Finland has a long tradition in promoting sustainable development both in domestic policies and in international development cooperation. Therefore, Finland is in a good position to implement the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030). However, the comprehensive and integrative nature of the new Agenda 2030 calls for better coherence and coordination of various policies in Finland.

For Finland, because of the nature of the universal and transformative Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals and targets, a careful review of the country’s development cooperation policies and practices was needed, and, just as importantly, a review of domestic policies and measures in various sectors, as well. When it comes to domestic action, Finland needs to work on goals and targets for biodiversity, citizens’ wellbeing and equality, sustainable consumption and production, efficient energy use, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, for example. On the other hand, eradicating poverty, ensuring global food security or promoting peaceful and inclusive societies are goals that Finland implements best by intensifying its development and foreign policies. The division between domestic and foreign action is not, however, always so rigid; for instance, Finland’s consumption and production patterns have an impact also outside the national borders through materials and supply chains.

Preparation of the National Implementation Plan for Agenda 2030

The Finnish Government has the primary responsibility for the national implementation of Agenda 2030, but, in the spirit of the global agenda, the civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders have an integral role in this endeavour.

Finland is getting ready to implement Agenda 2030 in ways that are comprehensive and inclusive. The Prime Minister’s Office is in charge of coordinating the national implementation. The Office also acts as the Coordination Secretariat.. The Coordination Secretariat works closely together with the Coordination Network, comprising all government ministries.

In 2021, the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development drew up a national 2030 Agenda roadmap, which is a medium-term plan detailing the actions Finland needs to take to achieve the goals of the Global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda) adopted by the UN in 2015.

Drawing up the roadmap was one of the objectives set in the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government, and the task was assigned to the Commission in December 2020. The Commission adopted the 2030 Agenda roadmap in a meeting in February 2022 and submitted it to the Government for use in its work.

At the same time, the Commission decided to reform its strategy so that the main content of the roadmap would form the core of the new strategy. The new strategy, ‘A prosperous and globally responsible Finland that protects the carrying capacity of nature’, was adopted at the Commission’s meeting on 10 March 2022.

The new strategy is guided by the six areas of change defined in the work to draw up the 2030 Agenda roadmap. For each area of change, the strategy includes a vision extending to 2030, a set of objectives that translate the visions into concrete terms, and a description of the key measures that will affect different sectors of society and play a key role in bringing about change. In addition to the six areas of change, the strategy discusses how Finland is supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda globally.

The strategy includes five cross-cutting principles, which the members of the Commission have committed to comply with in its implementation. The principles are the following: ensuring fairness, equity and gender equality; facilitating the inclusion and participation of society at large; paying special attention to the most vulnerable (leaving no one behind); ensuring long-term commitment and policy coherence; and taking global responsibility. The Commission’s strategy serves as a long-term target framework and tool for policy coherence in the strategic and programme work of different administrative branches and stakeholders in society.

Strategy can be downloaded from the website in English, Finnish and Swedish: Strategy of the National Commission on Sustainable Development 2022–2030 : A prosperous and globally responsible Finland that protects the carrying capacity of nature - Valto (valtioneuvosto.fi)

The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development is an influential forum gathering the significant societal actors together. The Commission promotes cooperation in order to achieve the sustainable development goals and strives to integrate the strategic objectives of sustainable development into the national policy, administration and social practices.

Tasks:

• To accelerate the implementation of the global Agenda for Sustainable Development, Agenda2030, and to make the Agenda an integral part of the national work for sustainable development-
• To follow up and review the implementation of Agenda2030 in Finland.
• To promote, monitor and review the implementation of Society's Commitment to Sustainable Development, "The Finland we want by 2050", and to communicate the outcomes of the implementation.
• To multiply the number of operational commitments, raise the target level and enhance the effectiveness of the commitment process.
• To support the different actors and the cooperation between them so that the perspective of sustainable development and the implementation of Agenda2030 are taken into account in society at large.
• To translate the goals and principles of Society's Commitment to Sustainable Development into societal practices.
• To strengthen policy coherence and to mainstream the national policy on sustainable development in the state administration.

In addition to the general secretariat, the Coordination Network consisting of representatives from the ministries is responsible for the preparation of the Commission's work.

The Commission's work is supported and challenged by the Expert Panel on Sustainable Development and the 2030 Agenda Youth Group.

In 2020, a special Round Table of Climate Policy Link to an external website was established in connection with the Commission for Sustainable Development.

The work of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development (FNCSD) is outlined and prepared by an inter-ministerial Secretariat, the Sustainable Development Coordination Network. The Secretariat is composed of the sustainable development focal points in the line ministries, each taking the lead in preparing themes within their area of expertise. The secretariat convenes 8-10 times a year and aims at enhancing policy coherence across the line ministries. The Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat oversee the practical arrangements and manage funding for the National Commission’s work.

In four consecutive years, all Ministries have submitted their yearly reports to the Parliament on the policies and measures to achieve the SDGs in their respective policy branches. The national audit office reports that ministries increasingly incorporate the SDGs in their activities. They serve as the basis for strategies, but also as a benchmark for their own activities. However, there are differences between the ministries with regards to the extent of the integration of the SDGs. The report also states that more analytical assessment on the ecological, economic and social sustainability of the policy content is still missing.

The government has integrated sustainability aspects into the preparation of the state budget since 2018. Each administrative branch provides details about measures related to sustainable development. In 2019, a chapter entitled “Sustainable Development” was included in the General Strategy and outlook section. This chapter is especially focused on carbon neutrality goals.

Representatives from the line ministries are included in the National Follow-up and Monitoring network, ensuring that different aspects of sustainable development are reflected in choosing the indicators and measuring the progress. The network  is chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office, and includes representatives from ministries, Statistics Finland, research institutions and various stakeholder groups. It meets 4-6 times per year and is in charge of the development, maintenance and revision of national monitoring framework and sustainability indicators.

The Finnish Parliament’s Committee for the Future has functioned as the parliamentary committee responsible for 2030 Agenda matters. The Committee for the Future prepares parliamentary replies, also known as committee reports on the 2030 Agenda, to the Government. The Committee also monitors the implementation of the measures required by Parliament in its reports by issuing resolutions on the Government’s Annual Reports and budget proposals in relation to the 2030 Agenda themes.

The Development Policy Committee is a multi-stakeholder body that was first appointed in 2003. Its key aim is to strengthen the effectiveness of development policy and to promote discussion on development policy at national and, in particular, parliamentary levels. All parliamentary parties and key stakeholders in development policy contexts are represented in the committee.

The Finnish Government programmes and national implementation strategies for sustainable development have continuously been assessed in the past 20 years. These assessments have helped to improve the design and implementation of sustainable development strategies.

Finland is committed to providing a systematic, open, transparent, inclusive and participatory follow-up to and review of the implementation of Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals and targets at all levels. Monitoring the progress and reviewing the achievements on a regular basis is essential for ensuring accountability to the Finnish society and the global community.

The National Audit Office of Finland identified NAOF audits as part of the official four-year monitoring and evaluation cycle. The government is committed to submit a Voluntary National Review to the High Level Political Forum of the UN every four years following this audit. Furthermore, the NAOF is currently developing a model for integrating the Sustainable Development Goals as part of all external auditing, which is also drawing international interest.

In 2018, the government commissioned an independent and comprehensive evaluation of national sustainable development policies. Three Finnish organisations worked on the evaluation:  Demos Helsinki, the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS) and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The core research team also benefited from external support from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). The evaluation gave some key recommendations of how future governments should move forward in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The evaluation process is explained in more detail in the IIED publication “Evaluation to connect national priorities with the SDGs”. Every year, all line ministries in Finland are required to compile their policies and measures on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda into the government’s annual report to the parliament. According to the National Audit Office report, the Government Annual Reports have provided a comprehensive summary of the yearly policies and measures for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Finland, compiling key areas, key actions and actors. However, Annual Reports on the implementation have been rather descriptive and entailed only little quantitative measures.

 Government Report on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The aim of this report is to address a carbon-neutral, resource-wise and competent Finland where non-discrimination and equality is secured. In line with the Government priorities, the implementation of Agenda 2030 in Finland builds on two themes: To achieve a carbon-neutral and resource-wise Finland. The focus should be on improving the energy, resource and material efficiency and sustainably increase the share of renewable forms of energy. Finland must produce environmentally friendly services and innovations, promote their exports, and develop low-emission economic sectors and transport models.

To secure non-discrimination, equality and a high level of competence in Finland, Finland must prevent youth and long-term unemployment, exclusion of various population groups, polarization of labour markets, and segregation of living and residential areas. Finland must also reduce health disparities, promote gender equality, support lifelong learning, and raise the level of education and competence of the population. Non-discrimination includes equal access to services at the different stages of ageing.

The first set of national sustainable development indicators was prepared in 2000. Since then the indicators have been published and renewed regularly, especially when the new sustainable development strategy was completed.

The state of and trends in sustainable development in Finland were being monitored and reviewed with the use of 39 national sustainable development indicators. These indicators were identified in 2014 to measure the progress of the eight strategic objectives of Society’s Commitment. Finland’s national follow-up system was renewed in 2017. It consists of around 45 indicators that are grouped in ten baskets with specific themes, such as “Resource-wise economy and carbon-neutral society”, “Housing and communities”, “Social inequality” and “Global responsibility and policy coherence”. Around one third of national indicators are from the global SDG indicator set, two thirds are country specific.

National indicators were chosen in 2017 by the national follow-up network that is chaired by the Prime Minister’s Office, and includes representatives from ministries, Statistics Finland, research institutions and various stakeholder groups. The national follow-up network meets 4-6 times per year.

