The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the reference framework that the international community has set itself to tackle major global challenges. All UN Member States have made a political commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda and its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national and international level.

In its 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy the Federal Council sets out the guiding principles of its sustainable development policy. The strategy is now framed over a ten-year period instead of four, as was previously the case. In so doing, the Federal Council is establishing sustainable development as an important requirement for all areas of federal government policy. The strategy defines priorities in those policy areas in which there is a particular need for action and coordination between policy areas at federal level to implement the 2030 Agenda. For this reason, the Federal Council has identified the three topics of 'sustainable consumption and production', 'climate, energy, biodiversity' and 'equal opportunities' as priority issues, and has set goals for the period up to 2030, as well as strategic domestic and foreign policy guidelines for federal government policy. For example, the Federal Council aims to halve per capita food waste by 2030 and reduce the proportion of the population in Switzerland living below the national poverty line.

The strategy also sets out how business, the financial market and the education, research and innovation sectors can drive forward sustainable development and the framework conditions that are needed to do so.

Once the consultation process has been completed, the Federal Council will also adopt an action plan to complement the strategy specifying objectives and strategic guidelines for the period 2021-2023. The consultation runs until 18 February 2021.

Federal Council opens consultation process on 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy