The Nordic Region And The 2030 Agenda

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/nord2021-042/ How are the Nordic countries, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland working on the 2030 Agenda and the 17 SDGs? This review provides the answers, with an emphasis on the national political structures for implementing the 2030 Agenda, i.e. action plans with national and international prioritisations, along with follow-up work and areas for improvement. The aim of the review is to create a factually based overview of the Nordic countries’ work on the 2030 Agenda, where the relevant basic information can be found easily, with links to websites and other material, for each of the Nordic countries.

The 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015, outlines an ambitious and universal plan of action for people, planet and prosperity as it seeks to strengthen universal peace and freedom. This report presents national and Nordic action on Agenda 2030 with the aim to inform and support the Nordic Council of Ministers in formulating a new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme. All Nordic countries are engaged and strongly committed to implementing Agenda 2030 and there is a broad societal interest in joint Nordic action. The existing Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development and several other key initiatives within Nordic cooperation already contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030. A new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme can build upon a strong foundation and add further value to the national and international work done by the Nordic countries.

The 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015, outlines an ambitious and universal plan of action for people, planet and prosperity as it seeks to strengthen universal peace and freedom. This report presents national and Nordic action on Agenda 2030 with the aim to inform and support the Nordic Council of Ministers in formulating a new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme. All Nordic countries are engaged and strongly committed to implementing Agenda 2030 and there is a broad societal interest in joint Nordic action. The existing Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development and several other key initiatives within Nordic cooperation already contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030. A new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme can build upon a strong foundation and add further value to the national and international work done by the Nordic countries.

This discussion paper titled “Bumps on the Road to 2030 - An overview of the common challenges for the Nordic countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” was prepared by the Danish think thank Sustainia, by commission from the Nordic Council of Ministers in April 2017. The task at hand was to analyze, based on existing international comparisons, which SDGs the Nordic countries need to work on the most, in order to achieve them by 2030.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-727/ Our Vision 2030 seeks to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. When pursuing such an ambitious goal, it is important to monitor progress closely and regularly. The Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to draw up a baseline measurement for Our Vision and paint a picture of where the Nordic Region stands now. While the report shows that the foundations for the work are solid and progress generally good, it also identifies a number of challenges and points out where there is room for improvement, especially in terms of the green transition.

The report Baltic 2030: Bumps on the Road provides an overview of the 2030 Agenda implementation in the Baltic Sea Region, aimed at informing strategy and prioritisation discussions for national and regional collaboration. For each of the region’s eleven countries, performance on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is examined and five selected SDGs are discussed at the indicator level. Based on this analysis, the authors recommend seven avenues for action where greater collaboration in the region can support SDG achievement. The report was commissioned by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and iis jointly published by CBSS and the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM). It was drafted by the advisory firm Nordic Sustainability and follows the previous Bumps on the Road to 2030 report published by the NCM in 2017.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2023-728/ Our Vision 2030 describes what it will take to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. The sheer ambition makes it important to monitor progress closely. To this end, the Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to conduct baseline measurements back in 2021. The idea was to map out the starting point for work on the vision. This status report follows up on the baseline measurements and assesses progress towards realising the vision. It is based on the 45 indicators adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2021 and the methodology used for the baseline report. Overall, the 2023 status report shows that the Nordic Region remains on track to become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. This is particularly true for the visions of a competitive Nordic Region and a socially sustainable Nordic Region. However, there is room for improvement with regard to the visions for a green Nordic Region.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2022-724/ In 2019, the Nordic prime ministers adopted a vision for the Nordic Region to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by the year 2030. The Nordic Council of Ministers was tasked with steering Nordic co-operation towards delivering this vision. The Nordic Council of Ministers is following a special action plan in its efforts relating to the vision for the period 2021 to 2024. Now, after almost two years, a mid-point evaluation has been produced. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine during the period, the Nordic Council of Ministers has delivered concrete results and made an impact. The activities of the Nordic Council of Ministers are being steered towards supporting the Nordic countries as well as possible in their realisation of the vision. Efforts relating to the green transition have been bolstered by way of DKK 120 million in additional funding thanks to a budget redistribution in the period 2021 to 2024. The mid-point evaluation was approved by the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation in September 2022.