Cyprus ranked 32nd out of a total of 34 countries in Europe, according to the results of the European Sustainable Development Report 2023/24.
According to an announcement, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Cyprus analyzed the results, as included in the European Sustainable Development Report (SDR) for 2023/24, which was published on January 25, 2024.
It is reported that Cyprus ranked 32nd out of 34 countries in Europe, with an overall score of 61.0, slightly higher than the score of 60.7 in 2022 (Cyprus held the same position).
“This position does not reflect well on our country, and as SDSN Cyprus, we are committed to continuing our efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” it is added.
It is noted that some of the most problematic indicators, which lead to the negative assessment of eight SDGs in total (where there are significant challenges), include: excessive nitrogen use in agriculture, representation of women in parliament, compensatory water imports, municipal waste recycling rate, plastic waste exports, CO2 emissions, overfishing, low levels of Overseas Development Assistance, and poor assessment as a tax haven.
There is progress, it is reported, in some indicators, such as Poverty, Energy, and Inequality.
It is also important to note that efforts are being made for further progress, such as the circulation in 2021 of the Voluntary National Review for Cyprus’s Goals and the expected production in 2024 (under the auspices of the Development Directorate, with the assistance of UNITAR), of the first comprehensive Sustainable Development Goals plan for Cyprus.
SDSN Cyprus actively encourages all efforts in this positive direction, the announcement states.
SDSN Cyprus will soon announce the organization of an event where the findings of this specific report will be presented and discussed. This will be followed by a discussion on ways to reverse this dismal reality.
Since its establishment (2019), SDSN Cyprus has worked with social and governmental partners to improve the country’s performance in implementing the SDGs.
It promotes the dissemination of best practices, awareness raising, education for sustainable development, youth engagement, and the integration of SDGs into everyday activities.
The European Sustainable Development Report of SDSN for 2023/24 is available at: https://eu-dashboards.sdgindex.org/. For more information or assistance in making SDGs a reality in Cyprus, interested parties can visit the website https://sdsn.cyprus.cyi.ac.cy or the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SDSNCyprus) or contact via email at [email protected].
