Institutions in Montenegro are not sufficiently prepared for the realization of sustainable development goals from the Sustainable Development Program until 2030, so their preparedness is assessed as partially successful.
This, among other things, is stated in the Report on the Audit of Success published yesterday by the State Audit Institution (DRI).
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The final report on the audit of the success "Preparedness of the institutions of Montenegro for the realization of sustainable development goals from the Sustainable Development Program until 2030" was adopted at the session on October 6 of the collegium of the SAI, which consisted of the head Dr. Branislav Radulović and member dr Milan Dabović.
The audit included the National Council for Sustainable Development, the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro, the Directorate for Statistics and the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, and the audit included the activities of the relevant institutions after the signing of the UN Agenda 2030, ending at the end of April 2023.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global framework adopted by the UN in 2015 to promote sustainable development worldwide. It consists of 17 sustainable development goals that are set as guidelines for achieving sustainability in various sectors and areas by 2030.
In 2016, Montenegro adopted the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSD) until 2030 and thus, according to the SAI, fully accepted and incorporated into the national system the requirements of the UN established by the Agenda.
"The assessment of the overall performance of each country in meeting the 17 global goals of sustainable development is done on the basis of the SDG Index. According to the results for 2022, Montenegro was in the 86th position and was the lowest ranked European country. The activities of competent authorities (primarily the Office for Sustainable Development with the support of UNDP and the UN) undertaken during 2022 and 2023, in the field of faster implementation of sustainable development goals, had the effect that, according to the SDG report for 2023, Montenegro moved up 19 places in advance and currently occupies the 67th place", according to the DRI.
It is added that the audit assessed that in order to more successfully realize the goals of sustainable development, activities should be undertaken to further improve the legal and strategic framework as well as to strengthen the capacities of competent institutions.
"It is particularly important to develop the capacities of the Directorate for Statistics, with the aim of establishing clear lines for monitoring the goals of sustainable development and realizing the role foreseen in the NSDR 2030. In order to achieve progress in the realization of the goals of sustainable development, it is necessary to intensify activities on harmonizing sectoral strategies and accompanying plans and programs with the NSDR 2030, in a way that will ensure that the obligations and responsibilities of all entities involved in the implementation of NSOR 2030 are precisely defined," the document adds.
In the audit of success, it is also written that the subjects involved in the implementation of NSOR 2030 did not provide enough quality data on the basis of which progress in achieving the goals of sustainable development can be measured and decisions made in order to achieve sustainable development.
"With the establishment of a platform (at the end of 2022) for monitoring indicators of sustainable development (www.sdgmontenegro.me), progress was made in this area, but in the coming period it is necessary to undertake activities to establish a system that will ensure the collection, exchange, harmonization, control and confirmation of data and as a result to have the monitoring of as many indicators as possible of sustainable development goals", the audit says.
SAI gave 14 recommendations to audit subjects. According to the Law on SAI, they should submit to the SAI an Action Plan for the implementation of recommendations by December 22 and a Report on the actions taken based on the prepared and submitted recommendations by October 06, 2024.
The final report of the SAI was submitted to the Committee for Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning of the Parliament of Montenegro.
At this year's UN General Assembly in New York, delegations of the president from Montenegro participated Jakov Milatović and the Prime Minister Dritan Abazović. The Conference on Sustainable Development was held on September 18 and 19, when countries discussed how to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
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