Declaration of commitment from the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation regarding the implementation of Agenda 2030 in the Nordic Region

We the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland:

1. Stress that the international community has a shared responsibility to actively and candidly work towards the realisation of the sustainable development goals. Time is in short supply – the nations of the world must act quickly to take decisive steps towards a sustainable future that offers a good quality of life for current and future generations. Success requires co-operation.
2. Recognise that the Nordic Council of Ministers’ activities are already making a significant contribution to the realisation of Agenda 2030, and that the current Nordic sustainability strategy A Good Life in a Sustainable Nordic Region coincides with Agenda 2030. 
3. Are launching the Generation 2030 programme to underpin and accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2030 within Nordic co-operation. The programme shall help to promote knowledge sharing and co-operation between the Nordic countries in relation to Agenda 2030 as a whole, and especially in those areas where the countries face their biggest challenges. Furthermore, the programme shall build on the extensive existing efforts of the Nordic Council of Ministers with regard to sustainable development.
4. Confirm our commitment to the integration of sustainability into the Nordic Council of Ministers’ activities as adopted in the strategy A Good Life in a Sustainable Nordic Region.
5. Emphasise that Generation 2030 facilitates the creation of Nordic added value and synergies with existing initiatives and projects within the Nordic Council of Ministers, in particular the prime ministerial initiative Nordic Solutions to Global Challenges.
6. Stress that children and young people, as agents of change, play a crucial role in the implementation of Agenda 2030, and that emphasis is placed on active efforts to ensure a sustainable future for today’s children and young people, thereby making them an especially important target group and participant in Nordic efforts relating to Agenda 2030.