The global community stands at a critical juncture, facing an array of interlinked sustainability challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, socio-economic disparities and the need for resilient and inclusive economic growth. Unprecedented disruptions in recent years, from the coronavirus (COVID‑19) pandemic to the escalating impacts of climate change and geopolitical tensions, have highlighted the need for more adaptive, responsive and integrated governance systems that can anticipate risks, mitigate negative impacts and seize opportunities for sustainable and equitable growth.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a comprehensive framework for balancing economic, social and environmental imperatives. Implementing this ambitious agenda calls for enhanced policy coherence, collaboration and innovation, both within and across nations.
Portugal has taken significant steps to this end. A series of reforms have contributed to aligning legislative and institutional structures with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and integrating the SDGs into national and local governance frameworks.
However, no country can achieve sustainable development in isolation. The interconnected nature of the SDGs means that progress – or setbacks – in one area can have cascading effects across multiple sectors, countries and regions. Collaboration and peer learning among countries are critical in a world where challenges and solutions are increasingly interdependent, requiring nations to act collectively to achieve transformative results.
This report, covering developments in Portugal from September 2023 to December 2024, highlights the country’s efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda both domestically and internationally and suggests avenues for further improvement. It is an integral component of the project “Building Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD) across national and local government in Portugal”, which is part of a broader multi-country effort to foster PCSD. This initiative was launched at the request of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (SGPCM). In November 2024, with the adoption of the Decree-law n.º96/2024, the responsibilities and personnel of SGPCM were integrated into various other entities, with all competences and responsibilities for the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs transferred to the Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies (PLANAPP). The responsibility for overall SDG co‑ordination lies with the member of the Government responsible for the area of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
The report, realised with the financial support of the European Commission’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI), reflects past achievements and provides a roadmap for future action. The insights and recommendations presented are intended to guide policymakers, practitioners and stakeholders as they work together to achieve the 2030 Agenda in an integrated and inclusive manner that leaves no one behind.