President Milanović at UN Sustainable Development Summit: Croatia is making progress, but it needs to invest more in developing innovations and sustainable industries
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović attended the opening of the SDG Summit, which was held in New York City under the auspices of the UN General Assembly.
President Milanović participated in the discussion “Scaling up actions on key transitions to accelerate SDG progress” at which he presented Croatia’s goals and achievements in the area of sustainable development to the participants of the Summit. In his address at the SDG Summit, the President of the Republic said the following:
“The National Development Strategy 2030, fully in line with the implementation of the SDGs, defines strategic objectives of Croatia. It shows a clear vision of its future based on the three priorities: digital transformation, demographic renewal, and green transition. This has earned Croatia a high 12th place among 166 countries in the 2023 Sustainable Development Report.
Croatia is making good progress in many areas. The percentage of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in Croatia has decreased in recent years through the implementation of the National Plan for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion for the period 2021–2027. At 19.9 per cent Croatia is below EU level of 21.6 per cent.
Croatia is advancing in green transition through decarbonisation and integrated energy and climate plan. Thus, Croatia is aiming to increase renewables in its electricity consumption to 73.6 percent by 2030.
Another important step towards a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and resilient economy and society is the Digital Croatia Strategy 2032, a framework to steer the digital transformation of Croatia’s society and economy for the next decade.
Uniquely rich in waters and forests, Croatia places high importance on protection, preservation and conservation of its natural resources and biodiversity, promoting “nature-based solutions” as one of the main tools for climate change adaptation.
As a country of thousand islands, Croatia will contribute to the global goal of ocean preservation by legally protecting thirty (30) percent of the Adriatic Sea under its national jurisdiction.
However, a lot of work is still in front of us.
Further efforts need to be made when it comes to developing innovations and sustainable industries, diversifying the economy and reducing inequality with the aim of achieving a continuous, sustainable and climate-friendly growth.
Creating a better, faster and more modern judiciary and more efficient public administration we will significantly improve the business environment and increase trust in institutions.”
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) outlines 17 Sustainable Development Goals and the associated 169 targets. It is a key platform for solving today’s most important challenges in their interrelated economic, social, environmental and political-security dimensions. Agenda 2030 focuses on people, the planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, expecting countries to do everything in accordance with their national capacities so that “no one is left behind” and calls on them to develop practical and ambitious national solutions for its overall implementation as soon as possible.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić