Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Government informed about the experience with implementation of the Czech Republic 2030 Strategic Framework, adopted by the Government of the Czech Republic in April 2017. The presentation focused especially on the outcomes of the Voluntary National Review, to which the Czech Republic submitted at the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Martin Tlapa pointed out that the Czech Republic ranked fifth in the SDG Index & Dashboards, a study evaluating progress towards meeting the SDGs. “The Czech Republic 2030 Strategic Framework is not only a matter of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. It’s about the future of our country,” Deputy Minister Tlapa said.

Another topic on the agenda was the ECOSOC Presidency of the Czech Republic, to which the Czech Republic was elected on July 27, 2017. As a thematic priority for the Presidency the Czech Republic has chosen the topic “Towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all”.

The Czech Republic contributes to achieving the SDGs also through its development aid. At the event, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the Development Cooperation Strategy of the Czech Republic for 2018–2030, endorsed by the Government of the Czech Republic on August 21, 2017. The Strategy emphasizes the humanitarian-development nexus, bridging the bilateral and multilateral development activities, and a partnership of public, commercial and civil society actors.

In addition to Deputy Minister Tlapa, the participants were addressed by the Director of the Multilateral Economic Relations Department Ms Kateřina Fialková and the Director of the Sustainable Development Department of the Office of the Government Ms Anna Kárníková. 76 members of the Prague Diplomatic Corps participated in the event, among them 20 Ambassadors.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York in September 2015. They are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and contain economic, social and environmental measures agreed by the whole international community. The aim of the 2030 Agenda is to achieve a balanced development of the planet which will make possible meeting the needs of the current as well as future generations.