Upon the instructions of His Excellency President Kaïs Saïed, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mr. Samir Abdelhafidh, headed the Tunisian delegation participating in the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held in New York from 13 to 15 July 2026.
In Tunisia’s statement delivered during the Forum, the Minister stressed that achieving comprehensive, inclusive and equitable development goals requires a genuine international partnership and a fairer global financial environment. He reaffirmed Tunisia’s unwavering commitment to multilateral cooperation and to working closely with all partners to translate international commitments into tangible results and advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the aim of building a more just and prosperous future for all.
In this context, the Minister reiterated Tunisia’s call for reforming the international financial system, strengthening development financing mechanisms, improving global liquidity and identifying sustainable solutions to sovereign debt challenges, enabling developing and middle-income countries to better cope with successive crises for which they bear no responsibility.
On the same occasion, Mr. Samir Abdelhafidh presented Tunisia’s Third Voluntary National Review (2026) on progress made in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The presentation highlighted the country’s main public policies and achievements in the areas under review, including water and sanitation, energy transition, industry, innovation, infrastructure, sustainable cities and partnerships.
On the sidelines of the Forum, the Minister of Economy and Planning met with Mr. Abdallah Al Dardari, Regional Director for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The meeting provided an opportunity to assess the current state of cooperation between Tunisia and UNDP and to discuss prospects for strengthening this partnership in line with Tunisia’s development priorities.
During the meeting, the Minister presented the main pillars of the 2026–2030 Development Plan, emphasizing that the primary objective of economic growth is to improve citizens’ living standards, reduce social and regional disparities, and achieve a balanced approach to economic and social development.
For his part, Mr. Abdallah Al Dardari reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to continuing its support for Tunisia in implementing its development priorities, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, water resources management, the knowledge economy and regional development, while contributing to the mobilization of the resources and financing required to support these programmes.