Federal Council adopts Switzerland's country report on implementation of the 2030 Agenda

Bern, 20.06.2018 - At its meeting on 20 June 2018, the Federal Council adopted Switzerland's country report on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report shows that Switzerland has already firmly established the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in its policies, although challenges still remain. Switzerland's country report will be presented at the UN in New York in July 2018.

The baseline assessment which was carried out in 2017 shows that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are already well established in Swiss legislation and important sectoral policies. Switzerland has already made excellent progress. It leads global rankings in areas such as protection against natural hazards, social cohesion, quality of life and a sustainable economy.

The standard of living in Switzerland is high and extreme poverty does not exist. Unemployment is low. In many areas, Switzerland has established approaches that balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the agricultural sector, for example, which makes a significant contribution to the reliable provision of food for the population, conserves natural resources, maintains the countryside and plays a role in the decentralised settlement of the country; or the 2050 Energy Strategy, which aims to ensure a sufficient, broad-based, reliable, economical and clean energy supply.

There are also challenges to be addressed, however, in order to make consumption and the production of goods more sustainable. For example, Switzerland’s resource consumption – when extrapolated to the world’s population – significantly exceeds the planet’s carrying capacity. One of the challenges facing Switzerland is to reduce the negative impact of domestic consumption on people and the environment in other countries. Another challenge is the achievement of equal pay for equal work between men and women.

Switzerland also contributes to the achievement of the SDGs at the international level through its foreign policy, including international cooperation, foreign economic policy and sectoral foreign policy. It is in Switzerland's interests to contribute to the financing of sustainable development – through its official development assistance, but increasingly through strategic partnerships and the mobilisation of private resources for sustainable development.

The 2030 Agenda has been in effect since January 2016 and calls on all UN member states to contribute to the achievement of the 17 SDGs.

The Federal Council based the country report on a baseline assessment, which entailed an analysis of the federal government's domestic and foreign policy activities and an assessment of the extent to which the SDGs have been achieved. Contributions from the cantons and communes as well as stakeholders from business, civil society and academia were also included. The Federal Council drew up the country report based on this assessment which is also one of the elements in shaping public opinion. Switzerland will present its report at the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2018.

Switzerland will continue to implement the 2030 Agenda within its current sectoral policies on the basis of the existing priorities for the legislative period. It will do so in close cooperation with the cantons, business, civil society and academia.


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