The 2030 Agenda: a challenge for Switzerland

Transcription

1 Switzerland has committed itself to contributing to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It now needs an implementation plan. Hugo Fasel, Director of Caritas Switzerland Caritas Position Paper The 2030 Agenda: a challenge for Switzerland

2 The road to the 2030 Agenda: Challenges of our time In brief: Switzerland is committed to sustainable development. It has given its backing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September In doing so, it has an obligation to implement the associated Sustainable Development Goals domestically and to contribute to achieving the goals in developing countries. The 2030 Agenda tackles the great global challenges and crises and aims to build a sustainable world. For Switzerland, this YES to the 2030 Agenda means first and foremost policy coherence: It has committed itself to shaping its political action coherently in favour of poverty eradication and dignified living conditions for all, peace and social justice as well as the sustainable management of natural resources. This applies, on the one hand, to its international relations: In all policy areas that impact on conditions in the developing countries, it must strive towards social justice, the reduction of inequality and inclusive and sustainable economic growth. On the other hand, Switzerland commits itself, through the 2030 Agenda, to a domestic policy that aims to overcome poverty and social inequality in its own society and to manage its natural resources responsibly. This Position Paper focuses on the significance of the 2030 Agenda in terms of domestic policies and shows, by looking at individual policy areas, what the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals means in practice. At the same time, Caritas Switzerland calls on the government and administration to create the financial, political, structural and institutional conditions for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the interest of sustainable development. On 25 September 2015, the international community adopted the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Transforming our world at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The centrepiece of the Agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which the countries aim to achieve by These goals form the political framework for managing the global challenges at the national and international level and chart the way towards a sustainable world. The 2030 Agenda is the result of an intensive negotiating process in which Switzerland played an active part. More than three years before their adoption, in June 2012, the international community had started this process in Rio de Janeiro at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20. The aim of the conference was to give new impetus to the concept of sustainable development, defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept was brought to the political stage in 1992, also in Rio, at the so-called Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development), but subsequently met only with a lukewarm response from national governments. Aware of the numerous global challenges, the Rio+20 Conference intended to revitalise the political commitment in favour of sustainable development and identify and tackle new and emerging challenges. The aim was to integrate the three pillars of sustainability economic development, social responsibility and environmental protection in one set of goals. It was decided to elaborate global sustainable development goals by At the same time, it started the international discussion about what should follow the Millennium Development Goals after their expiry in Both processes were brought together in one single programme which aims to work towards a post-2015 sustainable world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rio+20 had been convened because time was running out: The unresolved global political and structural issues had reached such a level of threat that the international community felt impelled to act. Initially, the industrialised countries wanted to make the need for a green economy the central theme of the conference. However, it quickly became clear during the preparatory work that both the developing countries and international civil society would not accept 2

3 this narrow focus. Consequently, the outcome document of the conference ( The future we want ) addressed the whole range of the most urgent challenges, in particular hunger and poverty, unemployment, precarious forms of employment, climate change and its impacts, environmental degradation, growing inequality within and among countries, demographic trends, abuse of human rights and human dignity, violent conflicts as well as migration due to poverty, climate change and forced migration. Each of the cited challenges requires special strategies and action plans which are being developed in global conferences, for example on climate, education, work, health or urbanisation. The 2030 Agenda provides the overall framework and sets out the common path. All themes are closely interlinked and the specific strategies and action plans have to be aligned with the SDG in order to avoid conflicting goals. Only a commitment to global governance, such as expressed in the 2030 Agenda, can lead to an inclusive global society. The 2030 Agenda The 2030 Agenda is a plan of action for people, the planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. It recognises that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development (from its Preamble). The Agenda comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 targets which stipulate action in all areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet : The Agenda aims, at a global level to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings have access to education and health care and can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment; to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations; to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological process occurs in harmony with nature; to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence as there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development; to mobilise the means required to implement the Agenda through a revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders and all people. The 2030 Agenda with its 17 Goals (SDG) is the result of an intensive negotiating process in which industrial, emerging and developing countries were able to agree, despite some fundamental controversies, on a common framework for sustainable development. Two points will be vital for the successful implementation of the SDG in the coming years: Universal applicability: The Agenda places an obligation on all countries. Each UN Member State must contribute its share to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, both at the national and international level. The industrialised countries, too, must review their national policy with regard to its sustainability and gradually eliminate deficits. At the same time, they have particular duties and responsibilities in their international policy areas, given that the global disparity of wealth and resource consumption means that the achievement of the SDG will depend first and foremost on the industrialised countries. Policy coherence: The Agenda can only succeed if all countries align their various policy areas to the achievement of sustainable development. This requirement of coherence applies both for domestic as well as international policies. In terms of domestic policy this means for Switzerland, among other things, that action taken in the areas of national policy must not lead to an aggravation of poverty and social inequality, or to an increased waste of resources. Internationally, coherence means heeding the imperative to reduce global inequality among countries and applies to all policy areas that have a direct or indirect impact on conditions in the developing countries. 3

