Society’s Commitment to Sustainability received an enthusiastic welcome at the UN
Finland together with Columbia held a side-event of the Post 2015 negotiations at the UN Headquarters in New York on 20 May, with the title "Strengthening national multi-stakeholder partnerships for the Post-2015 era: Cases Finland and Colombia". The purpose of the event was to bring the perspectives of two very different countries on the ways of implementing national sustainable development policies and forms of stakeholder involvement. At the moment negotiations are underway in the UN on the follow-up and review of the implementation of the Post 2015 agenda on the national, regional and global level.
According to Ambassador Kai Sauer from the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN, the negotiations on the global development agenda and goals have entered a critical phase. ”We believe that leadership, ownership and commitment at the national level are the ultimate success factors for the global agenda. Governments need to take the responsibility for translating the global Sustainable Development Goals and targets into national strategies, policies and concrete action”, says Ambassador Sauer.
The message of the event was clear; all actors and groups in the society must be involved in planning the national implementation and working on the new agenda. The way this will be done varies a great deal between nations. The UN Ambassador of Colombia María Emma Mejía and director Alejandra Corchuelos told about the challenges faced by their country; poverty, cultural differences, civil war, natural disasters. Colombia has almost reached its Millennium Development Goals and progress has been made in many issues, but great challenges lie ahead. Now Colombia has grasped the new sustainable development agenda very seriously and also appointed a high-level working group for its implementation and follow-up.
Annika Lindblom, Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of the Environment, presented Finland’s long and renowned journey in sustainable development. The model that involves the whole Finnish society, broadly-based National Commission on Sustainable Development and high-level political commitment are quite unique in the world. Now Finland has also introduced a completely new tool that leads to practical action; Society’s Commitment to Sustainability. ”We wanted action and more concrete results. The commission is supported by an expert panel, which has brought a new kinds of grip and perspectives. This was the right time to act – the commitment is an inspiration to the rest of the world when trying to find ways of implementing the new global goals”, Annika Lindblom points out.
The commitment makes the content of sustainable development much more concrete for the Finns. In international comparison the commitment is still unique, and after a year from its introduction it has proven an excellent practical means of taking sustainable development to practice. The commitment boosts sustainable development and brings along economic and other benefits, also relating to brands and image. It is also a good communication tool. “Numerous organisations have made the commitment because they want to be part of the (local) solution to global challenges. The commitment gives us hope of a better world and future”, says Marja Innanen, Deputy Secretary General from the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Of the two commentators of the event, Stephen Chacha from Beyond 2015 Africa Regional and Brendan Guy from the Natural Resources Defence Council, Mr Chacha praised the work done in Finland. In the Finnish model the three dimensions of sustainable development are truly talking with each other, which is not the case in most countries – and Finland has been doing this for as long as 20 years. ”Without great leadership and commitment on the national level we cannot achieve the new goals. The nations must have a meaningful way to commit to the new sustainable development agenda and the national work on it. Trust between the state and stakeholders is most important – we cannot implement two different agendas”, Mr Chacha points out.
”The Post2015 agenda and its sustainable development goals are a unique opportunity for the world. The traditional top-down approach does not work, but the new model must be dynamic and lead to concrete commitments. And the commitments must go to practice now, not later!” Mr Guy points out. The Natural Resources Defence Council has proposed a new kind of architecture for the governance of sustainable development – and Finland has seen this very much in the same way. ”Finland is a bright star on the map of sustainable development”, Mr Guy said at an interview after the event.
The reactions by the participants during the speeches given by the Finnish representatives and presentations of the organisations that had made the commitment were enthusiastic, photos were taken and there was a lot of applause. About a hundred representatives of governments from different countries and various NGOs were present at the event. In the discussions people highlighted the importance of guaranteeing the opportunities for the civil society to get involved and the national interpretation of the new agenda – make it relevant! And we also heard the traditional question concerning the education system: How is the commitment being taught at Finnish schools?