Nordic prime ministers focus on sustainable development

In the thematic debate at the Nordic Council Session on 1 November the Nordic prime ministers discussed how the implementation of the UN sustainable development goals can be promoted in the north and how the Nordic countries can spread their knowledge and experiences to other countries. The topic was also on the agenda at the meeting of the Nordic prime ministers and the Presidium of the Nordic Council.

The UN has adopted 17 sustainable development goals which are to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are the cross-cutting theme of the 68th Session of the Nordic Council, held at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen.  

–In Finland we take sustainable development very seriously. It is a question of our own wellbeing and our global responsibility, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä said in Copenhagen.

–Sustainable development is everybody's duty, responsibility and right. It is owned by everybody. In Finland we want to communicate this all through the society. Sustainable development is incorporated into early childhood education, schools, universities and all other education institutions. Various associations and NGOs have also been successfully involved.

Finland holds the Presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers this year, and sustainable development is a core element in the themes of the Programme for the Finnish Presidency: "Water, nature and people".

–The achievements of the Nordic economic and social model largely rest on the same sustainable development goals that are at the heart of the UN Agenda 2030. It is important that we can transmit our best experiences on and solutions to these - on the global scale and based on sharing and hearing, Prime Minister Sipilä said.

Inquiries: Anna-Kaisa Heikkinen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 40 748 3867, Prime Minister's Office; Kari Kahiluoto, Chief of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation, tel. +358 295 351 556; Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister's Office