4 The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Social responsibility Economic efficiency 2030 Agenda Sustainable development Environmental compatibility Political participation 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere. 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation. 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries. 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production pattern. 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. 4

5 Commitment to coherence and climate responsibility Switzerland committed itself in New York to make its future policies compatible with the 2030 Agenda, with the aim of promoting the creation of global justice and decent living conditions, while at the same time respecting the planetary boundaries. Two goals of the Agenda link Switzerland s international and domestic obligations in a particular way: Policy coherence and climate policy. There is a need for Switzerland to act in both these areas. SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development The OECD Development Assistance Committee has criticised Switzerland for years because of its insufficient policy coherence for development. While it carries out good development cooperation work, it acts contrary to the interest of the developing countries in many areas of foreign policy. The 2030 Agenda explicitly addresses the policy coherence of the industrialised countries: Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence; enhance policy coherence for sustainable development; respect each country s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development (SDG 17, Targets 13 15). The Swiss Federal Council itself, in its Position on the Agenda in June 2013, stressed that it is essential that all relevant policies that contribute to achieving global goals, for example trade policy and agricultural policy, be coherently geared to sustainable development. Words must be followed by deeds. Coherence is essential in all relevant policy areas, in foreign trade policy, investment, financial, environmental, climate, peace and human rights policy as well as in health, agricultural and international social policy. For Switzerland this means, for example, ensuring that free trade agreements conform to the SDG, preventing illegal financial flows from developing countries that undermine a functioning tax system, curbing the transfer of profits by transnational corporations and holding internationally operating Swiss companies legally responsible for complying with the observance of human rights, decent working conditions and environmental standards in their business practices, especially in the raw materials sector. The Federal Council must increase the awareness and involvement of the competent directorates and agencies on issues of coherence, and give an account to parliament and the public, by means of an Internet database and in the form of an annual coherence report, of the actions it has taken to improve coherence in the policy areas mentioned. SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts At the end of 2015, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change reaffirmed that the industrialised countries have a special responsibility to reduce global warming. Until 1990, 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions originated in industrialised countries. However, people in the developing countries, whose contribution to global warming was marginal, are now most severely affected by the consequences. In order to limit global warning to the agreed 1.5 to maximum 2 degrees Celsius, a maximum concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere must not be exceeded. The greenhouse gas emissions generated by humans to date, in particular due to the burning of fossil thermal and motor fuels, deforestation and intensive agriculture have already used up two thirds of this allowed maximum value. If the remaining third of the emissions that can still be absorbed by 2050 were to be distributed equally among all people, it would amount to a maximum of 2.5 tons CO2 equivalent per year per person worldwide. However, Switzerland is today responsible for between 12 and 13 tons per capita per year: Half of these are domestic emissions, the other half are produced abroad in the manufacture of imported goods. With its high emission levels, Switzerland is a contributor to climate change and must take responsibility internationally for greater climate justice. It must participate financially in the global costs of mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of global warming in the developing countries. At the same time, it must support these countries in achieving a secure and sustainable supply of energy based as far as possible on renewable energy sources. The urgent measures necessary for climate protection must not be at the expense of sustainable development in the interest of disadvantaged and poor people. 5

