July was a very busy month for JCoR as we engaged in the United Nations' annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). This is the annual, global forum at which government leaders report on their national progress toward achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. More than 50 individuals from JCoR's family of NGOs at the UN participated in some portion of our programme to prepare for and participate in this year's HLPF. They represented 13 NGOs and shared experiences from 13 countries (Argentina, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Greece, Italy, the Philippines, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, and Uruguay).

In addition to the official HLPF proceedings, JCoR also sponsored a series of events, highlighting civil society perspectives on progress (or lack of progress) toward the SDGs. These virtual conversations, titled "JCoR SDG Lab," focused on SDGs 4 (quality education for all), 5 (gender equality), 14 (healthy aquatic ecosystems), 15 (healthy terrestrial ecosystems), and 17 (partnerships to support sustainable development). In each session, delegates of Catholic NGOs shared their insights and critiques on sustainable development efforts in their own regions. We wish to extend hearty thanks to the following JCoR delegates, who contributed mightily to the Lab sessions on behaf of their congregations and the people of their countries:

• Genny Dumay, Catharina Indirastuti, Mary Virgo Espineda, Theresa Symons, Patricia Mosquera, and their panel of girl speakers (Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd)
• Candice de Ausen Jungao, Yolanda Jimenez Delgado, Bethanie Sulleza, Rena Bersola, and Victor Busquet (Society of the Sacred Heart)
• Benigno Beltran and Aureenhor Ian Nercua (Society of the Divine Word/VIVAT International)
• Maria Pearson (Salesian Missions)
• Flavia Campbell, Francis Dan Valiente, Dioro Djédjé Luc, Efrain Vasques Mamani, Ezequiel Quintas Kateve Sabino Patesi, Joseph Zoa Alima, Roque Bicoro Eyaga (Proclade International)

In case you missed it:

• Access official HLPF recordings here
• Coming soon: recordings of the JCoR SDG Labs and our HLPF debrief will be posted to JCoR's YouTube page
• Access your country's Voluntary National Review (VNR) here
• View the recording from SDG Lab's webinar debriefing on HLPF 2022 here
• Read the Earth Negotiation Bulletin's summary of the HLPF here

Article from JCoR Bulletin No. 7