30.01.2025 / Perspectives
Community foundations (CFs) and community foundations support organizations (CFSOs) could benefit from familiarizing themselves with these reports. The reports offer an overarching picture of where European society is standing in relation to essential indicators for the well-being of European citizens and communities. Insights about key CF topics such as poverty, inequalities, education, health, the environment, economic well-being, gender dynamics, and the quality of institutions are included. Furthermore, CFs can discover how their country is performing in relation to other EU Member States. It is also interesting to see the variation among Member States.
Authors: Stefan Cibian Ph.D.
Is the European Union (EU) advancing towards the SDGs?
To address that question, the Sustainable Development in the European Union: Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context, 2024 edition was launched in June. The report builds on the 2023 EU Voluntary Review on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – the first voluntary review the EU put forward since the adoption of the Goals. The two reports present an encompassing view of the EU’s commitment toward the SDGs, the indicators it reports on, and the progress it has achieved to date. Looking at both reports together offers an understanding of how various EU policies relate to the SDGs, in other words, how the EU connects its work to the SDGs and its commitments to achieving the Goals.
The Monitoring report presents data based on the SDG indicators the EU selected as relevant. The report makes two key contributions. First, the presented data helps us understand how the EU is advancing toward or away from achieving each SDG. Second, the connection between various SDGs and current EU policies is detailed, enabling one to have an overview of SDG-related EU policies and work. The description provided in the report helps one understand the EU’s approach to harmonizing its policies with the 2030 Agenda.
The Progress report highlights the EU’s whole-of-government approach to the SDGs. It then goes through each SDG individually, indicating whether the EU is on track, relatively on track, relatively off track, or behind. It shows a mixed record as of 2024 in relation to many SDG goals. Several indicators show that the EU stagnates or regresses, which should attract the attention of policymakers, community foundations, and citizens.
Community foundations (CFs) and community foundations support organizations (CFSOs) could benefit from familiarizing themselves with these reports. The reports offer an overarching picture of where European society is standing in relation to essential indicators for the well-being of European citizens and communities. Insights about key CF topics such as poverty, inequalities, education, health, the environment, economic well-being, gender dynamics, and the quality of institutions are included. Furthermore, CFs can discover how their country is performing in relation to other EU Member States. It is also interesting to see the variation among Member States.
Whether CFs are developing Vital Signs reports or not, observing which indicators are monitored can bring valuable ideas for how CFs could look at their own community. CFs can derive insights about the types of data they could use to better understand the challenges their communities face. The many SDG targets and indicators bring a picture that is not visible, even for those living in those communities. Community foundations are well-positioned to investigate what data is available about their communities. Such data – both quantitative and qualitative – enables the CF and local inhabitants to understand community challenges and dynamics that are not perceivable at an individual level.
Each CF articulates solutions for sustainability challenges through its fund development, fundraising, grantmaking, and community leadership practices. An understanding of the sustainability challenges faced by one’s community based on data would strengthen the CF’s core work. Therefore, these reports can guide CFs in their core practices.
The report has some limitations. Despite their relevance to the SDGs, local communities are not mentioned much. While the Voluntary Review (2023) indicates a few local examples of SDGs-related work from across the EU, the Monitoring Report does not focus on local communities and their contribution toward the SDGs. Furthermore, while the authors contextualize some of the reviewed indicators, the report could engage more with the presented data to show specific sustainability challenges faced by the EU. For example, why is the EU falling behind on certain targets? The Covid-19 pandemic is a part of the answer, although it is certainly not the only one. Equally important, the report could focus more on the consequences of the EU’s lagging behind or not meeting several targets.
Community foundations can contribute to this strategic conversation by sharing local voices and community experiences, showing how a lack of sustainability impacts communities and people throughout Europe. Furthermore, a European-wide CF discussion on the sustainability challenges faced today and in the future by local communities can both strengthen individual CF practices and European policies.
Departments: Community Foundations & SDGs; Society, Crisis, and Resilience Program; Policy Analysis and Outreach Department; Research Department; Center on Global Affairs and Post Development.
Regions: Europe.
Themes: Sustainable Development Goals; Civil Society; Environment and Climate Change; European Union; Philanthropy and Community Development.