After discovering the SDGs’ matrix, its challenges, its interests, … (Click here to discover the 1st step of our approach “SEE” with our posts dedicated to each SDG) Here is the 2nd step of our approach SEE, ANALYZE, ACT & SHARE! It consists to find out the SDGs international applications to understand the specific challenges in the different states where we are going to. Here is the ANALYZE step and it keep going in Croatia!
CROATIA PROFILE
- Capital: Zagreb
- Number of inhabitants: 4.058 millions
- Currency: (1 € = environ 7,6 HRK)
- Official language: Croatian
- President: Zoran Milanović since February 2020
- Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- GDP: 2020 estimated GDP per capital: $29,207 (World Bank), around 55th worldwide rank
- HDI: 2018 HDI: 0.837, ranked the 46th worldwide (very high ranking).
- Gini: 2018 Gini: 29,30% (represents the income inequality or wealth inequality within a nation)
- Climate & Geography: The climate is Mediterranean with temperatures rising very quickly between June and August. The country is made up of plains, lakes and hills in the north and east of the country, in the middle of a densely wooded mountain range that separates the 1,777 km of coast with a rocky coastline to which is added no less than 1,244 islets and islands.
- Economic situation:
(+) Croatia has an economy based on the service sector (59% of GDP) which employs 67% of the workforce. It is the tourism industry in particular that carries the country. Besides, the industrial and agricultural sector represent respectively 20.4% and 2.9% of the GDP.
(+) Unemployment fell to 7.8% in 2019 (from 9.9% in 2018), its lowest point since 2000.
(-) According to the updated IMF forecast of April 14, 2020, due to the appearance of COVID-19, growth is expected to fall to -9% in 2020.
(-) Croatia's public debt was around 71.1% of GDP in 2019.
- Health care: Universal health care ranked 43th/191 by the World Health Organization
Croatia’s international commitment to contribute to reach the SDGs by 2030
Croatia has a long-term NSD (National Development Strategy) from 2009 which is focusing in the following 8 keys areas, mainly developed on the environmental and social pillars:
1. Encouraging population growth in the Republic of Croatia
2. Environment and natural resources
3. Promoting sustainable production and consumption
4. Ensuring social and territorial cohesion and justice
5. Ensuring energy independence and increasing the efficiency of energy use
6. Strengthening public health
7. Interconnectedness of the Republic of Croatia
8. Protection of the Adriatic Sea, coastal area and islands
In order to align its NSD with the SDGs and the Agenda 2030, Croatia has prepared the NSD 2030, a key strategic document which integrate both the 8 keys areas and the SDGs with an adoption expected in 2020.
1. Recognizable Croatia (SDGs 3,4,8,11)
2. Economically stable and efficient Croatia (SDGs 8,11,16)
3. Competitive, entrepreneurial and innovative Croatia (SDGs 3,4,8,9,11,12)
4. Safe Croatia (SDGs 9,11,16,17)
5. Connected Croatia (SDGs 8,9,10,11,17)
6. Green Croatia (SDGs 6,7,8,9,11,12,13,14,15)
7. Inclusive Croatia (SDGs 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,16)
8. Croatia, Land of advanced regions (SDGs 8,9,10,11,16)
Main challenges for Croatia on the way to the SDGs
To meet the goals by 2030, Croatia must deal with the following challenges for ensuring a succeeded implementation of its NSD 2030:
- Improve the institutional architecture with a clearly defined organisational, coordination and supervisory structure
- Define an interventional logic to form connections between strategic goals, planned implementation mechanisms, structural reforms and strategic projects under the 2030 NDS
- Strengthen national statistical capacities
- Implement permanent outreach and educational activities in order to raise awareness about sustainable development and living and the implementation of SDGs on a national and global level
To pursue its progress and faced the previous challenges, Croatia has established, at the highest level of the executive branch, the National Council for Sustainable Development.
Is Croatia on the right path to contribute to reach the SDGs?
On the three pillars (Economic, Social & Environmental) of the sustainable development, Croatia has prepared a plan for the next 10 years which integrates the SDGs. Such an implementation of the 2030 Agenda permits Croatia to be ranked 22nd out of 156 countries in 2019 according to the SDG index. Indeed, Croatia has a good chance to become one of the leaders in the transition to sustainability!
References:
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