To the New Government of Serbia: Planning the Sustainable Development of Serbia

Given the obligation of the Republic of Serbia to implement the 2030 Agenda as the United Nations' development strategy and the ongoing activities in preparing the Development Plan of the Republic of Serbia, along with the upcoming election of a new government and the preparation of its work programme, the “SDGs for All” Platform proposes the following:

1. that the work programme of the new government, including the exposé of the candidate for the position of Prime Minister, explicitly and clearly outlines the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as a task of the new government of the Republic of Serbia. The 2030 Agenda is a universal, progressive, and human-needs-and-rights-based action plan for all UN member states, aiming to eradicate poverty and change the development model to increase income while reducing inequality and protecting the environment, in particular addressing climate change. Given its complementarity with the EU accession process and the reforms required in this context, the 2030 Agenda is of great importance to the Republic of Serbia.
2. that the new Law on the Government precisely identifies the jurisdiction of a specific ministry for coordinating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This ministry should be directly involved in achieving sustainable development goals in one of the three dimensions: social development, economic development, and environmental protection, or that it acts as a government body responsible for public policies. Considering that activities for the preparation of the Development Plan of the Republic of Serbia commenced in 2023, it is advisable that the ministry responsible for drafting the Development Plan also be responsible for the 2030 Agenda simultaneously.
3. that the new government of the Republic of Serbia effectively, transparently, and wholeheartedly continues activities aimed at the preparation and adoption of the Development Plan of the Republic of Serbia. The Development Plan is a mandatory document based on the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and is critical for aligning a strategic approach across all areas of social and economic life. The Development Plan, as the overarching document, should incorporate reforms undertaken within the process of accession to the European Union and the pursuit of sustainable development goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda.
4. that civil society, universities, business associations, and all other relevant stakeholders capable of contributing to the quality of development documents are included in the drafting of the Development Plan and in monitoring its implementation, in accordance with the adopted Regulation on the Procedure for Preparing the Development Plan of the Republic of Serbia. 

In light of the above, members of the Platform call on decision-makers at the level of the Republic of Serbia, including the future Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia and members of the government, as well as members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, to adopt our proposals during the phase of forming the new government and preparing its work programme. This will contribute to improving development planning and involving the broader community in the public dialogue on Serbia's development priorities.

The “SDGs for All” Platform expresses its readiness to encourage a broad societal dialogue on development issues and reforms, viewing development and reforms through a human rights-based approach, respecting the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’ as proclaimed in the 2030 Agenda. The platform particularly emphasises achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

 

Founders of the Platform

Center for Democracy Foundation

Belgrade Open School

Center for Advanced Economic Studies

Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society

Foundation Ana and Vlade Divac

TOC - Association for sustainable communities development

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