The High Commissioner’s work with SDGs in Greenland

The High Commission of Denmark in Greenland has published their action plan for UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In the light of the Danish Government’s focus on sustainability as well as the energy- and climate crisis, has The High Commission chosen to engage into promote fulfilment of the world goals. The work implies prioritizing the World Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) and the World Goal 13 (climate action).

Thereby will The High Commission also play an essential role in contributing to Naalakkersuisuts world goals and visions for implementing of the world goals, as described in “Mapping the Sustainable Development Goals”.

Read more about mapping the UN’s SDG 2023 agenda in Greenland here.

In connection with the World Goal 12 will The High Commission work with promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. This involves waste management and reducing the amount of waste through recycling. The High Commissions action plan for this goal includes several initiatives. First and foremost, the goal is to change the purchasing practices by prioritizing products, that are produced with recycling, as well as products that can be recycled. This will be followed up with striving for less consumption of office supplies and similar products. In addition, there is continuous effort to raise the population's awareness about the amount of waste and, actively participate in the annual waste collection known as Saligaatsoq. As an additional measure, a bottle deposit scheme will be introduced. Finally, there will be drawn up and implemented a long-term action plan for this field that extends beyond 2023.

In the determined efforts to deal with the climate challenges, emphasis is placed on reducing and rescheduling employees’ travel activities. The action plan for the climate action includes several alternative approaches for the energy consumption, including the establishment of emission-free company cars and reducing the requirements for flights. Furthermore, includes the plan to shift to low energy lighting, initiation of an internal campaign to promote responsible energy usage, a thorough examination of The High Commissioners buildings and heating system, in order to identify potential actions to reduce daily energy usage. And at last, a long-term action plan for climate action that extends beyond 2023 will be drawn up.

Read more about The High Commissioners action plan for SDG’s in Greenland here. (DA & KA)