Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, representing Eswatini at the Twelfth Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, which runs from 28 to 30 April 2026.
The forum, convened by the Economic Commission for Africa, is being held in a hybrid format and serves as a platform for African nations to strengthen their implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.
Discussions at the session are focused on sharing best practices, lessons learned and common challenges in conducting Voluntary National Reviews and Voluntary Local Reviews, while also exploring ways to build stronger links between national and local development processes. 
Delegates are also examining how these review mechanisms can better inform policy, planning and budgeting to accelerate integrated and results-driven development across the continent.
A key focus of the session is aligning national and local review processes with practical implementation roadmaps to ensure measurable progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and the broader aspirations of Agenda 2063. The session also provides space to reflect on outcomes from pre-forum engagements on both voluntary review processes.
