Eeva Furman appointed Secretary-General of the National Commission on Sustainable Development

Professor Eeva Furman has been appointed Secretary-General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. Furman took up her post in mid-August. She previously worked as Director of the Environmental Policy Centre at the Finnish Environment Institute and has also served as Chair of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Development.

Former Secretary-General of the National Commission on Sustainable Development Sami Pirkkala returned to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs after a five-year leave of absence.

Taru Savolainen took up her post as Deputy Secretary-General of the commission at the beginning of September. Savolainen has previously worked for the Finnish Department of Amnesty International, the Ministry of the Environment and the Crisis Management Initiative. Fixed-term Deputy Secretary-General Mari Mäki will continue at the Government Strategy Department of the Prime Minister’s Office until the end of the year.

The National Commission on Sustainable Development is an influential forum that brings together Finnish society. It has been working continuously since 1993. The commission is chaired by Prime Minister Sanna Marin, with Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen and Minister of Finance Annika Saarikko serving as vice-chairs.

“I have many ideas for my work on the commission, but I can't help but feel humbled in the face of all the expertise here. We are looking for pathways forward on a variety of jointly identified themes, including ‘Education, skills and sustainable lifestyles’ and ‘A food system that promotes wellbeing’. In this work, we are aiming towards a common vision for the future where people can prosper while also taking natural systems into account,” says Furman.

The main task of the commission is to speed up the implementation of the Global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to link it to Finland’s work on sustainable development at the national level. The aim is to make sustainable development an integral part of decision-making and policy-making. The commission also monitors and assesses the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Finland.

The next step in the commission’s practical work will be implementing the new strategy it adopted last spring. The strategy identifies six areas of change where the members of the commission will work together and with their own networks to bring about systemic reform with a view to building a prosperous and globally responsible Finland that safeguards the carrying capacity of nature.

The members of the commission represent a broad spectrum of sectors and stakeholders in Finnish society. Participants in its activities include representatives from ministries, Parliament, the Finnish Sámi Parliament, the Åland Regional Government, municipalities and regions, other public administration bodies, the business sector, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and science and research institutes. 

Inquiries: Eeva Furman, Chief Specialist, Secretary-General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, tel. +358 50 441 9273 and Taru Savolainen, Chief Specialist, Deputy Secretary-General, tel. +358 40 535 8622, Prime Minister’s Office