6 Switzerland also has a duty to drastically reduce its domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Adherence to the agreed 1.5 to 2 degree target would require an annual emission reduction of between 2.5 and 3 per cent. Compared to 1990, domestic emissions must be reduced by at least 40 per cent by 2020, and by at least 60 per cent by They must reach zero by The Federal Council s targets are completely inadequate, since it has so far merely proposed a reduction of domestic emissions by at least 30 per cent by Yet it has the authority, on the current legal basis, to decide a reduction of up to 40 per cent by The CO2 steering levy on fossil fuels should be extended to motor fuels and the levy on thermal fuels should be raised in the forthcoming revision of the Federal Act on the Reduction of CO2 Emissions. In conjunction with the federal and cantonal buildings programme, this would favour a speeding up of the energy-saving measures in the house building sector. The importance of the 2030 Agenda for domestic policy With its commitment to the 2030 Agenda, Switzerland has declared its intention to review the SDG-relevant policy areas at the federal as well as at the cantonal and municipal level, identify deficits and determine options for action. Below follows an exposition based on Caritas Switzerland s experience and using the example of some SDG of what this can mean in practice. SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere An effective Swiss poverty policy must be based on national poverty monitoring, in which the Confederation, the cantons and civil society agree on binding, measurable targets, determine the actions needed and conduct a regular evaluation. SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Around 530,000 people in Switzerland are affected by poverty. They not only lack financial resources, they frequently live in substandard housing, work in precarious conditions, and are adversely affected by a lack of educational opportunities or suffer from poor health. Their prospects for action and opportunities are limited. In recent years, the Confederation has taken the first steps, especially with the introduction of national statistics on poverty and the National Programme for the Prevention and Eradication of Poverty, to acknowledge poverty in Switzerland and make it visible. However, the Confederation and cantons must intensify their commitment in the coming years: Cantons must draw up poverty strategies with clear targets and actions, implement them and review their impact, on the basis of poverty reports with in-depth situation analyses. Only half of the cantons produce a poverty report at present, or are planning one. The Confederation must institutionalise poverty policy as an action area and take more responsibility to ensure a subsistence income. Leaving this solely up to the cantons leads to unequal regulations, where people living in poverty receive different levels of support depending on their place of residence. The general health care provision in Switzerland is good, but there is a need for action specifically with regard to the cost of health insurance and access to medical services. Health insurance premiums have more than doubled in the last 20 years. Today, the monthly premium for an adult costs on average around 400 Swiss francs, which places an increasing burden on the budgets of low-income households. At the same time, the Confederation and the cantons are saving on individual premium reductions: The cantons have cut their expenditure in the last 5 years by 170 million Swiss francs. The Federal Council also plans to cut its contribution in the stabilisation programme. The consequences of such restrictions in public sector spending are that families whose income is barely above the poverty threshold experience great pressure. As a result, their access to health provision deteriorates. Already, 11 per cent of the population forego a visit to a doctor for financial reasons. Dental charges also create problems. Because they are not covered by the health insurance fund, people in poverty often delay a visit to the dentist as long as possible, which leads to subsequent health problems. Moreover, in recent years, individuals who do not pay their health insurance premium have been put on a black list in some German-speaking cantons. For these people, access to medical care is limited to emergency treatment. 6

7 Ensuring healthy lives for all at all ages means in practice that the Confederation and the cantons must guarantee the individual premium reduction for people on a low income and abolish the black lists. At the same time, they should prepare the introduction of compulsory dental insurance that leads to improved protection for people in poverty. At the beginning of the 1990s, in its message on the revision of health insurance, the Federal Council set the target that households should pay a maximum of 8 per cent of their taxable income for health insurance. This should remain the policy. SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all Also in Switzerland, a lack of education is the main reason for poverty. This is shown particularly acutely in three areas. Firstly, social background determines educational opportunities and thus the risk of poverty: Nurseries and schools alone cannot compensate for the unequal start in life. This makes education-oriented Early Childhood Development even more important. The public sector must improve the provision of extra-familial childcare, extend the service provision and make it affordable, and integrate parental education. Secondly, education is a key factor for working people. Without further training, employees are at risk, if they lose their job, of long-term unemployment, exclusion and sliding into poverty. Further training enables employees to develop their skills in parallel with the demands of the labour market. Therefore, companies must be required to offer their employees targeted and continuous further training opportunities. Thirdly, adult training leading to a qualification enables people without an education to free themselves from poverty in the long term and in a sustainable manner. All relevant actors unemployment insurance, disability insurance and welfare assistance must therefore examine, jointly with the affected persons, options of adult education leading to a qualification and contribute generously to their financing. SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls Women in Switzerland are disproportionately affected by poverty compared to men. While every eleventh man in retirement age relies on supplementary benefits, this affects every seventh woman. There are many reasons: Women still perform most of the unpaid care work, and the possibilities of combining family and work remain inadequate. As a consequence, women often take a part-time job. If they work in the low-pay sector, they don t earn a living wage and remain excluded from occupational pension provision. This frequently leads to poverty in old age. To reduce the risk of poverty for women, unpaid care work must be shared equally between the sexes. This in turn demands family-friendly working conditions for women and men, which are compatible with caring for children and relatives: Fathers, too, must increasingly be enabled to participate in care work. In this context, the introduction of parental leave is an important step. There is a need for more affordable and accessible services, particularly with regard to childcare facilities outside of families and schools which are tailored to the needs of parents. The public authorities and employers must pay higher subsidies for these provisions. Moreover, the Confederation and cantons should set an example and promote innovative models in pilot projects, for example sabbaticals for particularly care-intensive periods. SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all In the course of globalisation, a structural change has occurred in Switzerland which will accelerate further as the fourth industrial revolution gains speed. The consequence is that jobs for low-skilled workers disappear, while asymmetric working conditions, such as on-call jobs or temporary employment contracts, increase. Already, many people over the age of 45 who lose their job cannot get another one. Since 2008, the number of people no longer entitled to unemployment benefit has almost doubled and reached a peak last year with a total of 36,500 women and men. The rate of underemployment, i.e. involuntary part-time work, has also steadily increased in recent years. Three quarters of underemployed people are women. For single mothers, underemployment is twice as frequent as in the general population and is one reason why there are around four times as many working poor among single parents. In total, more than 120,000 men and women live below the poverty line in Switzerland despite being in employment. 7

