Att Agenda 2030 is an important starting point for change towards a sustainable society, most people agree, which is clearly shown when the previous government appointed a delegation in order to support and stimulate the implementation of Agenda 2030. Sweden has emphasized several times that it wants to be a leading example both globally and nationally in the work for the Global Goals, this emerged again from Stefan Löfven during the government declaration on 21 January.
Katarina Sundberg, Secretary General of the Agenda 2030 delegation emphasized during FUF's seminar “Agenda 2030-how do we move forward?"That the Global Goals must be seen as a survival strategy. It has been 3,5 years since the goals were adopted and one may wonder how far have we really come in the national work to achieve the goals?
The task of the delegation is, among other things, to propose an overall action plan to the government for the continued work of implementing Agenda 2030. The delegation should not, as I agree, make proposals on specific issues on how to work with the various goals, but be driven and act as support to advance the work. If it has been decided that the government and the responsible ministries have the great responsibility when it comes to implementation at national level, it is also they who should make the final decisions and concretize the action plan. Despite a broad willingness to participate in implementation in government agencies, business and civil society, we do not yet see a concrete anchoring of Agenda 2030 in national work. The Riksdag also has a significant long-term role in fulfilling the goals by 2030. In various action plans presented by politicians, one can find proposals for reforms, but how well is it linked to Agenda 2030, that is where it is lacking. Without clear leadership and direction, it can be difficult for authorities, business and civil society to implement and fulfill their part in the work for Agenda 2030.
In today's globalized world, we see how national politics reflects the international discussion. Especially around issues such as sustainable consumption and the environment. These are two areas that have emerged where greater responsibility and demanding of responsibility is needed. We must see the difference between what is said and what is actually done. Sweden has set ambitious goals, but as it looks now, we have not established enough concrete measures to be able to achieve the goals. An example that was raised during the seminar was that of the 16 goals for environmental quality that exist, we reach 1 or 2 of the goals. It turns out that Sweden must be careful about how we express our leadership in Agenda 2030 when we do not have a concrete plan at the national level.
The 17 goals and the 169 sub-goals cover all areas of work and expenditure in the central government budget. This was pointed out by Sundberg and I agree with her that Agenda 2030 must become an integral part of everyday work and not a neglected project. The delegation will submit a final proposal to the government on 11 March and then complete their assignment. It will be exciting to see how the government will proceed with this.
This is a chronicle. The author is responsible for analysis and opinions in the text.
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