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SARAJEVO, October 6 (FENA) - The United Nations Development Program in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP BiH), with support of Sweden, at a ceremony organized at the International Center for Children and Youth Novo Sarajevo in Sarajevo today declared the SDG Business Pioneers in BiH for the second time ever.
The SDG Business Pioneers Award ceremony is the final event of the annual SDG Business Pioneers competition for 2020, which aims to promote private sector efforts in the field of sustainable development in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The awards were given for achievements in the thematic fields "People" and "Resources and Environment", and the overall winners for Bosnia and Herzegovina were announced.
Winners in the field of "People" category: in the category of micro-companies, Stitch 22 Sarajevo was selected as the SDG Business Pioneer, while in the category of small companies the winner was Unija MF Sarajevo. In the category of medium enterprises, Ministry of Programming Sarajevo took the winner title, while in the category of large companies the SDG Business Pioneer in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2020 is Lanaco Banja Luka.
In the category of micro-companies under the theme "Resources and Environment", the company Turboservis B-H Sarajevo was declared the winner; while in the same theme, but in the category of small enterprises, the title went to the company Jaffa-Komerc Blagaj. In the categories of medium and large enterprises, the trophy was awarded to the cement factory 'Tvornica cementa' Kakanj (medium enterprise) and Coca-Cola HBC B-H Sarajevo (large enterprise).
The Kakanj cement factory, a company that contributed to the promotion of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the private sector in BiH, was declared the overall winner, i.e. the SDG Business Pioneer for 2020.
The representative of the Swedish Embassy in BiH, Torgny Svenungsson, said on this occasion that he was satisfied that this project included some Swedish companies so that they could transfer and exchange their experience with BiH companies and participate in the process.
“Using the compass of the SDGs will create new jobs, reduce inequality and poverty and protect the environment for future generations. This will be vital to improve the resilience of our societies and safeguard the future of both people and the planet. Sweden has set out to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare nation by 2045. The fight against climate change and air pollution is one of Sweden’s top priorities, a fight which is closely linked to transitioning towards a green economy and realization of the SDGs”, stated Torgny Svenungsson, Deputy Head of Mission at the Swedish Embassy.
He also added that they were very happy with the participation of the private sector in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.
The UNDP Resident Representative, Steliana Nedera said they had twice as many applications this year compared to 2019.
Nedera added that this award was unique in many ways. Namely, the trophy was made by an architect from Sarajevo, part of the Smart Sarajevo initiative, by using a unique robotic arm that serves as a 3D printer.
Also, recycled material, filament, which was produced in Doboj, was used to 3D print the award. The trophy was designed by a young student from the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo who comes to us from Čitluk.
“We are proud to award companies, SDG Business Pioneers in meeting SDGs 8 and 10 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and who have thus shown their attitude towards decent work and growth, as well as reducing inequality in this country. Today, we focus on the achievements of the private sector and use this opportunity to celebrate their success, which is a guide for everyone else. We are proud that the awarding of SDG Business Pioneers in Bosnia and Herzegovina has become a tradition, for the second year in a row, while having in mind that this year we have twice the number of applicants, ie., 106 applications from 71 companies”, said Steliana Nedera, UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The SDG Business Pioneers Award recognizes and accentuates the efforts of private sector companies related to achieving the SDGs in BiH as well as motivates new entrepreneurs to create their business models in accordance with the SDGs. It is organized under the project "SDGs Roll-Out Support and Private Sector engagement" which is implemented by the UNDP in BiH, and funded by Sweden.
(FENA) S. R.
