Advancing the private sector’s role in integrated transitions for people and planet through SDG 17

The World Benchmarking Alliance at the 2026 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development

The World Benchmarking Alliance, in partnership with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, will host a side event at the 2026 High-Level Political Forum to explore how SDG 17 can strengthen responsible private sector engagement and support more integrated transitions for people and the planet. 

The session will bring together governments, business, civil society and international organisations to examine how partnerships can better align climate, nature and social priorities, operationalise the Leave No One Behind principle, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This session is:

• Co-organised by the World Benchmarking Alliance and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development
• Co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Uganda to the United Nations; the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations

Session details
Date: Monday, 6 July 2026
Time: 14:30–16:00
Venue: Conference Room 9, UN Headquarters, New York

About the session

The 2026 High-Level Political Forum takes place at a critical moment for the Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change, rising inequalities, conflict, geopolitical fragmentation, debt pressures and fiscal constraints are slowing progress and deepening the challenges faced by those furthest behind.

With only a few years remaining until 2030, and as discussions on the post-2030 agenda begin to take shape, there is a growing need to focus on practical solutions that can accelerate implementation. SDG 17 has an important role to play in this effort by strengthening partnerships that are inclusive, accountable and capable of delivering coherent action across the SDGs.

This side event will explore how SDG 17 can support more integrated approaches to sustainable development, particularly by strengthening the role of the private sector in advancing climate, nature and social outcomes together. It will consider how governments, business, civil society and international organisations can work in partnership to align private sector action with nationally defined development priorities and existing international commitments.

Building on the 2024 HLPF discussions on corporate accountability and the 2025 Development Dialogues on corporate transitions for people and the planet, the session will examine what responsible business engagement looks like in practice. Drawing on insights from the World Benchmarking Alliance’s assessments of 2,000 of the world’s most influential companies, speakers will reflect on progress, gaps and the enabling conditions needed to accelerate integrated transitions.

A central focus of the discussion will be how integrated approaches can help operationalise the Leave No One Behind principle. Without targeted attention to workers, communities and those most affected by transition risks, sustainable development efforts may reinforce existing inequalities rather than reduce them. The session will therefore explore how partnerships can deliver tangible outcomes, including decent work, living wages, people-centred just transitions and a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for present and future generations.

Overall, the session will aim to:

• Strengthen understanding of what responsible business engagement under SDG 17 looks like in practice, including how companies can contribute to outcomes across climate, nature and social priorities.
• Explore how integrated transitions can help operationalise the Leave No One Behind principle, ensuring that progress across the SDGs delivers tangible outcomes for workers and communities, including living wages, decent work and people-centred just transitions.
• Identify pathways to accelerate integrated SDG implementation by examining how governments, business, civil society and international organisations can work together to incentivise more coherent and accountable approaches.
• Consider how multistakeholder partnerships can support development finance and help scale investment in sustainable development, including in contexts affected by debt vulnerabilities and fiscal constraints.

Speakers:

• Namit Agarwal, Head of People Programme, World Benchmarking Alliance
• Surya Deva, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development
• Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Senior Vice President, Global Impact Initiatives, USCIB
• Birzhan Batkeyev, Chair, Economic Research Institute (Kazakhstan)

We would be delighted to have you join us for what promises to be a timely and important discussion. Please register your interest using this link, and share with colleagues, partners and stakeholders who may be interested in contributing to the conversation. 

For more information, please contact Charlotte Reeves, Multilateral Engagement Lead at WBA.

Please note that attendance at this event requires registration for the 2026 High-Level Political Forum and a valid UN grounds pass. Further information on HLPF registration and participation is available on the official HLPF website.