The State Treasury instructs all central government ministries, institutions and agencies to report on their efforts to promote sustainable development using the central government’s common frame of reference. On this page, you will find information on the frame of reference and sustainability reporting in central government.
The State Treasury recommends that ministries, agencies and institutions prepare a sustainability report on their activities annually. The report can be drawn up at the administrative branch, agency or accounting unit level. The use of the central government’s common reporting frame makes it possible to produce summaries and to compare organisations’ reports.
Sustainability reports should always be published by the end of April of the following year. The first published sustainability reports prepared using the central government’s common frame of reference concerned year 2021. The State Treasury published a summary of the reports in October 2022.
SUMMARY OF SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS (PDF)
A sustainability report describes how the organisation contributes to the achievement of three to five United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the organisation has identified in its work. Each organisation selects the SDGs on which it reports on the basis of the goals on which it can have the greatest impact through its core activities.
Together with its corporate actors, the State Treasury produces an estimate of the central government’s carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is part of the Data Bank compiled by the State Treasury. The goal is to publish the Data Bank on the Exploreadministration.fi website.
The common frame of reference for central government sustainability reporting is based on the UN’s 2030 Agenda. In their sustainability reports, organisations examine their activities in the light of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the Agenda. The key to reporting is describing the methods and practices used to carry out the organisation’s statutory duties.
By using the frame of reference, central government organisations can communicate about their sustainability work to the rest of society and stakeholders, while also making their work visible to their employees. Central government organisations report on both their handprint and their footprint.
Handprint of activities: At the core of reporting are positive impacts on the SDGs the organisation has achieved through its work. Each organisation identifies the SDGs on which it can have the most significant impact through its activities.
Footprint of activities: The direct impacts of the organisation’s activities on the operating environment describe its footprint.
Analysis: It is also essential to explain in the report how the organisation has achieved and intends to achieve the goals it has set for itself. The sustainability report should make it clear to the reader how the organisation develops its activities from the perspective of sustainable development.
The guidelines will be updated as necessary, and the stakeholders will be informed of the updates, the most recent one of which took place in June 2021.
Finland is committed to implementing Agenda 2030 both in Finland and in international cooperation. This is why the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals also provide a natural frame of reference for reporting on sustainability. The State Treasury’s Guidelines for sustainability reporting in central government were published in September 2021. The frame of reference for reporting presented in the guidelines was devised in collaboration with several central government actors.
The newsletter on sustainability reporting in central government comes out in Finnish and Swedish two to four times a year. It contains current news on efforts to develop sustainability reporting in central government. The newsletter also contains blog posts on responsibility and sustainable development. If you wish to read the newsletter in English as well, please let us know.
Didn’t find what you were looking for on the website? Have you got tips for us about a topic that you would like us to organise a workshop on, or do you perhaps have other ideas related to sustainability reporting in central government? The State Treasury’s sustainability team will be happy to hear about your proposals and ideas. You can reach the sustainability team at vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi.
The third sustainability reports prepared by central government organisations using a uniform frame of reference concern the year of 2023. On this page, you can see the published sustainability reports by administrative branch.
For more information on a sustainability report, contact the organisation that prepared it. If your question concerns the central government’s sustainability reporting guidelines or reporting practices, you can contact the State Treasury by sending us an email to: vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi.
The second sustainability reports prepared by central government organisations using a uniform frame of reference concern the year of 2022. On this page, you can see the published sustainability reports by administrative branch.
For more information on a sustainability report, contact the organisation that prepared it. If your question concerns the central government’s sustainability reporting guidelines or reporting practices, you can contact the State Treasury by sending us an email to: vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi.
Based on the ministries’, agencies’ and institutions’ sustainability reports, the State Treasury produces a summary, which is a compilation of the central government’s measures aiming to promote sustainable development.
The summary provides an overview of the sustainability reports for 2022 that were published at the latest in June 2023 and notified to the State Treasury. The summary includes a total of 56 reports, 52 of which were prepared by ministries, agencies and institutions. The Finnish Forest Centre, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Kela, and the Senate Group also submitted their reports in accordance with the State Treasury’s guidelines.
The various sustainability reports identified all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda as part of the handprint of the activities. When the central government is examined as a whole, we notice that SDG achievement can be promoted extensively in central government. The most frequently identified goals in the reports drawn up for 2021 were SDGs 12 (Responsible consumption and production), 13 (Climate action) and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions)
The State Treasury supports ministries, agencies and institutions in sustainability reporting and will produce a corresponding summary annually.
SUMMARY OF REPORTS FOR 2022 (PDF)
VISUALISED ABSTRACT OF THE SUMMARY (PDF)
RECORDING OF THE SUMMARY’S LAUNCH EVENT 26 SEPTEMBER 2023 (YOUTUBE)
The first sustainability reports prepared by central government organisations using a uniform frame of reference concerned year 2021. On this page, you can see the published sustainability reports by administrative branch.
For more information on a sustainability report, contact the organisation that prepared it. If your question concerns the central government’s sustainability reporting guidelines or reporting practices, you can contact the State Treasury by sending us an email to: vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi
Based on the ministries’, agencies’ and institutions’ sustainability reports, the State Treasury produces a summary, which is a compilation of the central government’s measures aiming to promote sustainable development. The first summary was published in October 2022.
The summary provides an overview of the sustainability reports for 2021 that were published at the latest in July 2022 and notified to the State Treasury. The summary includes a total of 49 reports, 46 of which were prepared by ministries, agencies and institutions. Kela, the Senate Group and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health also submitted their reports in accordance with the State Treasury’s guidelines.
The various sustainability reports identified all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda as part of the handprint of the activities. When the central government is examined as a whole, we notice that SDG achievement can be promoted extensively in central government. The most frequently identified goals in the reports drawn up for 2021 were SDGs 12 (Responsible consumption and production), 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) and 13 (Climate action).
The State Treasury supports ministries, agencies and institutions in sustainability reporting and will produce a corresponding summary annually.
SUMMARY OF REPORTS FOR 2021 (PDF)
Visualised abstract of the summary (pdf)
RECORDING OF THE SUMMARY’S LAUNCH EVENT 5 October 2022 (YOUTUBE)
The Sustainability Network gathers actors from the central government who are interested in the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Network is a place for sharing good practices and experiences and where organisations can support each other in the area of sustainability.
The Network’s workspace is maintained in cooperation with Senate Properties. The Network and its workspace are in Finnish.
Would you like to learn more or join the Network? Send us an email to vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi!
