Fifth jubilee generation of winners promoted
At a ceremony held on 14 June 2023, in Youth theatre in Sarajevo, fifth jubilee generation of SDG Business Pioneers in BiH was promoted. This Award is granted as part of the programme “Translating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina into sustainable and inclusive growth” (SDG2BIH), a joint initiative funded by Sweden and implemented by UNDP in partnership with UNICEF and UN Women under the overall United Nations’ support to the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the SDG Framework in BiH.
SDG Business Pioneers Award is held on an annual basis with the aim to promote the efforts and engagement of the private sector in the field of sustainable development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2023 Award was focused on the companies that create and retain decent jobs and actively reduce their impact of the environment. The application process for the Award lasted from 1 January of this year until the end of March 2023. Last evening marked the celebration of the business successes that companies have achieved during the year 2022. SDG Business Pioneers award continues to grow every year. This year, a record of 114 companies applied, representing a 34% increase compared to the previous year, when 85 companies applied. These companies sent a staggering 180 applications. This represents an increase of 75% compared to 2022, in which a total of 103 applications were received.
“Private sector representatives who are undertaking meaningful actions to create better – quality jobs, inclusiveness, developing and applying technologies aimed at environmental protection and climate change mitigation are actively contributing to the implementation of SDGs. More importantly, they are also creating opportunities for youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina to remain in the country and build better and more sustainable future for themselves and generations to come”, said Johanna Strömquist, Swedish Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SDG Business Pioneers Awards are awarded for the themes “People” and “Resources and Environment”, and the overall winner for Bosnia and Herzegovina is selected among the companies that applied in both themes. In the theme “People”, the awards are granted to those companies that are inspirational to others in terms of creation of decent jobs and talent retention, and this year’s winners are Dekonta BH d.o.o., in the category of micro-size businesses, SEEBA d.o.o., in the category of small-size businesses, Klika d.o.o. in the category of medium-size businesses and GS Tvornica mašina d.o.o. in the category of large businesses. In the theme “Resources and Environment”, the winners for micro and small-size businesses are ZEOS eko-sistem d.o.o. and Smrčak d.o.o. In this theme, the winners for medium and large-size companies are also Klika d.o.o. and GS Tvornica mašina d.o.o. SDG Business Pioneer in BiH for 2023, or the overall winner of this year’s competition, is the company which also scored the highest number of points for its abiding by GRI standards (Global Reporting Initiative) and realisation of SDGs, namely, Klika d.o.o.
“We are proud to have built a company throughout the years based on our own set of values we foster together with our team and that we actually live what we have been awarded for every day. Winning in all three categories is a clear indicator that Klika’s commitment to a sound and healthy work-life balance, its people and the environment is the right way, which we will hold on to tight in the future. We are grateful to UNDP in BiH for this project and the opportunity to promote not only the positive practices within Klika, but also of other companies from all of BiH, and hereby, we also want to congratulate them on their commitment, nominations and awards”, said Samir Eljazović, CEO of Klika.
SDG Business Pioneers Award recognises and emphasises the efforts made by private sector companies in terms of realisation of SDGs in BiH and motivation to new participants in the private sector to include SDGs in their business models. The official partner for this award is Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This partnership aims at improving the cooperation and raising awareness of the importance of sustainable businesses, circular economy, digitalisation and decarbonisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The awarded companies prioritize ethical and responsible business practices, community care, use of renewable resources and ecologically acceptable energy sources and reducing waste. Private sector in BiH gives long-term perspective in actively improving lives of BiH citizens, as it puts a large effort in development of services and technologies that are safe for the environment and people”, said Steliana Nedera, UNDP Resident Representative in BiH.
This year’s SDG Business Pioneers Award is focused on the companies that create quality jobs and retain talent while working actively towards decarbonisation of their business activities. 31 companies entered the final round where Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards were used as the basis of evaluation methodology for the received 180 applications, and the evaluation process was led by an independent panel of experts led by professor Vjekoslav Domljan.
