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The Nordic Region will be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.
This is the core of the vision adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic prime ministers in August 2019.
COVID-19 poses new challenges for the Nordic Region and for the world as a whole and is included as an important element in all areas. Here, Nordic co-operation has an important role to play in ensuring an environmentally and socially sustainable economic recovery, as well as in advancing the transition towards a green economy and facilitating the more effective sharing of experiences in the field of community preparedness.
In order to realise this vision, over the next four years three strategic areas are being given priority in the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers: a green Nordic Region, a competitive Nordic Region, and a socially sustainable Nordic Region.
The Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 show the way in this regard, and the Nordic Region must work even more ambitiously and quickly than the rest of the world.
To succeed in these efforts, all of the individual councils of ministers and Nordic institutions as well as the Nordic Council have been involved in providing concrete proposals for projects and priority areas. The Nordic Region’s civil society and businesses have been consulted to a greater extent than ever before.
The outcome of these efforts is this action plan for the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers over the next four years, based on the 12 objectives linked to the strategic priority areas. The plan states what should be achieved through Nordic co-operation by the year 2024, and how the Nordic Council of Ministers will contribute to achieving this by:
The objective is an ambitious one. So as not to lose focus, efforts will be continuously monitored using indicators that signal how the Nordic Region as a whole is developing towards becoming the most sustainable and integrated region in the world, the broader impact of the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the results of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ individual measures.
There will be active co-operation with civil society and the business sector throughout the implementation of this action plan, both in the form of a network for building up involvement and through regular public consultations.
The action plan will also involve the strengthening of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ efforts relating to sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and young-people’s perspective. Our international involvement in sustainability solutions and the values we share with Northwest Russia, the Arctic, the Baltic countries, our western neighbours, and the world at large are becoming more goal-oriented.
The Nordic Council of Ministers will conduct a mid-term evaluation of efforts relating to our vision in 2022 in connection with the first status report to the Nordic prime ministers. Thereafter, the plan is that the Nordic Council of Ministers will produce a final report on work relating to the vision in 2024.
By 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
The strategic priority area A green Nordic Region is linked primarily to the following sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030. In addition, the strategic objective is linked to the objectives of the Paris Agreement for combatting climate change.
Climate change is one of humanity’s biggest challenges. Co-operation is required and political priorities need to be identified if the world is to succeed in halting global warming in accordance with what the countries have agreed in the Paris Agreement. The Nordic prime ministers have adopted a Nordic declaration on carbon neutrality, which states that the Nordic countries must strive to achieve carbon neutrality nationally and internationally. Nordic leadership is central to the green recovery that needs to be implemented in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nordic co-operation will now have an even more powerful role in supporting the Nordic countries’ efforts to combat climate change. This means increased resources for expanding Nordic co-operation in this area over the coming years.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Biodiversity is a prerequisite for all life on our planet. Functional ecosystems safeguard crops, the pollination of plants, and food from land and sea, and contribute to a stable climate. This is essential for our welfare and economic growth. Nordic co-operation is now upping its efforts to ensure robust ecosystems.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
A more circular and bio-based economy is crucial if the Nordic Region is to undertake a green transition, achieve climate goals, and ensure biodiversity. The Nordic Region will be an economy with ample potential for material reuse, the recycling of products, and the sustainable production of biomass. Co-operation will help the Nordic Region to make considerable progress towards closing cycles and making them non-toxic and resource-efficient. In this way we can cap costs, create new business opportunities, and build a sustainable future.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
The Nordic Region has one of the largest ecological footprints in the world. Unsustainable consumption habits in the Nordic countries pose a major shared challenge. Nordic co-operation will work to make it easier for those living in the Nordic Region to have sustainable lifestyles that are healthy and environmentally and climate- friendly.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Current environmental and climate challenges are largely cross-border and cannot be overcome nationally or regionally. They require international co-operation and global partnerships. By disseminating Nordic solutions and promoting international environmental and climate diplomacy, Nordic co-operation on the environment and climate can make a powerful contribution to the Paris Agreement on climate change and Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and international environmental and climate policy.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
By 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
The strategic priority area A competitive Nordic Region is linked primarily to the following sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030. In addition, the strategic objective is linked to the Nordic objective of achieving freedom of movement.
