Photo: Vaida Ražaitytė, Nordregio
Faroe Islands
Overview and targets
The 2030 Agenda and other international agreements on sustainable development form an integral part of Faroe Islands’ national and international policies. Among the priority areas, safeguarding the marine environment and utilising its resources are top of the Faroese sustainability agenda.
In the context of UN reporting, the Faroe Islands are covered by Denmark as part of bilateral treaty agreements.
Governance and multilevel coordination
The Faroese government, Føroya Landsstýri, has the overarching responsibility for Agenda 2030 implementation, and the Prime Minister’s Office is responsible for co-ordinating national work on sustainable development. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Culture is responsible for co-operation on international development. The parliament is involved through the normal political processes around legislative proposals and budget allocations, as well as in monitoring and evaluation. The Faroe Islands also participates in the Arctic Circle Assembly, the largest network of international dialogue and co-operation on the future of the Arctic, and is a member of the Arctic Council, which coordinates regional sustainability and environmental collaboration.
National implementation of the 2030 Agenda
The Faroe Islands’ implementation of the 2030 Agenda is integrated in the ordinary political processes and policy areas. More recently, data has been compiled to measure progress on 2030 Agenda implementation. It is important for the Faroe Islands to build on already existing capacities in order to address the challenges related to the remote location of the region, its vulnerability to climate change, and its high level of dependency on the sea and marine resources.
Several inter-sectoral sustainability issues have also been identified as part of national policy. These include the provision of high-quality education, health issues, sustainable use of marine resources, sustainable energy systems, and other related issues that are especially critical for small island communities. The Faroe Islands also reports to the global Destination Sustainability Movement which provides an
SDG implementation score based on performance in waste management and the number of sustainability certifications issued.
In 2019, Visit Faroe Islands presented a new sustainable tourism development strategy called
Join the Preservolution. The Faroe Islands have also previously participated in the UN’s High-Level Dialogue Series,
SDG in the Arctic.
Regional and local level implementation
The Faroe Islands are divided into 30 municipalities with a population of ca. 51,000 people. The population is scattered across 17 of the islands, although 40% live in the capital, Tórshavn.
Active participation in all aspects of local community life is an important feature of life in the Faroe Islands which contributes to social cohesion. The Faroe Islands have a highly developed infrastructure that has leveraged sustainable transitions locally; telecommunications and high-speed internet coupled with a comprehensive road network with tunnel and ferry connections all provide an important foundation for maintaining the economic, social and cultural viability of communities all over the country.
Engagement of civil society and stakeholders
In 2021, twelve Faroese businesses entered an agreement to prioritise sustainability for a period of three years. The initiative is called “
Burðardygt Vinnulív” (also referred to as the Faroese Sustainable Business Initiative), and aims to advance sustainable business practice and contribute towards climate action, ocean health and biodiversity mitigation specifically, and the SDGs in general.
Visit Faroe Islands has a
sustainability policy and guidelines on public procurement. These include a target of 70% of companies involved in the tourism industry having sustainability policies by 2025, and 90% by 2030.