SDSN Japan, Germany, & Netherlands Exchange Perspectives on the Post-2030 Agenda at HLPF 2026

SDSN Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands co-host discussions on the Beyond 2030 Agenda with the International Peace Institute (IPI), Keio STAR, and the Beyond Lab.

On July 8, 2026, SDSN Japan, Germany, and Netherlands co-hosted a roundtable dialogue alongside the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). Bringing together policy-makers, academia, NGOs, youth, and the private sector, participants discussed how global development goals, governance mechanisms, and institutional architectures should evolve beyond 2030.

While the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have provided an unprecedented shared global vision, implementation gaps, planetary pressures, widening inequalities, and geopolitical fragmentation have revealed structural limitations in the current framework. Emerging debates on “Beyond SDGs” increasingly point toward the need for refined design principles, such as governance across scales, well-being, beyond GDP, digital and AI governance, verification and accountability mechanisms, and recalibration of global–regional–local roles.

Participants highlighted the need to maintain the current framework rather than rewrite it, instead focusing on “by and beyond 2030.” Many stressed shifting from goal-setting to strengthening and evolving their implementation while also adapting to new global realities. The dialogue emphasized the challenges of no longer defining ambitious goals, but ensuring their firm delivery under increasingly difficult political, economic and environmental conditions.

Reflecting on the discussions, Norichika Kanie (Professor, Keio University and Chair, SDSN Japan), the chair of the roundtable, noted the importance of frank conversation at this stage, and this meeting can serve as a starting point for this kind of dialogue.