National Commission on Sustainable Development to begin work on 2030 Agenda roadmap next year based on preliminary study

Next year, the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development will draw up a roadmap for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The purpose of the roadmap is to highlight the policies that Finland should pursue in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level. The UN Member States have jointly agreed on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and on achieving its goals by 2030.

A preliminary study on the roadmap work was carried out by Gaia Consulting Oy, which presented its main findings at the meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development on 3 December. The full preliminary study will be published later in December.

The preliminary study provides a summary of the existing information on the status of the 2030 Agenda goals in Finland. It identified 55 sub-goals that will require additional measures in order for Finland to achieve the goals set in the 2030 Agenda during this decade. The study is based primarily on the 2030 Agenda Voluntary National Review published in the spring, in which Finland reported to the UN on its progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals over the past four years. In addition, the preliminary study made use of topical reports on future trends related to sustainable development in Finland.

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen, who chaired the meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development, recalled that drawing up the roadmap is one of the objectives set in the Government Programme and that this work is being carried out on a long-term basis.

“The challenges related to sustainability cannot be solved in a year or two. This is why the 2030 Agenda roadmap looks beyond parliamentary terms and outlines what we need to focus on in Finland over the next ten years in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The roadmap should also address how we can best support other countries in achieving their goals.”

Mikkonen pointed out that the objectives of the 2030 Agenda can be achieved only through extensive cooperation at the national and international level.

“The long time span of the roadmap highlights the need for open debate and wide-ranging cooperation. The objectives of the 2030 Agenda are not only the objectives of the Government, but of Finland as a whole. With this in mind, the National Commission on Sustainable Development will play a key role in drawing up the roadmap.”

The Government is currently preparing its own sustainability roadmap in preparation for its midterm evaluation, and Mikkonen hopes that the work in this area will also be taken into account in the Commission’s work next year.

Inquiries:
Annika Lindblom, Secretary-General of the National Commission on Sustainable Development, tel. +358 295 250 163, Ministry of the Environment, and Sami Pirkkala, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 160 487, Prime Minister’s Office