Expert Panel on Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is fundamental to all decision-making in society. However, we often lack the ability to apply it to our everyday life and grasp the opportunities it provides. The expert panel started its work hosted by Sitra to help make the voice of science better heard.

Discussion

Is sustainable economy a murky taboo?

archived

Can an economy be sustainable?

Phenomenon

We need a broader discussion of work

LATEST

Don’t miss these!

news

Finnish politics must support a future that the planet can accommodate

news

The Expert Panel for Sustainable Development gets a new home

publications

A future the planet can accommodate

Guest writer

Social sustainability as part of the sustainable development goals

Collection

Evaluation is investment in development

archived

Is the future yesterday, today or in 2030?

publications

Impact pathways and shared evaluation as drivers of change

archived

What does social sustainability look like?

archived

Do decision-makers feel that scientific evidence is unnecessary?

Phenomenon

We need a broader discussion of work

Discussion

Is sustainable economy a murky taboo?

archived

Can an economy be sustainable?

publications

Sustainable economy – a blurry taboo?

archived

Experiments as producers of societal data

archived

How are carbon neutrality and equality linked?

publications

Five spearheads for sustainable development

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Solutions that respect the ecological boundaries while also providing economically and socially sustainable solutions are important in sustainable development. Neither society nor the economy can function in a polluted environment.

Positive results have been achieved when support from expert panels has been used in political decision-making, in Germany for example. An expert panel consisting of prominent names can even raise its voice, if necessary. The Expert Panel on Sustainable Development was hosted by Sitra from 2013 to 2018 and continues its work under the supervision of Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The panel supports and challenges the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. It puts sustainable development into practice and brings the scientific viewpoints on sustainable development to the discussions in society.

What did we do?

The Expert Panel on Sustainable Development was founded in December 2013 to bring scientific points of view to Finnish politics. Its’ task was to allow the voices of academic and internationally renowned experts to be better heard.

The panel contributed to the public discourse and supports the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. Its task is to prepare, challenge and evaluate the commission’s work and promote sustainable development in Finland. The panel could hold a round-table discussion on any topic related to sustainability. It convened about six times a year.

Who participated?

The members of the panel were:

Sitra’s co-ordination of the expert panel was led by Eeva Hellström.

What have we achieved?

Sustainable development is decisions and action. This is also the basic premise of The Finland we want by 2050 – Society’s commitment to sustainable development that creates a long-term framework for sustainable development in Finland. Commitment 2050 is a Finnish social innovation that has attracted a lot of attention both in Finland and abroad.

In the beginning of 2016, the expert panel organised a workshop for the newly appointed Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development to update the Commitment 2050. The workshop also aimed at providing an example on how the commission could update its working methods through co-creation and dialogue.

The panel has also supported the commission to plan the implementation of the UN’s Agenda 2030, published in September 2015. In October 2016, our panel provided the Finnish Government with five focus areas as spearheads for the implementation of Agenda 2030. The focus areas are based on the decoupling of economic growth from environmental hazards and perceived well-being. The Government published its implementation plan in January 2017.

The panel has also conducted an active dialogue with other sustainable development panels and organised, for example, an international seminar together with the parliament’s Committee for the Future in summer 2016.

In autumn 2016, we investigated how different countries organise scientific support for their sustainable development policy. According to the report compiled by Roope Kaaronen, the model used in Finland is a combination of many models and one of its strengths is that it provides independent support for political decision-makers.

What next?

The Expert Panel on Sustainable Development lives on, and from January 2019 it is hosted by Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). The panel continues to support and challenge the commission’s work and take part in public discussion. It looks for more efficient ways to bring scientific research even closer to decision-making in society.

TOPICS

What else is this linked to?

Ilmastonmuutos on ihmisen toiminnan seuraus.
topics

Climate change

Text: Megatrends 2023
topics

Megatrends

topics

Sustainable everyday life

topics

Resource wisdom

topics

Carbon-neutral industry

CONTACT US

people
Eeva Hellström
Senior Lead, Tomorrow’s economy
people
Pinja Parkkonen
Specialist, Foresight and Strategy
people
Tuula Sjöstedt
Specialist, Communications and Public Affairs
people
Eeva Furman
people
Eva Heiskanen
people
Heikki Hiilamo
people
Tuuli Hirvilammi
people
Janne Hukkinen
people
Jaakko Kiander
CFO, Ilmarinen
people
Anne Birgitta Pessi
people
Juho Saari

What's this about?