8 However, adequately paid and dignified work still plays a central role in our society. It is often the place where social contacts occur, where a meaningful contribution can be made to society, or simply where the days are structured, thus integrating the weaker members into our society and supporting them. Employers must therefore ensure fair working conditions. This includes a living wage, continuous training opportunities and work models that can be combined with unpaid care work. The Confederation and the cantons can and must set a good example as employers. At the same time, they must strive to ensure that young adults obtain a professional or vocational qualification and thus create good conditions for earning a living wage. This also means introducing the Grants instead of social welfare approach throughout Switzerland. SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries Wealth and income are distributed very unequally in Switzerland. Thus, the highest-earning ten per cent of the population dispose of one third of total income, while the share of the lowest-earning ten per cent is just three per cent. If one looks at the distribution of wealth, this inequality becomes even sharper. The top two per cent of the population own more than half of all assets, while the bottom half owns nothing at all. The trend in recent years further demonstrates how little the poorest benefit from economic growth. Their incomes stagnated or shrank, while the wealth of the richest increased massively. There are plenty of reasons why this trend should be stopped: Firstly, both the OECD and the IMF have recently presented evidence that great inequality slows down economic growth and has negative impacts on society as a whole. In particular, people on a low income in unequal societies have limited access to a good education. As a result, the economy is deprived of enormous potential. Secondly, the growing concentration of wealth in Switzerland leads to a situation where prosperity is no longer due to exceptional performance or taking personal risks, but rather where social background determines one s place in society. Social advancement becomes more difficult. There is a growing loss of equality of opportunity. Thirdly, inequality also leads to a concentration of political power. The super-rich can exert great influence on politics by using a relatively small proportion of their wealth. This does not augur well for social cohesion, and particularly for those living in poverty. Their concerns and needs become ever more invisible in the shadow of the financially strong political elite. There is a danger of a breakdown of the social fabric. The Confederation and cantons must intervene with regulatory measures to protect the fabric of society and enable long-term economic growth. As a general principle, equal pay for men and women must be enforced. At the same time, action is needed to redistribute wealth: A more progressive taxation of the highest income and assets, or a substantial, standardised nationwide inheritance tax would be viable methods to counteract the sharp trend towards inequality. SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable The provision of good housing is vital for quality of life and personal well-being. However, 84 per cent of households affected by poverty do not have adequate housing. In the competition for adequate living space, they increasingly find themselves in precarious circumstances and are marginalised. The main reason is the high housing costs. On the one hand, the construction of affordable housing receives only minimal support in Switzerland. On the other hand, the low tax policy drives up rents in numerous regions. It is often forgotten that investment in the construction of social housing has several benefits. It not only reduces pressure on the household budget, but is also crucial, thanks to its inclusive effect, in helping to integrate people experiencing poverty and thus overcome precarious situations. The Confederation therefore needs to systematically promote the construction of social housing. In addition, the cantons must strengthen their commitment and ensure, as part of their poverty strategies, that more low-cost, good-quality housing is offered which provides long-term security and is affordable for people in poverty. In this process, energy-efficient renovations of affordable old flats must not lead to rent increases which would make them unaffordable for poverty affected families. 8

