High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2023

18 July, 2023

Left photo: (l-r): Hon. Romina Khurshid Alam, MP, Pakistan, Ms. Shazia Rafi, AQA President and Hon. Minister Shazia Marri, MP, Pakistan. Right photo: In the center: Ms. Vivi Yulaswati, Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Maritime Affairs, Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia.

Host: United Nations
Location: New York, NY
Date: July 13 – 18, 2023

Ms. Shazia Rafi, AQA President and Ms. Dorota Piotrowska-Pelka, AQA Development Officer attended the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York. This year's HLPF theme, "Accelerating Sustainable Solutions," acknowledged the urgency required to address the pressing challenges before us. It emphasized the importance of accelerating efforts to meet the 2030 Agenda, acknowledging that we are at a critical juncture and need to double down on our commitment.

Key theme for AQA’s work was on Climate Finance commitments. The sessions highlighted achievements by countries such as Indonesia’s world's first sovereign green Sukuk (Islamic bonds) first issued in 2018 and aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The bonds were aimed at funding projects with positive environmental and social impacts. In May 2023, Indonesia issued a first-of-its-kind Blue Bond in the Japanese debt capital market, raising JPY 20.7 billion (US$ 150 million). This issuance marks the world's first publicly offered sovereign Blue Bond aligned with International Capital Market Association (ICMA) principles.