The United Nations Headquarters in New York City, New York, USA, hosted the 2026 Partnership Forum of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on January 27. The theme focused on accelerating progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development through transformative, coordinated and innovation-driven partnerships aimed at advancing long-term global sustainability.
“It was fascinating to be there in person to witness some of the previous and pending actions, innovations and partnerships countries that NGOs, non-profits, educators and the private sector are working on,” Robyn Hall, ABET director of professional programs, said.
Sustainable Development Goals
The forum placed a special emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are expected to be reviewed at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Some of these SDGS include:
Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 7– Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
The 2026 ECOSOC Partnership Forum focused on exchanging ideas, expectations and priorities for the work ahead. A multi-interest holders panel on SDG 17 shared insights from demand-driven partnerships on shared ownership.
Forum Format and Discussions
The forum highlighted and discussed forward-looking actions by governments and other stakeholders through innovative partnerships that mobilize commitments and concrete actions to advance the 2030 Agenda and address emerging challenges. The one-day meeting was chaired by the ECOSOC President and included:
Plenary session: Member States, observers and constitutes alternated in taking the floor to outline their priorities and recommendations for accelerating progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as share their experiences and vision for the role of partnerships.
SDG Action Segments: The forum included four SDG Action Segments, each dedicated to one of the goals slated for review during the HLPF 2026. Namely, Goal 6, Goal 7, Goal 9 and Goal 11.
Multi-constitute panel on SDG 17: This panel discussion on SDG 17 explored the critical role of multi-interest holder partnerships in mobilizing the means of implementation needed to achieve the SDGs and in scaling impact.
Summary and Takeaways
Insights gained from the ECOSOC Partnership Forum align with ABET’s mission to advance sustainable development and support quality higher education worldwide. By engaging in conversations about SDGs, ABET continues to advance its purpose. Attendance at the forum was recommended by Dr. William (Bill) Kelly, who has been a longstanding advocate for integrating sustainable development principles into engineering education and professional practice and has contributed scholarly work on advancing the UN SDGs. Key proposals on improvements to consider in the 2026 ECOSOC/HLPF Review include:
- Ensure Representation
- Made Funds Available to Support Travel and Adopt Hybrid Participation Models
- Expand Multilingual Access
- Build Stronger Ties with the High-Level Political Forum
- Build Stronger Ties with Other Major Global Commitments
- Enhance the Matchmaking Function and Move Beyond Policy Dialogues Towards Scalable SDG Partnerships
- Strengthen accountability, monitoring and follow-up mechanisms