09 Jun Committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
“Cities have the ability to provide something for everyone, only because, and only when, they are created by everyone”
jane jacobs
Sustainable development, whether social, economic or environmental, depends on the promotion of innovative and competitive solutions that make cities smarter, safer, more inclusive, more egalitarian, more effective and more sustainable.
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda”, made up of 17 objectives (SDGs) broken down into 169 targets and approved by world leaders on September 25, 2015, at a memorable summit at the UN headquarters in New York (USA) committed to making turn this vision into reality and thereby create a future that promotes peace, justice and effective institutions.
Thus, the 169 proposed goals are an invitation to municipalities, intermunicipal entities and other government leaders to incorporate a profitable, inclusive and environmentally balanced management model, in a joint initiative to promote sustainable development.
The Municipality was included in this plan, getting involved and investing in cities and the territory as a technological partner for society and organizations. For this purpose, we have incorporated 3 of the 17 global objectives into our business strategy:
#SDG 7 – Renewable and affordable energy
Ensuring access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for everyone is one of the Sustainable Development objectives established by the United Nations and Portugal has all the conditions to be able to use, on a large scale, one of the main sources of renewable energy: solar.
If Portugal, as a country, can aim to reach 80% of energy from renewable sources by 2025, we must all help to contribute to reducing carbon emissions. At the Municipality, we made this commitment in 2019 with the National Solar Potential Network platform and today, with our eyes set on the future, we remain aligned with what we committed to: making our country an example in terms of energy efficiency and reducing emissions. greenhouse gases.
#SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
It was with the aim of contributing to the sustainable development of territories and creating a new source of income for populations and local businesses that uniquePATHS was created. Launched last year, the uniquePATHS tourism platform, now available at www.uniquepaths.eu, is an entrepreneurship project developed by the Municipality, with the support of Turismo de Portugal and aimed at national and/or foreign tourists looking for a differentiating experience to get to know the territory.
By making this commitment, we guarantee that we are building a sustainable and inclusive future, simultaneously promoting the development of our people and communities.
SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
Make cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
As? With CityHub.pt, an intelligent territory management platform that centralizes geographic-based digital solutions, allowing citizens to access a set of remote services and the Municipality to have greater speed and assertiveness in solutions.
Taking into account that, according to the UN, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas and that the expectation is that, by 2050, this number will increase to 70%, CityHub.pt meets the sustainable development objectives outlined at a global level, creating included, safe, resilient and sustainable territories.
Developed by the Municipality in 2019, CityHub.pt aims to respond to the territory’s urban structuring needs and strengthen the vision of territorial development shared among the territory’s agents.
The municipal digital solutions that we have built over the years are, nowadays, absolutely essential and essential and we are certain that our know-how in geographic information technologies is unique, differentiated and can help to leverage the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Proof of this is the recent accession of several municipalities to the CityHub.pt platform which, like us, can develop a culture of change.
Indicators of sustainable development objectives in Portugal
According to the most recent data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), in the different goals set for each country until 2030, Portugal showed positive progress in almost half of the indicators, when comparing 2021 with 2015.
If we analyze by objectives, out of a total of 17 of the SDGs, 10 showed favorable developments and reached the target by at least 50%.
In 2021, 40% (66) of the indicators analyzed registered a favorable evolution or reached the defined target, with four SDGs (3, 6, 7 and 11) presenting 50% or more of the indicators with a favorable evolution.
If we all work together to achieve objectives related to social, economic and environmental challenges, by 2030 the world will be progressively better.