The Federal Council has set out its main policy focus areas for sustainable development in its "Sustainable Development Strategy 2012-2015", adopted as part of the Swiss government's regular legislative planning cycle. It represents an important contribution on the part of Switzerland to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development ("Rio+20"), which was held in Brazil in June 2012.

The current strategy - the fourth of its kind since 1997 - centres around a renewed Action Plan. This features a range of measures that are grouped according to the ten key challenges facing sustainable development in Switzerland. The Strategy reviews the implementation of sustainable development policy over the past 20 years and, in the interests of continuity, picks up on the Guidelines defined in the previous version.

With a view to achieving the goals defined in the Strategy, this latest version also outlines horizontal (cross-sectoral) measures such as sustainability monitoring, sustainability assessments, the promotion of local sustainability processes and projects, and closer collaboration with other stakeholder groups. Finally, the strategy sets out the institutional framework for strategy implementation.