Background
The 2025 Partnership Forum of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was held on 5 February 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York under the theme, “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for leaving no one behind”. The Forum placed a special emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will be reviewed at the 2025 high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF), namely Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being); Goal 5 (Gender Equality); Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth); Goal 14 (Life Below Water); and Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
In accordance with resolution 75/290A, the 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum focused on exchanging new ideas, expectations and priorities for the work ahead for ECOSOC and the HLPF on the aforementioned theme. Furthermore, the Forum highlighted and discusses forward-looking actions by governments and other stakeholders through innovative partnerships that aim to mobilize commitments and actions to advance the 2030 Agenda and address new challenges.
Previous Editions of the ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2024 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2023 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2022 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2021 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2020 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2019 ECOSOC Partnership Forum
- 2008-2018 ECOSOC Partnership Forums can be accessed via the ECOSOC website here.
Watch live
Concept Note
Side events
Member States
Stakeholders
UN System and IGOs
Opening Session
Wednesday, 05 Feb
Programme
The 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum was a one-day meeting, chaired by the ECOSOC President. It included:
Opening Session: Opening remarks by the ECOSOC President and by Mr. Guy Bernard Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG). The keynote speakers were Ms. Aluki Kotierk, former President of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), and Ms. Dayana Blanco Quiroga, 2023 Future Rising Fellow and Founder of the Uru Uru Team.
Plenary: Member States and stakeholders alternated in taking the floor to outline their priorities and recommendations for accelerating progress on the implementation of the SDGs. They also shared their experiences and vision for the role of partnerships, aligned with the 2030 Agenda and with consideration of the agreements established in the Pact for the Future.
Four SDG Action Segments: The Forum featured four thematic SDG action segments, each dedicated to one of the Goals slated for review during the HLPF 2025, namely Goal 3, Goal 5, Goal 8 and Goal 14. The action segments focused on scaling up concrete and innovative partnerships that drive SDG implementation while highlighting their crucial role in fostering collaborative, concrete actions.
A Multi-stakeholder panel - Investing in Partnerships: Catalyzing Action for SDG 17: spotlighted the pivotal role of strategic investments and strategies in partnerships as a cornerstone for advancing the 2030 Agenda.
- Side events: In parallel to the main programme of the Forum, almost twenty side events were organized by UN Member States, UN entities, relevant International Organizations and stakeholder networks. These side events aimed to spotlight multi-stakeholder partnerships and innovative initiatives led by governments, UN entities, international organizations, and other stakeholders. They aligned with the Forum’s theme and the SDGs under review at the 2025 HLPF. The side events programme inside the UNHQ is available here. In addition, from 4-5 February, 14 side events took place outside the UNHQ and virtually. The off-site/virtual side events programme is available here.
Preparations
As requested by the General Assembly, the ECOSOC Partnership Forum was organized in consultation with stakeholders.
The President of ECOSOC has established an informal Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group to provide guidance on the Forum’s scope, format and programme. On 25 November 2024, an Expert Group Meeting of the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group to the 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum was convened virtually. .
UN DESA conducted a global online stakeholder consultation to solicit views, experiences and proposals from stakeholders worldwide on how to strengthen partnerships and stakeholder engagements to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The consultation received 339 responses from 85 countries.
SDG action segments were organized in collaboration with relevant UN entities and recognized stakeholder networks, associations, major groups, or stakeholder constituencies with expertise in the specific SDGs in focus.
Stakeholder consultation
The 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum will be a key opportunity to galvanize Member States, UN system and IGOs, non-governmental organizations, civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, local governments, scientists, academia, women, youth and other stakeholders early in the ECOSOC cycle and harness the power of partnerships to accelerate SDG implementation.
To inform the preparation for the 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has convened a global online stakeholder consultation to solicit written views, experiences and proposals from all relevant stakeholders.
Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group
To ensure inclusive preparations, the President of ECOSOC, H.E. Mr. Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, has established a temporary, informal Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group to serve as an informal consultative mechanism to help prepare for the Forum.
On 25 November 2024, an Expert Group Meeting of the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group to the 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum was convened virtually. This consultation marked a critical step in preparing for the 2025 ECOSOC Partnership Forum, and aimed to:
- Generate ideas for innovative approaches to organizing the Forum, including identifying impactful speakers for the SDG Action Segments.
- Highlight examples of partnerships driving progress on SDGs, with potential for scaling and replication.
- Share new research, tools, and strategies to strengthen partnerships aligned with the Forum’s theme and focus areas.
- Support outreach and promotion efforts for the Forum, including the organization of side events.
- Explore ways the Forum can create momentum, foster engagement, and excite stakeholders for the broader ECOSOC cycle and related processes.
In parallel to the main programme of the Forum, almost twenty side events were organized by UN Member States, UN entities, relevant International Organizations and stakeholder networks. These side events spotlighted multi-stakeholder partnerships and innovative initiatives led by governments, UN entities, international organizations, and other stakeholders. They aligned with the Forum’s theme and the SDGs under review at the 2025 HLPF.
The side events programme inside the UNHQ is available here. In addition, from 4-5 February,14 side events took place outside the UNHQ and virtually. The off-site/virtual side events programme is available here.
