During the month of October, two more SDG workshops have been carried out in the frame of LADDER’s capacity building path. It was the turn of Union of Towns and Cities of Slovakia (UTCS) and Croatian Association of Counties (CAC) to organize their SDG workshop and spread the message of the 17 SDGs locally.

From 24 – 25 October, UTCS implemented their workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia. The agenda focused on the national implementation of the Agenda 2030, focusing on SDG 7 – clean energy, SDG  11 – sustainable cities and communities and SDG 13 – climate change. The event was attended by the national platform of Mayors and Ministers of Energy and Environment. The meeting aimed at sharing ideas and experiences, regarding the use of renewable energy resources in Czech and Slovak cities – signatories of the Convention. This was an excellent opportunity for policy makers and local representatives to discuss the direction for a successful energy transition as well as adaptation measures on climate change. Representatives of the Czech cities – Brno, Litoměřice and Ostrava – presented their recommendations to the representatives of relevant ministries. The second day focused on sustainable cities and communities, climate protection, affordable and clean energy as well as quality education. The implementation of the Agenda 2030 in Slovakia, with the active involvement of local authorities, will help to increase the efficiency of city management, human resource development and economic stabilization of local independence. It will also foster Slovakia’s progress in the context of pan-European sustainable development.

The workshop implemented by CAC, October 30 in Šibenik, Croatia, consisted of two parts: first the introduction of sustainable development and practical examples, second a theoretical part about project management related to the SDGs. The workshop was held under the title “The Role of Global Sustainable Development Goals in Local and Regional Development”. Participants learned more about the DEAR approach. DEAR is a good example of how citizens can influence local policies in the context of development education and awareness raising regarding the SDGs. The underlying theme of the workshop was the co-operation between LAs and CSOs that need to jointly, locally, encourage education for development, facilitate the adoption of new ideas and attitudes, or encourage citizens to engage in the SDGs. To better understand the UN’s 17 SDGs, lecturers Dr. Sc. Sanja Tišma and Karolina Horvatinčić, B.Sc. ing. from the Institute for Development and International Relations, firstly introduced the concept of sustainable development and its evolution over time. What does sustainable development actually mean, why it is important and how are these goals incorporated in the national context as well as how global sustainable development policy can be delivered. In the second part of the workshop, participants were required to define, through practical exercises, which SDGs are a priority in the Croatian context. Their task was to develop a project that could contribute to solving one of the SDGs. The workshop was attended by representatives of LAs, CSOs and trainers of local trainings, citizen journalists, people involved in project management, and all those who want to learn more about these topics.

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