At the ceremony held on June 14, 2023, at the Youth Theatre in Sarajevo, the fifth, jubilee generation of sustainable development business leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina was promoted. This award is presented as part of the program “Framework for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the Foundation for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Bosnia and Herzegovina” (SDG2BIH), a joint initiative funded by Sweden and implemented by UNDP in partnership with UNICEF and UN Women, as part of the UN’s support to the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in implementing the Framework for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.
The Sustainable Development Business Leaders Award is given every year with the aim of promoting the efforts and engagement of the private sector in the field of sustainable development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The award for the year 2023 was focused on enterprises that create and retain quality jobs and actively reduce their environmental impact. The application process for the award lasted from January 1 of this year until the end of March 2023.
The Sustainable Development Business Leaders Award recognizes and emphasizes the efforts of private sector companies in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Bosnia and Herzegovina and encourages new participants in the private sector to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals into their business models.
“The awarded companies establish ethical and responsible business practices, community care, use of renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources, and waste reduction as a priority. The private sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina provides a long-term perspective in actively improving the lives of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it invests significant effort in the development of environmentally safe services and technologies,” said Steliana Nedera, Resident Representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year’s Sustainable Development Business Leaders Award focused on enterprises that create quality jobs and retain talent while actively working on the decarbonization of their business activities. Thirty-one companies entered the final round, where the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards were used as the basis for the evaluation methodology for the received 180 applications, and the evaluation process was led by an independent panel of experts headed by Professor Vjekoslav Domljan.