The United Nations High-level Advisory Board (HLAB) on Economic and Social Affairs was established in June 2018 to help strengthen United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in the context of the United Nations development system reform and as a key part of efforts to enhance the United Nations’s support to Member States in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Through its twice annual meetings, the Board has provided advice to the United Nations on broad economic and social issues. The interventions and insights of the Board have inspired the United Nations to break new grounds in policy research.
This essay compilation reflects and furthers the discussions that HLAB members have had on a wide range of development trends and issues of critical importance to the achievement of the SDGs and the recovery from COVID-19. The insights compiled could help to accelerate action, which is particularly important given that the window of opportunity for attaining the SDGs is closing quickly.