The Nordic Region is a leader in knowledge and innovation. However, ongoing development is required to ensure the green and digital transition. The focus of Nordic co-operation is on strengthening education and research, promoting digitalisation, and supporting the business community.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Our labour market is seeing constant and rapid change. New requirements are arising in tandem with the green transition and digital developments. Nordic co-operation will pursue ventures for lifelong learning in response to these challenges.
Freedom of movement for people and businesses in the Nordic Region will be promoted by creating conditions for increased growth and mobility. The Nordic labour market model will play a key role in these efforts.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Education and digitalisation are key tools in the integration of the Nordic countries. Education has long contributed to mobility in the Nordic Region and helps to improve our understanding and knowledge of one another. Digitalisation is opening up new opportunities for strengthening links between the countries and helping to further improve mobility in the region.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
By 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
The strategic priority area A socially sustainable Nordic Region is linked primarily to the following sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030.
Good health and welfare are fundamental to people’s ability to reach their full potential and contribute to the development of society. The Nordic welfare model, with its equal access for all to health and welfare services, is facing a number of challenges. It therefore needs to be safeguarded and adapted. Through the sharing of knowledge and experiences, Nordic co-operation helps to promote solutions that work. This applies especially to vulnerable groups. Priority is given to preventative early measures that create the conditions for good physical and mental health.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
An equal society is based on the principle of everyone’s equal rights and opportunities, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or any other difference. Equality is a prerequisite for an inclusive transformation of society. Nordic co-operation will work towards a society where no one is excluded from developments to achieve sustainability.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Residents of the Nordic Region must perceive Nordic co-operation as being for them and as being beneficial. Language and culture initiatives are important tools for creating an integrated region and a cultural community. Children and young people are priority groups because improving the well-being of children and young people and their ability to exercise their rights and be heard is a prerequisite of achieving our vision. Nordic co- operation will strengthen co-operation with civil society and plan and implement more projects in co-operation with children and young people.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Shared Nordic values and culture support democracy, trust, and thus the cohesion of the Nordic Region.
In the period 2021 to 2024, the Nordic Council of Ministers will:
Emphasis on concrete results
The Nordic Council of Ministers will actively follow up its efforts relating to our vision for 2030 to ensure that changes happen and that momentum is maintained. Follow-ups will involve the monitoring and evaluation of the progress of the Nordic Region towards being the most sustainable and integrated region in the world, the impact of the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers on the development of the Nordic Region, and the outcomes of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ individual ventures on the overall results.
The Nordic Council of Ministers will conduct a mid- term evaluation of efforts relating to our vision in 2022 in connection with the first status report to the Nordic prime ministers. Thereafter, the plan is that the Nordic Council of Ministers will produce a final report on work relating to the vision in 2024.
Strengthened efforts relating to sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and young people’s perspective Sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and young people’s perspective are overarching areas that are important for the Nordic Council of Ministers’ work as a whole. Everyone who works in or on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers, regardless of their policy area, has a responsibility to take these into account in the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers. By strengthening our efforts in this regard, we ensure that the work of the Nordic Council of Ministers is sustainable, equal, inclusive, representative, and accessible, which is a prerequisite for realising our vision.
Increased involvement of civil society
The Nordic Council of Ministers will work to involve civil society in efforts relating to our vision for 2030. This will be achieved by way of a new model for involving civil society, consisting of a Nordic civil society network and public consultations.
The purpose of these efforts is to contribute to the involvement of Nordic civil society in Nordic co-operation and efforts relating to our vision for 2030.
PolitikNord: 2020:728
ISBN 978-92-893-6827-8 (PDF)
ISBN 978-92-893-6828-5 (ONLINE)
http://doi.org/10.6027/politiknord2020-728
© Nordic Council of Ministers 2020 Layout: Mette Agger Tang
Nordic co-operation is one of the world’s most extensive forms of regional collaboration, involving Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.
Nordic co-operation has firm traditions in politics, the economy, and culture. It plays an important role in European and international collaboration, and aims at creating a strong Nordic community in a strong Europe.
Nordic co-operation seeks to safeguard Nordic and regional interests and principles in the global community. Shared Nordic values help the region solidify its position as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive.
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