Sustainability champions as good practice examples

November 26, 2021 – The importance of further integration of the Sustainable Development Goals into the business policies and practices and raising awareness of the 2030 Agenda within the corporate sector were the focus of the recently held “SDGs Business Week”, organized by the Responsible Business Forum and Smart Kolektiv. The week-long event gathered speakers and panelist from the public, corporate, and civil society sector, and attracted a large number of representatives of small and medium enterprises.

This weeklong manifestation was concluded with  “Sustainability Champions” award ceremony to recognize companies that have contributed to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2020 and 2021 and, as such, represent examples of good practice.

“The 2030 Agenda is nothing less than a huge transformative process towards a sustainable world. It can only be achieved through an integrated approach and as a shared responsibility of governments, academia, the business sector, and civil society as a whole, who must act together. My government would like to encourage the private sector in Serbia to embrace the UN Global Compact and to actively participate in the society-wide dialogue platform for the 2030 Agenda, established within the Project “SDGs for All”,  jointly supported by Switzerland and Germany”, remarked H.E. Mr. Urs Schmid, the Swiss Ambassador to Serbia, praising the efforts of Smart Kolektiv to remind that the corporate sector plays and important role in achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

The Government of Germany also provides support to Serbia in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

“Implementation of Agenda 2030 is a joint endeavor for all societal actors and I find it critically important to emphasize the need for politicians, national and local decision-makers, and administrations to recognize the private sector as a key partner in this process. On the other hand, it is of equal importance to highlight the willingness of businesses to engage in cooperation and to work with local and national institutions, government and civil society to foster a sustainable behavior”, says Christian Schilling, Head of Development Cooperation of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Ms. Slavica Đukić Dejanović, the Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia for 2030 Agenda also addressed the participants and congratulated the companies on the received awards: “We are pleased with the awards given to the companies that have shown the most successful practices, and for them, the title “Champions of Sustainability” in 2021 is really adequate.” 

Emphasizing the importance of non-financial reporting of the companies, as a contribution to the wider community in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Ms. Đukić Dejanović noted that a national document on the commitment to achieving the SDGs had been prepared.

For their exceptional contribution to the various goals of the 2030 Agenda, the following companies were awarded: Erste Bank, Coca-Cola HBC Serbia, Delhaize Serbia, Manpower Group Serbia, Nestle Adriatic S, Delta Holding, and Lidl Serbia.