengthens the effectiveness, credibility, and legitimacy of multilateral institutions. We will also launch a series of insights examining the connections between sustainable development, gender equality, UN reform, and the evolving expectations for global leadership. Drawing on data, policy analysis, and perspectives from across the multilateral community, these contributions aim to enrich public debate on the future of international cooperation.

As discussions increasingly turn toward the post-2030 agenda, GWL Voices remains committed to ensuring that women leaders, young people, and diverse voices are not only represented in global governance, but are helping shape its future. The commitments already exist. The challenge now is translating them into political action, financing, and leadership that reflects the principles of equality and inclusion at the heart of the United Nations.

Follow GWL Voices throughout #HLPF2026 as we share updates, analysis, and reflections from New York.