2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Federal Council decides measures to allow Switzerland to implement agenda

Bern, Press releases, 18.12.2015

In September 2015 the 193 member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which Switzerland also recognises. Today the Federal Council has initiated the preparatory work needed for Switzerland to actively work towards implementing these objectives.

At the UN Summit in New York from 25 to 27 September 2015, the heads of state and government of the UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Switzerland recognises the agenda as a new universal framework in its efforts to promote human prosperity and sustainable economic development and protect the environment both at home and around the world. It will do this through its international cooperation activities and the Federal Council's Sustainable Development Strategy.

The Federal Council today set out the first steps towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda.  It settled on measures necessary for Switzerland to participate actively in international efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and measure and monitor the progress made in achieving them. Switzerland will draw up a country report for the United Nations by 2018 to show the status of its implementation of the goals. Over the course of the next two years, the Federal Administration will determine the areas in which Switzerland will take action and prepare a report on how the country intends to achieve the 17 universal goals. The Federal Council has tasked the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) to coordinate this work in collaboration with all of the federal agencies involved.

Over the next 15 years, sustainable development efforts worldwide will focus on the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals. These incorporate the Millennium Development Goals and the Rio agenda in a common framework of objectives. The agenda adopted by the 193 UN member states in September 2015 is universal, meaning that it will apply to all countries from 2016. Following three years of intense negotiation to which Switzerland was able to contribute a great deal (see press release of 25.9.2015), concrete implementation of the 2030 Agenda will begin both internationally and in Switzerland from 2016.


Further information:

2030 Agenda for sustainable development
Press release of 25.09.2015


Address for enquiries:

FDFA Information
Tel.: +41 (0)58 462 31 53
info@eda.admin.ch


Publisher:

The Federal Council
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs