According to the Europe Sustainable Development Report (2021) published on Tuesday 14 December, Finland is at the top of the list when comparing progress on sustainable development in European countries. Earlier this year, Finland ranked first in a global comparison made using a narrower set of data. Finland is joined in the top three by Sweden and Denmark.

For the first time, Finland has been ranked number one in an international comparison of sustainable development. The esteemed ranking by the UN and the Bertelsmann Foundation is published annually, and Finland has also been in the top three in earlier years, together with Denmark and Sweden. The comparison assesses countries’ progress on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Chief Specialist Sami Pirkkala from the Prime Minister’s Office has been appointed Secretary General of the Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development. Sami Pirkkala has worked on the General Secretariat on Sustainable Development since 2017, first at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and then at the Prime Minister’s Office.