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ON SOURCE: SDG KNOWLEDGE HUB

Interactive Dialogue Lays Groundwork for 2028 Review of Pact for the Future

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The 2028 review should be forward-looking, results-driven, comprehensive, and impactful, Member States underscored.

On structure and scope, they said “the review must go beyond stocktaking and provide strategic political direction and measurable outcomes”.

On alignment and coherence, Member States said “implementation should be integrated within existing frameworks,” and stressed the need for implementation and review to take into account the Secretary-General’s UN80 initiative.

President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Philemon Yang convened the third informal interactive dialogue on the implementation of the Pact for the Future. Dedicated to the theme, ‘Looking ahead to 2028,’ the meeting served as a platform for Member States to exchange views, best practices, and ideas to further the Pact’s implementation and lay the groundwork for its review in 2028.

In his opening address, the UNGA President characterized the dialogue as an opportunity to: consider the structure of the review; align planning with implementation timelines; identify early course corrections; and ensure coherence with other global review processes. He outlined an integrated approach to the 2028 review, one that promotes coherence, prevents duplication, and strengthens Member State ownership. Yang said the review must be shaped by and linked to the 2027 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), review of the Global Digital Compact, and the High-level meeting on Future Generations, among other milestones.

The UNGA President underscored that the Pact “should not be treated as a separate track but as a framework that reinforces and expands the [SDGs],” highlighting the 2028 review’s potential to become “a unifying moment that consolidates commitments and accelerates delivery – especially as we approach the 2030 deadline.”

Yang invited Member States to focus their discussion on three questions:

• What should be the structure and scope of the 2028 review to ensure it delivers real impact?
• How can the review align with existing intergovernmental processes to maximize efficiency and avoid duplication?
• How can we strengthen coordination and collaboration so that the review leads to clear outcomes and reinforces the Pact as a single, unified framework?

Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder underscored timely and effective implementation as essential for a successful review of the Pact and its annexes, and suggested the review reflect the Pact’s commitment to multilateralism and examine how various intergovernmental processes are integrating and advancing key actions of the Pact.

According to the UNGA President’s informal summary of the dialogue, “Member States emphasized that the 2028 review should be forward-looking, results-driven, comprehensive, and impactful.” On structure and scope, they said “the review must go beyond stocktaking and provide strategic political direction and measurable outcomes.” Proposals were made for a two-tier structure, comprising a technical track and a political track.

On alignment and coherence, Member States said “implementation should be integrated within existing frameworks,” underscoring that “[e]ffective follow-up will require transparent reporting, comprehensive monitoring, and accountability mechanisms that allow for adaptive policy adjustments.” They also stressed the need for implementation and review to take into account the Secretary-General’s UN80 initiative as “the Pact articulates what needs to be achieved, while UN80 provides a framework for how to deliver it.” Member States further emphasized the UN Secretariat’s “vital role in maintaining momentum, tracking implementation, identifying synergies, and ensuring transparency throughout the process,” and highlighted the importance of multistakeholder engagement.

In closing, the UNGA President reflected on the role the three informal interactive dialogues have played in sustaining momentum for the implementation of the Pact by providing “a space for robust and constructive exchanges on the means of implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and the 2028 review.” He then outlined three imperatives emerging from the third dialogue:

• Maintain a focus on impact, ensuring global frameworks lead to real improvements in people’s lives;
• Strengthen coherence across the Pact, its annexes, and all related intergovernmental processes; and
• Ensure inclusive and participatory follow-up, supported by meaningful engagement from all stakeholders.

Following the convening of the third informal interactive dialogue on the implementation of the Pact for the Future on 17 July during HLPF 2025, the UNGA President circulated its informal summary on 14 August 2025. The event was preceded by the first dialogue, which took place on 26 March to discuss means of implementation, and the second dialogue on 19 May, which focused on monitoring and evaluation.

On 6 August 2025, Director of the Team for Pact Implementation Themba Kalua organized a briefing to ensure civil society and other stakeholders stay connected to the Pact’s implementation phase. During the briefing, civil society representatives expressed their readiness to serve as partners in the implementation of the Pact and made suggestions for deepening engagement. [Recording of Informal Interactive Dialogue 2: The Pact for the Future – Monitoring and Evaluation] [UNGA 79 President’s Efforts on Summit of the Future and Beyond] 

ON SOURCE: SDG KNOWLEDGE HUB