The summary of the central government’s sustainability reports compiled by the State Treasury describes how ministries, agencies and institution take sustainable development into account in their own activities and in the use of shared funds. Together, the central government promotes the achievement of all the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In their sustainability reports, central government organisations have identified the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose achievement they can contribute to the most. The most commonly promoted SDGs identified in the reports were responsible consumption, climate action, and peace, justice and strong institutions. The reports also describe how each organisation will manage the direct ecological, social and economic impacts of their activities on the environment.
Sustainability reporting:
- encourages organisations to take notice of the opportunities in their operations to promote sustainable development.
- allows organisations to examine the possible sustainability challenges of their own activities
- demonstrates to stakeholders how the organisation communicates its work and monitors its implementation to achieve its SDGs.
The number of central government organisations preparing sustainability reports continues to increase
In terms of sustainable development, it is essential to define monitoring indicators that match the implementation of statutory tasks with SDGs. Continuous and consistent reporting makes it possible to assess the progress of the work. Over the years, the organisations participating in the reporting have recognised that they promote four to five SDGs on average.
The common framework helps to examine the central government’s progress in its sustainable development work. Although Finland has fared well in the UN’s SDG ranking, it still has a lot of work to do if it wishes to achieve many of the goals set for ecological sustainability. The annual country ranking examines how states promote the global Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the related SDGs.
The summary of the sustainability reports for 2022 includes a total of 56 reports. Of these, 52 were drawn up by ministries, agencies and institutions. Kela, the Finnish Forest Centre, the Senate Group and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health also submitted their reports in accordance with the State Treasury’s guidelines. The reviewed reports were published by June 2023 at the latest.
Report: Cooperation to build a sustainable future (pdf)
Visualised summary of the report 2022 (pdf)
SDGs in sustainability reports (in Finnish)
Further information:
Sustainability Specialist Netta Jakola, tel. +358 295 50 3364, netta.jakola(at)valtiokonttori.fi
Interview requests: vastuullisuusraportointi(at)valtiokonttori.fi