9 SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns In terms of its consumption patterns, Switzerland exhibits various forms of exorbitant waste. One example is food: Around a third of all food produced in Switzerland is lost or wasted along the production and supply chain to the table. This amounts to more than two million tons of foodstuffs each year. They come from households, catering, industry and agriculture. Almost half of the waste originates in households and catering: this amounts to roughly 320 grams of unblemished food items per person each day. In view of the fact that around 850 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger, this is a scandal. An increasing number of people affected by poverty in Switzerland have to rely on reduced-price food, as the growing demand in shops with reduced-price products such as the Caritas Markets shows. The Confederation should, by means of systematic information and awareness-raising, but also through appropriate regulations, encourage the various contributors to the food waste to use food sensibly and in a resource-efficient way. SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels In Switzerland, the residence status and the related legal position play a critical role in placing people in very precarious situations, to being able to participate in society. This affects asylum seekers and provisionally admitted foreigners in particular, whose status does not reflect reality, since a majority of provisionally admitted persons remain permanently in Switzerland due to the violent situation in their countries of origin. It also affects people without valid documents, the so-called Sans-Papiers. Moreover, Switzerland is among the countries in Europe with a particularly restrictive naturalisation policy, and a correspondingly low naturalisation rate. The creation of an inclusive society requires that all people living in Switzerland must be allowed to integrate, and action must be taken to ease their precarious living situation. To this end, they must be given more rights. It is essential that, in view of the decision to speed up asylum proceedings, asylum seekers have access to free legal advice and support. Asylum seekers should be able to work immediately and participate in integration measures, not to be completely dependent on social welfare. Furthermore, a new protective status is required which replaces provisionally admission and grants the same rights as those given to refugees. This status should lead to a regular residence permit after three years at the latest, if a return to the country of origin is not possible. Up to 300,000 people live in Switzerland without a regular residence status. While they have benefitted from some relief in recent years (the right to take out health insurance, schooling for children, apprenticeships in some cases) what is required above is an improvement in their legal situation, either through much more generous hardship provisions or through collective regularisation. And finally, more efforts must be made with regard to facilitating naturalisation, in particular, and without delay, for all children born in Switzerland. If the promotion of an inclusive society is to be taken seriously, Switzerland must put an end to the dogma of non-integration of entire population groups. Improving the legal position and the integration of all people living in Switzerland will benefit society as a whole. 9

10 Deliver on promises: Caritas Switzerland s demands To ensure the success of the 2030 Agenda, Switzerland must work systematically to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Drafting and implementing appropriate implementation plans is the responsibility of the various decision-makers at the federal, cantonal and municipal level. The comprehensive involvement of civil society as well as the private sector and the scientific community is also essential. The challenges involved in achieving the domestic policy goals highlight the need for the creation, as a first step, of the financial, political, structural and institutional conditions that will establish the 2030 Agenda with its SDG in the general public, government and administration. As early as in November 2015, Caritas Switzerland, in its call to Deliver on promises! presented eight demands to the Federal Council, which had backed the 2030 Agenda in New York: 1. Make the Sustainable Development Goals widely known Neither the Swiss population, nor most of the nationally-oriented social, business, environmental or education policy actors know about the 2030 Agenda with its associated goals. The first task of the Federal Council is therefore to take every opportunity to inform and educate the public and its internal administrative units about the 2030 Agenda and its significance for Switzerland. In doing so, it must focus particularly on educational institutions. Only a broadly-based information campaign can anchor the SDG in the population and in the municipal, cantonal and federal agencies. 2. Ensure the mandatory implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals Switzerland committed itself in New York to contribute to the achievement of the SDG at the international and domestic policy level. To this end, it must produce a practical implementation plan as quickly as possible, which establishes binding rules for the different policy areas: The national Sustainable Development Strategy , adopted in January 2016, is not aligned with the achievement of the SDG, but limits itself to referring to individual goals in the action areas. In future, all government agencies involved must specify, within the framework of an overall strategy, practical actions that contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Civil-society actors, as well as the private sector and science institutions, must be comprehensively and transparently involved in the elaboration of the implementation plan, as well as in the subsequent regular review of the status of implementation. 3. Align the Federal Council s annual objectives with the 2030 Agenda The legislature planning programme refers to the national strategy with regard to sustainable development. Its link to the 2030 Agenda is correspondingly tenuous. The same applies to the 2016 annual objectives set out by the Federal Council, which has not taken the 2030 Agenda as a starting point but simply assigned its objectives to individual SDG. From 2017, the annual objectives must be linked so that the planning as a whole corresponds to the main thrust of the 2030 Agenda, and conflicts between objectives are avoided. In practice, the Federal Council s planning must place greater emphasis on making all relevant agencies, as well as the cantons and communes, aware of coherence issues and involve them. 4. Set up a high-level office for the 2030 Agenda Responsibility for the integration of the 2030 Agenda into the administrative and political structure currently rests with a working group under the management of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE) for the national perspective, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for the international perspective. However, the implementation must be managed and monitored centrally and must not be delegated to individual departments. The Federal Council should therefore establish a high-level office with overall responsibility for the implementation of the SDG. Its most important tasks should include the information, planning and coordination of the SDG implementation, ensuring systematic, externally conducted monitoring, and reporting about the attainment of goals by means of specific indicators. To this end, the office is responsible for the continuous, detailed collection of data. Finally, the office should conduct SDG impact assessments in line with Demand 8. The office must have sufficient resources to carry out its tasks. 10

