BASIC INFORMATION
LatviaFriday, 13 February 2026
The Sustainable Development Strategy of Latvia until 2030 (Latvia 2030) is hierarchically the highest national-level, long-term policy. It enumerates the main tasks of the state and society to achieve balanced and sustainable development.
The National Development Plan of Latvia for 2021-2027 (NDP2027), is Latvia’s main medium-term development planning document. NDP2027 includes objectives, indicators, priorities and measures, responsible and co-responsible authorities for the seven-year planning period to achieve the Latvian Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 (Latvia2030), contribute to the quality of life, thereby achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Sectoral and horizontal policy frameworks and plans, as well as regional and local government policy documents are in line with these main planning documents.
Outcome indicators are the backbone of the system. The indicators of Latvia 2030, the NDP 2027 and major sectoral policy documents are mapped at the SDG (169) target level.
Latvia’s UN SDG Map and the methodology on how it was created is (in Latvian) on the State Chancellery website.
Latvia is currently developing a Sustainable Development Strategy to 2050.
State Chancellery
Mara Simane - mara.simane@mk.gov.lv
Consultant, National Development Planning Division,
Cross Sectoral Coordination Department
Vladislavs Vesperis - vladislavs.vesperis@mk.gov.lv
Head of National Development Planning Division,
Cross Sectoral Coordination Department
Latvia mainstreams sustainable development in its policy making process.
Ministries dialogue to ensure coherence of legislation and policy in the drafting and decision-making stages in accordance with the Rules and Procedures of the Cabinet. The Cross Sectoral Coordination Department is tasked with bringing together ministries and other stakeholders for long-term and medium-term national level planning.
Latvia’s Law on the Development Planning System requires state authorities, local and regional authorities to plan in accordance with higher level planning documents and plan in line with the principle of sustainability, of balanced development, coherence, participation of stakeholders, etc.
The regulation on development planning at the national level includes standardized templates for consistency, including budget requirements. It also clearly describes monitoring and evaluation requirements.
The Single Portal for Development and Harmonisation of Draft Legal Acts (TAP portals) is a transparent platform for the entire lifecycle of governmental decision-making and legislation development in Latvia. It is a unified environment for public consultations that allows citizens, NGOs, and other stakeholders to easily track the development of legislation in real-time and submit their opinions in one place.
Other coordination mechanisms include task forces, working groups, advisory boards, etc.
Although Environmental Impact Assessments ultimately point to the effects of policies on future generations, Latvia currently does not systemically address spillover effects on other countries and future generations.
Rules of Procedures of the Cabinet of Ministers
Law on the Development Planning System
Regulation on Creating Development Planning Documents and their Impact Assessments (in Latvian)
Single Portal for Development and Harmonisation of Draft Legal Acts (TAP portal)
Procedure for Evaluating the Initial Impacts of Draft Legal Acts (ex-ante assessment) (in Latvian)
Procedures for Carrying Out a Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments
The Regulation on Creating Development Planning Documents and their Impact Assessments describes requirements for ex ante, mid-term and ex post monitoring and evaluations for all national level planning documents.
Since sustainable development is a principle embedded by law in the planning system, the outcome indicators for Cabinet approved documents are Latvia’s SDG indicators. Although the SDGs per se are not specifically mentioned in most documents, Latvia’s SDG Map allows the reader to identify the indicator and its link found in the primary document or its monitoring report to the SDG at the target level.
In the first and third year after the Saeima (parliament) elections, the Prime Minister attaches to their annual report to the Saeima information regarding progress in achieving sustainable development targets of the country in the implementation of Latvia's Sustainable Development Strategy and the National Development Plan. This information is prepared by the Cross Sectoral Coordination Department of the State Chancellery.
Latvia has presented two VNRs at the UN High Level Political Forum. The 2018 VNR was an initial assessment Latvia’s development planning system’s alignment with the SDGs. In Latvia it played the role of explaining Latvia’s performance in terms of the UN’s framework adopted in 2015. The 2022 VNR included an ex-post assessment of the National Development Plan 2014-2020 and informed the readers of the logic of the recently introduced National Development Plan 2014-2020 and informed the readers of the logic of the 2021-2027. It highlighted Latvia’s role in global partnerships, showcased best practise and frankly addressed challenges for achieving each of the SDGs.
Law on the Development Planning System
https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/175748
Latvia2030 and NDP2027 Monitoring Report 2027 (2024)
Latvia2030 and NDP2027 Mid-Term Evaluation – 2026 (link will be made available once the evaluation is complete)
Latvia Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – 2022
Latvia Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – 2018