Kestävän kehityksen johtaminen ja toimeenpano paikallistasolla

The KESTO project resulted in creating a summary of the leadership and implementation models regarding sustainable development and its central themes in Finnish municipalities. Special attention was paid to the development of cross-sectoral and strategic work as well as to the potential role of Agenda 2030 (UN Sustainable Development Goals) in the municipalities’ work.
The project data was gathered through action research whose interviews, workshops, and municipal meetings were attended by 12 teams from Finnish municipalities ranging in size, type, and location. In addition, international research literature and previous estimates on the work done on sustainable development in Finnish municipalities were applied.
The project identified three leadership models for sustainable development through which local-level work can be organized purposefully and in a more impactful manner. The models are aimed at both identifying the governing principles of each municipality and considering the operational conditions of each model in future work. The Agenda 2030 SDG framework can strengthen the strategic leadership and cooperation processes of municipalities when applied on a local level. Municipalities need to place significant emphasis on those cross-administrative sustainability themes where much work is still needed in Finland and where municipalities exercise executive power.