Minister Zvone Černač on the relevance of pursuing Sustainable Development Goals for faster recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic

14. 7. 2021

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy

On the sidelines of this year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), Zvone Černač, Minister without Portfolio for Development and EU Cohesion Policy, addressed the participants of an online event by underlining the relevance of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals for faster recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The side event, organised under the auspices of the European Commission and the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, was also attended by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni, and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.

In his address, Minister Černač expressed his satisfaction with the event’s organisation and thanked the European Commission for giving Slovenia, as the country holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, the opportunity to co-organise such an important and relevant event.

The Minister underlined that ever since the 2030 Agenda was adopted six years ago, the slogan “global challenges need global solutions” has become the modus operandi of the international community. The Covid-19 crisis has challenged our pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals; on the other hand, it is also an opportunity to build a more resilient society. The Minister emphasized establishing a low-carbon circular economy and digitalising the economic and public sector. He reaffirmed the commitment of the European Union and Slovenia to implement the 2030 Agenda. ‘The pandemic has proven that it is only by multilateral solutions and coherent actions that we can achieve effective results. It is now more important than ever to establish a global partnership between governments, businesses, and civil society if we want the 2030 Agenda to work and make bigger progress with the new post-Covid-19 growth model,’ stressed the Minister.

According to the Minister, the European Union succeeded in turning the challenges of the pandemic into opportunities, namely with instruments such as the European Green Deal and the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. ‘The process of formal approval and the launch of national recovery and resilience plans are thus one of the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU,’ said the Minister.

The first round table, organised after the introductory segment of the side event, focused on Europe’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in terms of the green and digital transition. At the second round table, participants presented success stories, challenges, experiences, and the potential ways of achieving the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals for a faster recovery and greater resilience.