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Poland
Voluntary National Review 2018

Main messages of the Polish VNR Report
 


In 2018, Poland celebrates its 100th anniversary of restoration of its independence after 123 years of partitions. It is a special occasion for us to present to the international community Poland's achievements on the road to sustainable development. We believe that our experience, performance and good practices can contribute to the global process of building and consolidating of global sustainable economy.

Poland’s Strategy and Priorities

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda by the UN in 2015 coincided with the broad public debate in Poland on defining a new approach to development policy and the need to identify and give new impulses to development.

As the result, the new national development model was presented in the Strategy for Responsible Development (SRD). The coherence of the SRD and the Agenda 2030 is visible in many aspects: at the level of objectives, areas and priority actions, and finally - indicators. The priorities of the socio-economic development of Poland have been defined in all three dimensions of sustainable development:

  • Social - the prime concern is, first of all, to reduce social exclusion, poverty, all kinds of social inequalities. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of citizens’ life. We focus on the development of human and social capital through access to knowledge and education, skills and healthcare (SDGs: 1, 3, 4).
  • Economic - the priority is the construction of a strong, modern industry and support for entrepreneurship. Investments in innovation, development of modern technologies and high value added products, of information technologies and full use of the digital revolution are of key importance. We support the internationalization of Polish enterprises and promote the creation of Polish brands abroad (SDGs: 2, 8, 9).
  • Environmental - we strive to improve the condition of the environment and sustainable management of resources. Our aim is to increase the available water resources and achieve high water quality, rational management of natural and geological resources as well as effective waste management. The improvement of air quality in Polish cities remains the priority, as well as the protection of soils against degradation and the reduction of the impact of noise and electromagnetic fields, what will positively affect the health of residents (SDGs: 6, 11, 12, 15).

Poland puts on a socially and territorially sensitive development, with a high level of employment, good quality jobs and a large scale of entrepreneurship. The benefits of economic growth should be available to everyone, regardless of where they live (SDG 10).

Achieving the above priorities will be supported by strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of state and its institutions (i.e. better quality of the enacted law, efficient administration, strong system of strategic management of development processes) (SDG 16).

We focus on cooperation, partnership and joint responsibility of public entities, business and citizens for the course of development processes.

Polish approach to the implementation

In the Polish VNR Report we present a national approach to the implementation of all 17 SDGs. Each of the SDGs comes up with a short diagnosis, identification of the priorities in a given area and presentation of key actions to implement the set priorities. We have also indicated government strategic projects that contribute to the achievement of a specific goal as well as examples of initiatives implemented by NGOs, entrepreneurs or local communities.

We share our experience in building partnership, dialogue and cooperation between administration and stakeholders. We believe that our approach and the launched Partnership for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals may serve as a good practice for other countries. We also formulate plans for the future, focusing activities around social and economic areas, public policies that are accelerators for Poland's sustainable development.

To increase the efficiency of achieving SDGs in the following years, 5 issues seem to be of particular importance to Poland, as presented on the picture below.


The Polish VNR was elaborated using a participatory approach. Organizations representing various stakeholder groups were already involved at the stage of drafting the report. A special team was appointed with an aim to prepare Poland for the VNR 2018, consisted of representatives of ministries, social organizations, socio-economic partners, NGOs, public statistics, civil society, academia and youth.

Focal point
Mr. Slawomir Gurtowski
Deputy Director
Department of Environmental Instruments
Ministry of the Environment of the Republic of Poland

Partnerships & Commitments
The below is a listing of all partnership initiatives and voluntary commitments where Poland is listed as a partner or lead entity in the Partnerships for SDGs online platform
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)

The best opportunity to slow the rate of near-term warming globally and in sensitive regions such as the Arctic is by cutting emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – most notably methane, black carbon and some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Widespread reductions, which complement the need for aggressive global action on carbon dioxide, contribute significantly to the goal of limiting warming to less than two degrees. Reducing SLCPs can also advance national priorities such as protecting air quality and public health, promoting food security, enhancing energy efficiency, and allevi...[more]

Partners
111 Partners, 50 State and REIO, 16 IGO and 45 NGO partners (as of April 2016). Full list: http://ccacoalition.org/en/partners
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
IHO Hydrography Capacity Building Programme for Coastal States

The IHO capacity building programme seeks to assess and advise on how countries can best meet their international obligations and serve their own best interests by providing appropriate hydrographic and nautical charting services. Such services directly support safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, efficient sea transportation and the wider use of the seas and oceans in a sustainable way, including the protection of the marine environment, coastal zone management, fishing, marine resource exploration and exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation, maritime defence and security, and o...[more]

Partners
International Hydrographic Organization (IGO); 87 IHO Member States (Governments); International Maritime Organization (UN); World Meteorological Organization (UN); International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (NGO)
Action Network
Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations