The Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology, i.e., is the national coordinator of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Poland, has invited Ministers responsible for Economic Affairs from the V4 countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) and in hospitality - Romania and Bulgaria to participate in this year's Forum. Representatives of the stakeholder Community from V4+ countries interested in sustainable development were also invited.

We wish for today's meeting to be a clear signal of strengthening our ambitions for sustainable development. A signal of genuine commitment of various communities: governments, local and regional communities, up to business and social organizations

– said Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin in his opening speech.

The meeting provided a platform for exchanging ideas and sharing good practices for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in our region, as well as encouraging private actors and civil society to disseminate knowledge on sustainable development and to take sustainable initiatives through public-private partnerships. The meeting remained in-line with the priorities of the Polish presidency of the Visegrad Group.

The priorities of the Polish presidency in V4 are closely linked to sustainable development and its support. They cover issues of digitization, innovation, new technologies and more generally industrial policy, infrastructure, but also recently increasingly appreciated by all health and social policy in general.

– emphasized Jarosław Gowin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Technology, also highlighting the important role of labour market change and climate issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin pointed out that despite the crisis caused by the pandemic, last year also saw positive signals.

Our societies have shown resistance and solidarity. Governments have been able to take decisive action and companies have dedicated themselves to a digital transformation. We have seen exceptional international cooperation to develop life-saving vaccines

– he said.

During his speech, the head of the MEDLT stressed that a comprehensive and effective response to the pandemic remains our priority, and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda is crucial for sustainable recovery after the crisis. Poland is going to reach the goal through the Polish Deal, a major socio-economic reform covering many areas.

The Polish authorities have a number of initiatives developed at the Ministry of Economic Development, Labour and Technology, such as the New Industrial Policy of Poland and export policy, the Legal Shield and the Family Foundation Act, the reform of spatial planning and labour market institutions, remote work and digitization of investment and construction procedures

– explained Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin.

The panel discussion discussed the impact of the pandemic on economic growth and its structure, the reorientation of public policies and the extent to which the Sustainable Development Goals are achieved. Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin noted that the crisis emphasized the need for coordinated action on social security and human health, but also financial support for vulnerable groups, while at the same time demonstrating the scale of economic needs.

The steps taken by the Polish government were rapid and decisive, both in preventing the spread of coronavirus and in reducing the economic and social impact of the pandemic

– Jarosław Gowin reminded.

A comprehensive package of solutions was adopted to maintain jobs and liquidity in the private sector. As a result, more than PLN 216 billion have already been issued to Polish companies under the Anti-Crisis Shield. The support covered over 7.5 million jobs

– he added and pointed out that the unemployment rate in April in Poland reached 3.1 percent, which is the best result among the European Union countries.

According to the latest projections, Poland’s GDP is expected to grow at a rate exceeding 4.5 percent in 2021

– finished Deputy Prime Minister Gowin.

During the Forum, Economic Ministers, representatives of organizations, employers and regions from the V4+ countries discussed, among others, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the region’s progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda, and attempted to identify the major challenges in the context of reconstruction after the coronavirus and the implementation of SDGs in the area of green and digital transformation and sustainable financing, among others. The role of stakeholders – partners, organizations and business – was also discussed in the process of reconstruction and development processes in line with the idea of sustainable development. 

Agenda 2030 – objectives and targets

Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for sustainable Development was adopted by 193 United Nations (UN) member States by a United Nations General Assembly resolution on 25 September 2015 in New York.

The 2030 Agenda is a global development plan defining a model for sustainable development at global level. It focuses on eliminating poverty in all its forms, while at the same time achieving economic, social and environmental objectives.

The transformation of the 2030 Agenda is reflected by the 5P principle (People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnership):

• People - the opportunity for all people to enjoy universal human rights and economic achievements; equal access to economic, natural, basic services, land, technology and finance;
• Planet - building a model of growth-friendly and inclusive growth; using environmental resources rationally for better quality of life and tackling poverty,
• Prosperity - creating jobs and ensuring inclusive growth; exploiting new technologies and business potential to provide access to good education, health care, clean water, electricity, transport, telecommunications, facilitating business start-ups, investment, trade; working for sustainable urban development.
• Peace - establishing effective, fair, open and responsible institutions guaranteeing the strengthening of the role of the law, social inclusion and co-decision; strengthening the role and responsibility of institutions supporting the rule of law, property rights, freedom of expression and media, political freedom, access to justice, non-discrimination against anyone,
• Partnership - a global partnership of solidarity, cooperation, responsibility and transparency in the activities undertaken; this includes partnerships between governments, local, regional, scientific, business and all stakeholders and groups.