New report on sustainable development in Vantaa

The newly published report Sustainable Vantaa Belongs to Everyone – Vantaa’s Sustainability Reporting 2023 is the second voluntary local review (VLR) describing how Vantaa is promoting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In 2015, the UN agreed on a global action plan for sustainable development, the 2030 Agenda. The aim of the 2030 Agenda is to eradicate extreme poverty and promote sustainable development in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. The 2030 Agenda contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a total of 169 targets. The SDGs are to be achieved jointly by all countries by 2030. The goals are linked to each other in intricate ways. One SDG cannot be promoted without also considering the impact of the measures on the other SDGs, as the effects may be contradictory or negative.

Cities are very important actors in sustainable development and, due to their nature, most of the SDGs are most strongly affected at the local or municipal level. That is why New York was the first city to publish a voluntary local review in 2018 and challenged other cities to do their part. Vantaa answered this call for the first time in 2021 and, in the same year, the city’s management group decided that the review would be published every two years from then on.

Municipalities advance the sustainable development goals

Many cities, including Vantaa, want to be frontrunners in sustainable development. Cities have also often defined more ambitious targets than national governments. For example, Vantaa strives to be carbon neutral in 2030, whereas the national target is 2035.

Advancing the sustainable development goals is embedded in the core work of municipalities, such as organizing education and looking after the wellbeing of the inhabitants, and thereby it affects all inhabitants. Above and beyond its core tasks, Vantaa is constantly developing new ways to tackle complex challenges, in cooperation with different stakeholders. The new report includes many concrete examples of this development work, and some of them will be dealt with more in depth during the year 2023, as part of Vantaa’s sustainability communications.

First permanent sustainability specialist to develop cross-departmental sustainability work

Although Vantaa is constantly working towards the sustainable development goals, this work has not always been made visible and there has not been no systematic coordination. Luckily, this issue has now been addressed and Lotta Alajoki has been selected as the first sustainability specialist on a permanent basis. “It is great to be able to coordinate and develop this important work to which Vantaa is committed,” Lotta Alajoki comments, and continues: “As I was compiling the sustainability review, I learned a lot about the work that Vantaa does to promote the SDGs. We just have not always used sustainable development terms to describe it. A wider and more holistic viewpoint through the 2030 Agenda lens helps us recognize what we already do well and where we have room for improvement.”

In a city the size of Vantaa, a long-term and cross-departmental approach is very important when it comes to promoting sustainability. Alajoki hopes that through her work she can create links between different points of view and different activities. These links are needed when tackling complex problems. “It is inspiring to think about how we can advance our work on sustainability in such a way that involves everyone in the city, including the inhabitants. Such an inclusive approach is crucial to reach the SDGs. No one can do it alone, and the city has an important role to play as an example, a facilitator, and a partner for others,” Alajoki concludes.

Read more about the sustainability work in Vantaa and the voluntary local review here: https://www.vantaa.fi/en/city-and-decision-making/vastuullisuus/vlr2023

You can reach sustainability specialist Lotta Alajoki at 043 827 2239 or lotta.alajoki@vantaa.fi