This training aims to provide you with insight into how you can help achieve the Global Goals of the 2030 Agenda, a universal agenda for driving change towards a sustainable society. The training is mainly intended for government employees, but of course, it can also be useful for others.
The training consists of four sections and takes 20-30 minutes to complete.
In September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution 70/1 “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
The Agenda asserts that by 2030, the countries of the world are committed to eradicating poverty and hunger, fighting inequalities and building peaceful, equitable and inclusive societies. Other commitments include realising human rights, promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls; and ensuring that the planet and its natural resources remain protected in the long term. The 2030 Agenda delegation has described the agenda as “the global community’s current definition of what sustainable development means”.
The political declaration is based on numerous declarations and resolutions agreed on and signed by United Nations Member States.
The most important of these include the Beijing Platform for Action / Fourth World Conference on Women’s Rights (1995), the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
The 2030 Agenda includes 17 goals and 169 targets. Together, they balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social, and environmental. A key element of the Agenda is that it will be implemented in partnerships between governments, the private sector, civil society, and the UN system. Implementation is also to be done in solidarity with those who live in poverty and vulnerability across the globe. No one will be left behind.
Funding is crucial for our success in realising the 2030 Agenda. Individual countries have the primary responsibility towards their citizens to implement the 2030 Agenda. The international community has a particular and shared responsibility for countries facing the greatest challenges and those with the weakest institutions.
How can we follow Sweden’s progress towards implementing the 2030 Agenda? Naturally, there is a follow-up included - at the international, national and local level. The UN has developed a global indicator framework, and each country regularly reports on developments to the UN. In addition to the formal reporting, other regular follow-ups are also done at the local level. These consist of compilations, comparisons and ranking lists of the efforts by municipalities and regions.
Statistics Sweden has been tasked with coordinating the statistical follow-up on how Sweden will reach the 17 goals and 169 targets in the 2030 Agenda. These efforts are carried out in close cooperation with various other Swedish authorities and with support from other actors, such as civil society. Progress is tracked by global indicators decided by the UN and by national indicators produced by Statistics Sweden and a number of other authorities. At the global level, the goals are tracked by more than 230 indicators. An additional 50 nationally adapted indicators are used for the national follow-up.
In addition to the global and national indicators, the Council for the Promotion of Municipal Analysis (Rådet för främjande av kommunala analyser) has selected some 50 key indicators that can support municipalities and regions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Work to improve follow-up of the 2030 Agenda at the global and national level is ongoing. This means that both indicators and data sources are continuously refined and developed.
Which of the 17 goals makes your heart beat a little faster? What goals are relevant to your agency?
Click on the goals to learn more
The Global Goals for Sustainable Development are integrated and indivisible, which means that no goal can be achieved in isolation. In fact, achieving one goal makes it easier to achieve others. For example, if more people have access to clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), better conditions are created for human health (Goal 3). One concrete outcome is that when the health of children improves, more children can attend school.
The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic have clearly shown how all aspects of sustainability are linked, as well as the importance of global collaboration. In short, the direction pointed out by the 2030 Agenda is more important than ever.We need a holistic approach and cross-sectoral coordination to achieve our goals. Therefore, we cannot work on the 2030 Agenda in silos or as an isolated project. Instead, we must integrate the Agenda into various projects and activities.
Do we really need the 2030 Agenda? Are we not already more advanced than other countries when it comes to sustainability?
It is true that Sweden is advanced when it comes to many aspects of sustainable development. However, achieving the goals in the 2030 Agenda still means that we are facing a major transformation. This is the “decade of action”. We have less than ten years to reach the goal of a sustainable society.
Sweden will not achieve the goal of zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045, given the existing control mean and measures implemented today. More reforms will be required.
The proportion of people living in severe material deprivation has declined in Sweden and is now the lowest in Europe.
The gender pay gap has narrowed in the 2000s.
Since the 2002 general elections, voter turnout in Sweden has dropped.
Sweden is well-placed to achieve the Global Goals. In general, we rate well in international comparisons, for example by having a well-developed tax system and stable public finances. Yet there is no lack of challenges.
Many problems in society affect people unequally. Here are some examples.
Economic inequality is not decreasing. There are also inequalities in the areas of health, housing and exposure to violence.
It remains unclear how Sweden will manage to achieve many of the national environmental goals.
Violence and abuse are not diminishing. More young people are being bullied.
While the Government is ultimately responsible for Sweden’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda, government agencies also play an important role.
It is up to the government agencies to implement the Agenda in concrete terms, in collaboration with municipalities and regions. In fact, one could say that you are already working directly with the 2030 Agenda. Many of the national goals, decided by the Riksdag, are often more ambitious than the Global Goals.
Your agency and all other government agencies make it possible for other community actors to contribute by developing guidelines and making decisions geared towards sustainable development.
Most likely you are familiar with the Common Basic Values for central government employees. If not, you will have the opportunity to acquaint yourself with them now. The purpose of the Common Basic Values is to ensure public administration that is efficient, based on the rule of law and free from corruption and abuse of power. It consists of six principles.
On the other hand, you may not be familiar with how the Common Basic Values are linked to the 2030 Agenda. What do they have in common? In fact, each principle in the Common Basic Values is directly linked to a target in the Agenda.
Click on the different values to see the link
You work in the service of our citizens and ensure that decisions taken by the Riksdag and the Government become reality. You conduct yourself in a way that helps to build and maintain trust in the authorities and in the State.
Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
You are familiar with and abide by the laws and regulations that apply. The principle of legality means that activities carried out by government agencies are governed by the rule of law.
Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
People must be able to trust that, as a government employee, you act objectively and impartially. Therefore, you take into account any conflicts of interest that may arise. This means that you report any sideline job and conflict of interest to your employer and you clearly act in a non-corrupt way.
Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
Openness is a basic principle of democracy. Freedom of speech, freedom to disclose information and publicity apply. The government institutions are prohibited from investigating and from taking reprisals. This means that an employer is not permitted to seek out sources of information or whistle-blowers, nor punish anyone who has expressed critical opinions in the media.
Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
You treat all people equally and with respect. This means that you do not compromise on human rights or discriminate against anyone on grounds of gender, age, ethnicity or disability.
Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
You combine efficiency with service and accessibility. You inform, guide and advise in a simple and understandable way and as quickly as possible. You also perform your tasks efficiently and manage resources responsibly.
Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
The 2030 Agenda emphasises that to achieve the goals, it is necessary that all social actors are involved and take a shared responsibility. The Agenda presupposes that attitudes and behaviours change, at both the individual and society level. Creating and developing a means of dialogue is needed for the Agenda to be implemented.
The Common Basic Values consist of six principles. These principles reflect fundamental requirements in the Instrument of Government and other laws on the authorities and government employees.
There is a direct link between the Common Basic Values and your personal responsibility as a government employee.
The Common Basic Values aim to create government agencies that are efficient, legally certain and free from corruption and abuse of power.
You are needed for Sweden to succeed in its commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda. Your skills, experience, contact network and commitment are crucial both now and for future generations.
Change takes time. Everyone must work towards the same goal to speed up the rate of change. As a government employee, you have great potential to contribute to new and innovative processes and paths to achieve the goals in the 2030 Agenda. In this way, Sweden can become a model country that other countries want to emulate.
What is needed to implement the 2030 Agenda? A decisive factor is the need for all parts of society to be involved and to cooperate. This can be illustrated by eight building blocks that represent essential structures, processes and working methods. All the building blocks are connected, and all are equally important. As an individual employee, you can make a difference by contributing to any of the building blocks.
You may be wondering whether you, as an individual civil servant, can really make a difference in the work on the 2030 Agenda. The answer is unequivocally YES, you can! Here are a few tips on what you can do in your workplace.
How well we manage to implement the 2030 Agenda in Sweden and achieve the Global Goals largely depends on how well various social partners cooperate. To achieve the goals effectively, government agencies and other stakeholders must coordinate their efforts.
Prerequisites for successful collaboration:
There are already established networks and forums for collaboration between authorities. Here are a few of them.
In the DG Forum, government agencies hold a strategic dialogue at the management level. At the same time, the DG Forum also creates opportunities for collaboration, cooperation and partnerships at the operational level.
The starting point for the DG Forum is a joint letter of intent, in which the government agencies undertake to work together to help implement the 2030 Agenda. The letter of intent also states that efforts towards the implementation will take place within the framework of their respective core missions by integrating the three dimensions of sustainability, that is, the social, economic and environmental dimensions.
Under the 2030 Agenda, Sweden, like other high-income countries, is to support developing countries in strengthening their public institutions (target 16.6). Today, more than 40 Swedish government agencies are actively pursuing this. They contribute unique competence in their specific fields, as well as administrative knowledge based on democratic principles. The goal is to strengthen institutions in developing countries to benefit people living in poverty. The agencies have a number of networks that help streamline cooperation in areas such as the legal and health sector, tax and statistical areas or land rights. At an annual Authority Forum, current efforts, trends and synergies are discussed.
The Social Sustainability Forum is a forum that contributes to developing society in a socially sustainable way. Through an exchange of knowledge and experience, the Social Sustainability Forum helps reduce health inequalities and meet people’s basic needs and rights.
The Social Sustainability Forum is managed jointly by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
The purpose of the County Administrative Board Network is to make it easier for individual county administrative boards to fulfil their mandate in the appropriation directions, and their role as regional main actor. Through the network, the county administrative boards aim to:
Statistics Sweden brings together and coordinates a network of authorities, ministries and other organisations responsible for the production, development and availability of the indicators in the national statistical follow-up of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Sweden.
The members of this network cooperate actively both to improve national monitoring and to report data and statistics from Sweden at a global level. Active coordination and collaboration produce significant efficiency gains. Having specially appointed contact persons for Agenda follow-up at government agencies and ministries has been a success factor.
We hope that you now have a better understanding of the 2030 Agenda, and how important you and your colleagues are for its implementation. You may even have ideas on how you can work towards the goals of the Agenda in your own role. Don’t underestimate your ability to make a difference! Trust in the power of community. As a final step, you now have a chance to test your knowledge.
Thank you for taking the time to go through this training. We hope you enjoyed it and that it will come to good use.
We hope that you now have a better grasp of the 2030 Agenda and what Sweden’s commitment means for you. You can learn more about the 2030 Agenda if you like. Below, we have collected links to the websites of various government agencies and organisations, as well as documents about the Agenda that we think may be of interest to you. Good luck!
This training has been developed in cooperation between eleven government agencies and two non-profit associations.
Feel free to contact:
Muhanad Sammar
Statistician at Statistics Sweden and project manager for this training.
muhanad.sammar@scb.se
Statistics Sweden is tasked with supplying users and customers with statistics for decision making, debate and research.
