A total of seven categories were awarded. The winners were selected by an expert jury from a record 269 entries, which included businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, and individuals. “The recognition of the winning project in the Development Cooperation, Peace, and Partnership category is a significant achievement for our team, which has been working on development cooperation for 26 years, and for our university as a whole. I see fulfilling the goals of sustainable development as one of the fundamental conditions for the functioning of our society,” said Petr Němec from the Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology, and Geobiocenology at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, MENDELU, who is involved in the project.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the long-standing partners of the SDGs Awards. We share an interest in a sustainable future in which the Czech Republic thrives. A sustainable world is fairer, more prosperous, and, above all, safer. I see the SDGs Awards as further confirmation that the Czech Republic is capable of helping solve global challenges and contributing to a better future for all of us,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský.

The SDGs Awards are a globally unique recognition for fulfilling the United Nations’ global goals. In the Czech Republic, they are awarded by the Association of Social Responsibility in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment, and, as of 2024, the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports. They are a successful example of partnership between the public, non-governmental, and business sectors, one of the key principles of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by UN member states in 2015.

Photo: Oldřich Drnec