Nordic VSR results at a glance

Highlights from the surveys to Nordic municipalities:

• A large majority of responding municipalities in the Nordic countries (from 98% in Norway to around 64% in Finland and Iceland) are working towards localising the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. There are differences in implementation approaches: while approximately 10% of municipalities in the Nordic survey identify as pioneers, between 36% (Iceland and Finland) and 2% (Norway) are not working actively with the SDGs at all.   
• A majority of responding municipalities that have integrated the 2030 Agenda and SDGs have done so in a holistic manner, focusing on all sustainability dimensions, from the economic to the social and environmental.
• A number of responding municipalities have also integrated the 2030 Agenda into several aspects of governance and administration, for instance embedding SDGs into core documents such as the local strategy and vision (from 93% in Finland to 35% in Iceland), local planning systems (from 86% in Norway to 34% in Finland), local budgets (from 79% In Sweden to 16% in Iceland) and procurement guidelines (from 45% in Finland to 23% in Iceland).
• While all SDGs are acknowledged as important, some municipalities prioritise individual SDGs in their work, with SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (Climate action) among the most important for local authorities.

• A number of key success factors were mentioned concerning local implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including incorporation of the 2030 Agenda into municipal management processes (‘anchoring’), capacity to work with the global goals, political prioritisation of this work, and translating the global goals to the local context.
• Lack of resource capacity, including designated personnel for coordinating SDG implementation, can be an obstacle to a municipality's ability to integrate sustainability initiatives into local governance frameworks (from 77% of municipalities in Finland to 71% in Sweden mentioned this as a serious or very serious obstacle). Additional obstacles to local work with the 2030 Agenda include lack of state support and political prioritisation, as well as lack of access to methods and tools.
• Other exogenous factors, such as financial constraints caused by rising inflation and high energy prices, may lead to de-prioritisation of the 2030 Agenda, as immediate financial challenges demand attention and resources. From 68% of responding municipalities in Norway to 38% in Iceland view this as a considerable to high risk.
• When it comes to partnerships to reach the global goals, Nordic municipalities’ primary collaboration partners are other municipalities or regional/county councils. Finland and Iceland also put universities/research institutes and private businesses on their top lists, while Norway and Sweden chose civil society actors. In Denmark, businesses and civil society organisations are the most common collaboration partners – and only 7% of municipalities say they don’t work in partnerships to achieve the SDGs.
• There is significant variation in how Nordic municipalities measure their progress towards the SDGs. While approximately 68% of municipalities in both Finland and Sweden report that they measure progress, this figure is considerably lower in the other Nordic countries: 45% in Norway, 38% in Denmark and just 18% in Iceland.

Highlights from the interviews about policies and enabling environment

• Strong local self-governance model: autonomy and broad service delivery.
• High degree of trust and open dialogue between local and national authorities.
• LRGAs take a proactive role in facilitating SDG capacity-building and advocating for local needs.
• Municipalities were early adopters of sustainability goals and climate targets. An increasing focus on climate neutrality benefits SDG work provided that local climate action plans are based on SDGs and take a holistic approach.
• Collaborative culture and tradition of volunteer work: thriving Civil Society Organisation (CSO) sector and legal requirement to have youth councils in several countries; Prevalent Public-Private Partnerships; integration of SDGs and innovation in procurement guidelines.
• ‘Copying with pride’: Frontrunner municipalities like to compare measures and collaborate.
• Development and use of local SDG indicators and reliable data collection in some countries.
• Important role played by VSRs in facilitating reporting, action and dialogue with the national level.
• Participation in international organisations is viewed as important for enhancing local sustainability efforts. This global and ‘glocal’ (global and local) cooperation offers substantial benefits to municipalities and regions, contributing to policy discussions and global best practice learnings.

• Decline in use of SDGs as a holistic framework. Signs of SDG fatigue at different levels of governance.
• Weaker government support to the 2030 Agenda in some countries. Shift in political prioritisation has led to budget reductions and discontinued measures/programs.
• Lack of faith among youth regarding politicians’ ability to solve societal problems.
• Rising economic inequalities can threaten social cohesion.
• Lack of human resources, capacity and indicators hinders many municipalities.

• Effectively achieving the 2030 Agenda and advancing sustainability requires a long-term approach, which can be hindered by recurring political shifts. To mitigate these challenges, the 2030 Agenda should be viewed less as a political agenda, and more as a beneficial tool for local development.

• Implement principles for meaningful participation in all youth inclusion measures.
• Establish local youth councils and youth groups in collaboration with local schools.
• Utilise social media and digital platforms to reach youth beyond youth council members.
• Focus on all SDGs in educational programmes and school curricula, not just on climate issues.

• A framework and structure, including clear aims and objectives, need to be in place to enable meaningful collaboration.
• Municipalities should develop cooperation forms in close dialogue with civil society.
• To ensure that civil society’s expertise and resources are utilised effectively, the collaboration needs to be anchored with and welcomed by local decision-makers.
• Civil society includes a variety of organisations with different perspectives, preconditions, and competencies. Municipalities that want to embrace this diversity of collaboration partners need to allocate enough funds towards this end.