11 5. Appoint a permanent 2030 Agenda Commission The SDG office should be assisted by a permanent extraparliamentary commission, appointed by the Federal Council, which serves as a platform and interface for the SDG discussions and includes representatives from the federal administration, cantonal and municipal authorities, civil society, the private sector and the scientific community. The commission maintains a dialogue with the SDG office, monitors the national and international SDG implementation by Switzerland, submits its own recommendations and makes public statements on the implementation of the SDG by Switzerland. The commission has its own commission secretariat which performs the various tasks professionally and continuously. 6. Secure financing, provide more financial means To ensure the successful implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda, the international community must make sufficient funds available. Measures to promote economic activities and mobilise local resources in the developing countries are far from sufficient. While private sector investments in the developing countries are necessary, in themselves they are neither sustainable nor poverty-reducing. They must meet binding environmental, social and human rights standards and contribute to sustainable development. The Federal administration and parliament must ensure that the necessary financial means for Switzerland s commitment to the SDG at the national and international level are available in accordance with the implementation plan. To this end, the Federal Council submits a binding financial strategy and identifies the funding sources. Domestically, the Confederation s Stabilisation Programme must be tailored to and aligned with the 2030 Agenda. The Confederation and the cantons should refrain from making cuts in poverty-relevant policy areas, especially in social assistance, education and the individual premium reduction and invest, for example, in early childhood intervention and the construction of social housing. 7. Involve cantons and communes The national implementation of the SDG lies to a considerable degree within the competence and responsibility of the cantons and communes. This is clearly shown in the earlier explanations of the need for action with regard to individual goals. The Confederation must therefore include the cantons and communes in the discussions about the 2030 Agenda from the start, involve them in planning the implementation of the individual SDG, and generally require them to practise policy coherence in favour of the 2030 Agenda. To this end, the SDG Office must be in close contact with the appropriate cantonal and municipal agencies. 8. Introduce an SDG impact assessment As a tool for improving policy coherence, the Federal Council should task an external specialised institution with elaborating a procedure for an SDG impact assessment based on specific indicators, and with a view to potential goal conflicts and coherence. Such an assessment should be declared as binding, particularly for strategic Federal Council and Parliament business in all policy areas. The SDG office is responsible for ensuring that this is carried out. If the assessment were to uncover an incompatibility with the 2030 Agenda, then the action should be adapted correspondingly. The 2030 Agenda with its Sustainable Development Goals opens up new chances for a sustainable world. Switzerland must not stand on the side-lines. It must systematically align its political action with this Agenda. Internationally, the funding commitments must not be limited to the framework financing facility for international cooperation. In particular, a specific financing strategy is needed for combating climate change and its impacts. However, since the Swiss contribution to the SDG implementation in developing countries will have to come to a significant degree from the actors of international cooperation, the funds earmarked for official development assistance should gradually be raised to 1 per cent of gross domestic product. The Federal Council and Parliament must therefore do their utmost to oppose the irresponsible proposals for cuts in international cooperation on the part of right-wing circles. Lucerne, June 2016 Author: Geert van Dok, Advisory Service Development Policy, Bettina Fredrich, Advisory Service Social Policy, Marianne Hochuli, Head of Research and Policy Section This Position Paper can be downloaded at 11

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