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Government submits sustainable development report to Parliament

Government Communications DepartmentNational Commission on Sustainable Development
Publication date 8.10.2020 15.58
Press release

On Thursday 8 October, the Government submitted to Parliament its Report on the Global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report is Finland’s national implementation roadmap for achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

The report presents the concrete actions the Government is taking to promote the achievement of each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in Finland and globally. It also describes the current state of sustainable development in Finland, the policy principles guiding implementation, the organisation of implementation work at the national level and the mechanisms in place for monitoring and evaluating implementation.

The Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government is based on sustainable development. The objective of the Government Programme is “Inclusive and competent Finland – a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society”. 

The Government Programme’s objective of a socially, ecologically and economically sustainable Finland is being achieved through strategic themes that outline the Government’s objectives and describe their content in concrete terms. These strategic themes also guide the Government’s efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Along with these objectives, the Agenda 2030 report contributes to the implementation of the Government’s promises concerning policy reform, in particular the promise of long-term policy and intergenerational justice.  

The report now submitted is the second national implementation roadmap to be submitted to Parliament as a report.

The state of sustainable development in Finland

When it comes to sustainable development, Finland and the other Nordic countries are at the top of international comparisons. In the annual ranking produced by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Finland has been placed in the top three for several years. 

According to the report, Finland has already achieved or is on its way to achieving the main objectives of the 2030 Agenda related to poverty eradication, health and wellbeing, quality education, clean water, accessible and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry and innovation, reducing inequality, sustainable cities and local communities, and the functioning of institutions and the judicial system. 

Finland’s main challenges concern the need to change consumption and production patterns, climate action, the state of the seas and waters, and supporting other countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

What is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN seeks to eradicate extreme poverty and to achieve sustainable development where the environment, economy and people are taken into account equally. 

The 2030 Agenda has guided the work on sustainable development in Finland and other countries since 2016. The 2030 Agenda is based on human rights, and all work towards its implementation must take into account the fulfilment of human rights. The overarching theme of the 2030 Agenda is that no one may be left behind in the pursuit of development. 

The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is still incomplete, and the goals have yet to be reached at the national or global level. Although progress has been made in many respects, measures must be considerably accelerated and scaled up in order to achieve the goals by the deadline. 


Inquiries: Sami Pirkkala, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 487 and Taina Kulmala, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 184, Prime Minister’s Office

 
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