The European Union and its Member States have expressed regret over several elements of the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, including the inclusion of a paragraph on unilateral economic measures and the deletion of a reference to the UAE Consensus. The explanation of position was delivered on 15 July 2026 in New York by Ambassador Dónal Cronin, Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, on behalf of the EU and its Member States.
The EU supported the overall Declaration but disassociated from paragraph 15, which it said contains false narratives propagated by countries subject to legitimate sanctions. The EU also regretted the standalone inclusion of paragraph 17 on common but differentiated responsibilities, arguing it isolates one principle from the balanced 1992 Rio Declaration. Additionally, the EU expressed concern that references to technology transfer lacked qualifiers that such transfers should be voluntary and on mutually agreed terms, noting such references had doubled compared to last year's declaration.
The EU had pushed during negotiations for robust language on five critical SDGs under review: strengthening global water governance (SDG6), expanding clean energy access (SDG7), boosting inclusive investment in infrastructure and digital transformation (SDG9), promoting resilient cities (SDG11), and mobilising financing to close the SDG gap (SDG17). The EU also sought to underline gender equality as a cross-cutting enabler, climate change as an existential threat, and alignment with the Seville Commitment on financing.
The EU regretted that the text did not clearly recall the importance of gender-responsive implementation, that references to climate-resilient infrastructure were not retained, and that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment remained absent. The EU also expressed disappointment that the UAE Consensus, adopted unanimously in Dubai less than three years ago and relevant to SDG7, was deleted.
The EU disassociated from paragraph 27, which it said contains caveats undermining stakeholder participation and a whole-of-society approach, contradicting the 2030 Agenda. The EU asked that its positions on paragraphs 15, 17, 27, and technology transfer references be recorded in the meeting report.