National indicators are updated once a year, during the second and third quarter. The annual update of data is accompanied with the preparation of interpretative text for each of the ten baskets. Interpretative texts are prepared by experts of different ministries and research institutions. The purpose of interpretative texts is to describe the current state and recent development in Finland, compared to target levels (where they exist) and peer countries.

Indicators and interpretative texts are published at a website hosted by the National Commission on Sustainable Development and the Prime Minister’s Office. The Finnish website includes a possibility to openly comment indicators and interpretative texts. You can find the English version of the website here.

In 2018, Statistics Finland started a project to establish a national reporting platform for global SDG indicators. The platform was published in February 2019, and is currently publicly available at the webpage of Statistics Finland. In February 2020, the database contained national data for 158 global indicators of the total of 244 indicators, i.e. the coverage was 65 percent of global SDG indicators.

The Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development (FNCSD) serves as the main forum for bringing together different stakeholder groups. Members of the Commission include representatives from Parliament, ministries, the business sector, municipalities and regions, trade unions, the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, science and research institutions, and various organisations. The mandate of the National Commission is to ensure that the international objectives of sustainable development are integrated into national policies. One of the main tasks of the Commission is to follow up and review the national implementation of Agenda 2030. The other main task is to enhance the implementation of Society's Commitment to Sustainable Development. Society's Commitment is designed to be a practical tool for implementing sustainable development goals in Finland. With this end in view, the National Commission is aiming at increasing participation in Society’s Commitment, and the number of commitments, while enhancing the effectiveness of the commitment process. Citizens and organisations can make their own commitments and report on their progress. There are over 1000 private organisations and almost 1500 private citizens that have made commitments on the website (to reduce their footprint and how), also six major industries (trade, finance, media, energy, marine, forest) have made comprehensive industry wide commitments. The government has made five ‘Green Deals’ with bodies representing certain industries, among others the plastic bag deal, an automotive deal and an oil waste deal.

State officials are responsible for drawing up the implementation plan and facilitating the implementation of Agenda 2030 in Finland. However, there are two major multi-stakeholder committees in Finland that support and promote sustainable development policies. The Development Policy Committee is a parliamentary body whose mission is to follow the implementation of the global sustainable development agenda in Finland from the development policy perspective and to monitor the implementation of the Government Programme and the Government's development policy guidelines. The National Commission on Sustainable Development is a Prime Minister-led partnership forum with the aim of integrating sustainable development into Finnish policies, measures and everyday practices. The membership of both committees includes a broad spectrum of non-governmental stakeholders, private sector actors, interest groups and civil society organisations. In addition, the Sustainable Development Expert Panel, comprising eminent researchers from different disciplines, challenges and enhances the work of the National Commission on Sustainable Development and adds a critical voice in the sustainability debate, when needed.

The secretariat of the Development Policy Committee is located in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The coordination of the work of the National Commission on Sustainable Development was transferred from the Ministry of the Environment to the Prime Minister’s Office in January 2016, but the Secretary General of the National Commission continues to work from the Environment Ministry. In order to improve the policy coherence, the collaboration between the two committees will be intensified, for example through joint meetings, workshops and discussion papers.

The Government of Finland recognises the need to strengthen the accountability to and dialogue with Parliament, various stakeholders and the general public when implementing Agenda 2030 and when preparing the National Implementation Plan. Finland is committed to intensifying the existing means and finding new ways to increase participation and ownership. As regards Parliament, one effective means might be a Government report to Parliament on the national implementation of Agenda 2030. For the society at large, a regional Agenda 2030 road show is one way to reach all corners of Finland.

The Agenda 2030 Youth Group was established in 2017 on the initiative of the then Vice-Chair of the National Commission on Sustainable Development. Young people’s involvement in implementing sustainable development policy had been found too limited, to the extent that appointing a single youth delegate for sustainable development was not enough to address the issue.

The Youth Group has two roles:

1. To spur the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development in its work and to bring young people’s voices to sustainable development policy processes and public debate;
2. To inform other young people of the Sustainable Development Goals and themes in their various networks, such as schools and leisure activities.

The Agenda 2030 Youth Group consists of 14 members aged 15 to 28, living all over the country. Group members are selected by the Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi.

Another key issue of importance to Finland is Local Agenda 21. The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities already adopted a sustainable development strategy in 1997, one year before the government programme on sustainable development was adopted. Approximately 80% of Finns live in municipalities that either have established or are in the process of establishing their own Local Agenda 21. The link between the national sustainable development strategy and the sub-national activities was well coordinated. On the local and regional levels the Local Agenda 21 process has evolved from the earlier approach of Agenda 21 to one where the focus is more on sustainability processes such as integrated management, the Aalborg Commitments, and the development of and work on sustainability indicators.

There are two networks of pioneering/ frontrunner municipalities: climate-neutral HINKU municipalities and Sustainable FISU municipalities.