Finland has implemented various sustainable development programmes since the mid-1990s, and in 2006 adopted a comprehensive National Strategy for Sustainable Development. (Towards sustainable choices. A Nationally and Globally Sustainable Finland). The latest policy document for sustainable development (Strategy of the National Commission on Sustainable Development 2022-2030) approved in 2022 based on the National 2030 Agenda Roadmap prepared in 2021.

Finland’s new strategy for sustainable development 2022-2030, “a prosperous and globally responsible Finland that protects the carrying capacity of nature”, is a medium-term plan on what measures Finland will take to achieve the goals of the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN in 2015. At the core of the new strategy are six areas of change defined in the work on the 2030 Agenda roadmap and their cross-cutting heirs. Six areas of change: Economy and work promoting wellbeing and sustainable costs Education, skills and sustainable lifestyles Wellbeing, health and social inclusion Food system that promotes wellbeing Use of forests, waters and land to strengthen biodiversity and carbon neutrality A sustainable energy system Five cross-cutting principles: Ensuring fairness, equality and gender equality Inclusion and inclusion of society as a whole Emphasis on paying attention to the most vulnerable (leave No one behind) Ensuring long-term commitment and policy coherence Taking global responsibility The strategy was prepared by The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development prepared it in close cooperation with public administration, businesses and civil society organizations. The secretariat coordinates the implementation of the strategy.

The Prime Minister’s Office is in charge of coordinating the national sustainable development policy and is also responsible for implementing and drawing up the national implementation plan for Agenda 2030. The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development prepared the national 2030 Agenda roadmap in 2021. The roadmap adopted in February 2022 and a new strategy for the National Commission on Sustainable Development 2022-2030 created based on it. The purpose of the strategy is to serve as a long-term target framework as a tool for policy coherence in the strategy and programme work of different administrative branches and societal actors. The National Commission has a broad membership, encompassing civil society, industry, business, labour market and educational organisations, as well as representatives of the government, Parliament, ministries, local and regional organisations, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the indigenous Sámi people and other public, private and third sector stakeholders. The Secretariat of the National Commission on Sustainable Development supports the work of the Commission. It consists of the Secretary General, who works at the Ministry of the Environment, the Deputy Secretary General, who is located at the Prime Minister’s Office, and other experts. The Prime Minister’s Office acts as the Coordination Secretariat. The secretariat includes 2-3 experts which are responsible of the whole of government wide coordination. The inter-ministerial Coordination Network is responsible for coordinating national sustainable development work and providing support to the National Commission on Sustainable Development. The members of the Coordination Network come from all ministries. It supports the work of the Coordination Secretariat and ensures that all dimensions and aspects of sustainable development are taken into consideration when implementing sustainable development Goals and targets on the national level. The Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, comprising eminent researchers from different disciplines, challenges and enhances the work of the National Commission on Sustainable Development and also adds a critical voice in the sustainability debate, when needed. In December 2022, the panel started working in connection with the prime minister’s office as an independent expert body. The Expert panel released a toolkit to promote sustainable systemic transformation in Finland in March 2020.

Strategy of the National Commission on Sustainable Development 2022-2030 

Finland’s Sustainable Development strategy 2022-2030 is based on the 2030 Agenda roadmap prepared in 2021 by the National Commission on Sustainable Development in three stages. The preparations were preceded by a preliminary study. The Commission’s General Secretariat was responsible for the roadmap’s drafting. The preparation of the national 2030 Agenda roadmap goes back to the evaluation of Finland’s sustainable development policy carried out in 2019 (Path2030), which proposed drawing up a national roadmap to support the long-term efforts aimed at achieving the sustainable development goals. The roadmap was also included in the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government. The Prime Minister’s Office launched the preparations for the roadmap in spring 2020 by commissioning a preliminary study , the aim being to collect information about Finland’s progress in implementing the targets of the 2030 Agenda, assess the significance of targets requiring additional measures, and survey the work and research carried out in other contexts concerning systemic shifts and their promotion. The preliminary study recommended that instead of focusing on the individual targets of the 2030 Agenda and their achievement, the focus in the roadmap preparations should be on systemic questions and transformative shifts that can also help ensure the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Systemic thinking and a focus on transformative shifts were also emphasised in the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR8 ) published in 2019 and in the Six Paths Towards Sustainability report published by the National Commission on Sustainable Development in early 2020. Based on the preliminary study the National Commission on Sustainable Development worked with the Expert panel of sustainable development, Agenda2030 Youth Group and other key stakeholders to develop the roadmap. The work of the Commission was supported by the General Secretariat of the Commission. More information about the strategy process can be found here.