Finland once again ranks first in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo led Finland’s delegation to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 July. The forum took stock of global progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Orpo presented Finland’s third Voluntary National Review together with a representative of the business sector and Finland’s UN Youth Delegate.

Finland has achieved just over 86 per cent of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, ranking first in the international comparison of their implementation for the fifth time in a row.

“This is a significant achievement that we can be proud of. We have been doing this work on a long-term basis for decades. Across parliamentary terms, we have built our sustainability work on a strong knowledge base with a focus on international cooperation,” Prime Minister Orpo said. 

Prime Minister Orpo highlighted the importance of monitoring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals each year. 

“This serves as a kind of accelerator. The mere fact that a large number of countries in the world report on their progress is driving sustainable development in the right direction. For Finland, it is also an excellent opportunity to share good practices and to draw on the lessons learned in other countries,” said Prime Minister Orpo.

The UN estimates that 35 per cent of the SDGs are on track to achieve their targets or are making reasonable progress. However, conflicts, climate change, geopolitical tensions and economic challenges have slowed down the achievement of the goals. The goals are set to be achieved by 2030. 

“We are still not ready yet. There is a lot of work to do. Our slow pace in achieving the goals is something we have to take seriously, but we can’t let it stop us from trying. The Sustainable Development Goals have already improved the lives of millions of people around the world,” said Prime Minister Orpo.

“When it comes to gender equality issues, which are very important for Finland, we can see that the rates of maternal and child mortality have decreased. An increasing number of girls are also finishing school,” Prime Minister Orpo continued.

During the forum, Prime Minister Orpo met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, among others. 

“We had a wide-ranging discussion on the role of the UN as a guarantor of the rules-based system and international cooperation. We also explored ways to further strengthen the UN’s role in supporting Ukraine,” said Prime Minister Orpo. 

Prime Minister Orpo also had bilateral meetings with Ugandan Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim, Executive Director of UN Women Sima Bahous and President of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Alvaro Lario. 

In addition, Prime Minister Orpo took part in several of the forum’s side events. 

“Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals is up to all of us. We are not doing this alone, we are working together with businesses, young people, non-governmental organisations and many others,” said Prime Minister Orpo.

Inquiries: Marja Koskela, Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 978 and Juuso Kilpinen, Special Adviser for EU Affairs, tel. +358 50 322 9636, Prime Minister’s Office