Sustainability Panel to strengthen knowledge base for decision-making aimed at overall sustainability in society
On 15 December, the Government decided to appoint the Expert Panel for Sustainable Development for a new term. The Sustainability Panel, which operates as part of the Prime Minister’s Office, is an independent scientific panel tasked with promoting sustainability in Finnish society.
The panel assesses the goals and implementation of work to promote sustainability and seeks to strengthen the acceptability of research-based actions in society. The members of the panel evaluate and anticipate the development of societal sustainability to support long-term decision-making.
The Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government states that all sectors of society must be involved in the work to promote sustainable development. With this in mind, the Sustainability Panel aims to have a wide-ranging impact on society. Its special task is to support the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, an influential forum consisting of decision-makers in society under the leadership of the Prime Minister. The panel members provide scientific and ethical viewpoints to support decision-making and policy preparation. They also bring complicated but critical issues to the public debate.
The aim of the panel is to promote societal change that takes into account both the environment and human wellbeing. The panel’s work supports the Government’s general objectives of strengthening the knowledge base for decision-making and can be used by the Government when dealing with issues of sustainability in society. Close communication and interaction with legislators, policy-makers, budget negotiators, key stakeholders and the media are essential for the success of the panel’s work.
The members of the panel represent a wide range of key areas of research on sustainability in society, each representing top expertise in their field in Finland. The newly appointed panel will consist of 15 experts and its term will start at the beginning of 2023. Professor Lassi Linnanen (Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology) will serve as its chair. Nominations for panel members were requested from research institutes, universities, higher education institutions and other scientific organisations by open invitation. The panel is supported by an expert secretariat consisting of representatives from the Finnish Environment Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) at the University of Helsinki. The panel’s work to promote overall sustainability in society complements the work of other scientific panels and strengthens interaction between panels and their members.
Inquiries: Lassi Linnanen, Professor of Environmental Economics and Environmental Management, Chair of the Sustainability Panel, tel. +358 50 550 3305, Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology, [email protected] and Taina Kulmala, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 160 184, Prime Minister’s Office, [email protected]