UNA-Russia Presented Russian Experience in Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals at the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum
On 6 July 2026, during the 2026 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the UN Association of Russia (UNA-Russia) held an international session titled “Transformative and Coordinated SDG Action in Russia: Voluntary Local Reviews, Regional Governance and Business Engagement.”
The event brought together representatives of the United Nations system, Russian public authorities, regions, business, academia and international experts to discuss practical mechanisms for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The discussion focused on the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the preparation of Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), the development of regional governance, and the strengthening of partnerships between the state, business and civil society.
Welcoming remarks were delivered by Mr. Dmitry Chumakov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in New York; Mr. Boris Titov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Relations with International Organizations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; Mr. Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV); Mr. Vladimir Kuznetsov, Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow; and Mr. Igor Yurgens, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at MGIMO University.
Opening the session, Mr. Alexey Borisov, First Deputy Chairman of UNA-Russia, Vice-President of WFUNA and Head of the UNESCO Chair at MGIMO University, emphasized that less than four years remain until the target date for achieving the 2030 Agenda, and that practical SDG implementation at the regional and local levels is now of particular importance.
“Today, decisive importance lies in how the 2030 Agenda is implemented not on paper, but on the ground — at the regional and local levels, where policy meets people’s everyday lives. Voluntary Local Reviews are becoming an instrument for assessing progress, exchanging experience and strengthening trust between regions and the international community,” noted Mr. Alexey Borisov.
Special attention during the session was given to UNA-Russia’s programme “Regions of Russia and the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” which for many years has served as a national platform for advancing SDG localization, preparing Voluntary Local Reviews and exchanging best regional practices. The programme is implemented under the general guidance of Academician Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO University and Chair of UNA-Russia, with continued attention to developing cooperation between Russian regions, the UN system and international partners.
A central part of the session was the presentation of the updated Voluntary Local Review of the Sverdlovsk Region by Mr. Vyacheslav Yarin, Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of the Sverdlovsk Region. The region, which first prepared such a review in 2018, presented a new edition of the document, including the calculation of the UMF Index according to the UN-Habitat methodology. The index value reached 85.68, indicating a high level of integration of sustainable development principles into the system of regional governance.
Ms. Tatiana Naumova, Deputy Head of the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, presented Moscow’s casebook of best practices on the Sustainable Development Goals for the HLPF 2026 and HLPF 2027 cycles, reflecting successful urban solutions that can be scaled up in other regions.
During the session, experience in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals was also shared by Ms. Milena Milich, Special Representative of the Governor of the Sakhalin Region for Climate and Sustainable Development; Mariya Krivenkova, Deputy Chief Executive of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency; Mr. Nicolas Buchoud, Co-founder and Chairman of the Grand Paris Alliance for Metropolitan Development and Co-editor of the Intersecting International Project; Ms. Valérie Ducrot, Executive Director of the Global Gas Centre; Ms. Lidia Gurieva, Executive Director of VEB.RF State Development Corporation; and Ms. Alexandra Gundobina, Head of the Strategic Partnerships Department, Sustainable Development, at En+.
The discussion also featured Mr. Marat Mrikaev, Head of the Federal Treasury Directorate for the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania; Mr. Igor Nikolaev, Head of the Strategic Research Center under the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); and Ms. Natalia Dorpeko, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Russia.
Today, regions are engaging with the UN not through declarations, but through concrete and measurable results that demonstrate the maturity of national practice in voluntary local reporting. The Russian experience shows that sustainable development is becoming an integral part of strategic territorial governance. Regional reviews, best municipal practices and partnerships between the state, business and society form the foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthen the contribution of Russian regions to the global 2030 Agenda.
The session confirmed the growing role of Russian regions in the international dialogue on sustainable development and marked another step in promoting the best Russian practices at the UN High-Level Political Forum.
Event materials:
Voluntary Local Review of the Sverdlovsk Region (2026)
Speakers’ Material s
06.07.2026
