The Office for Sustainable Development (OSD) was established in 2005, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Office operates within the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro, outside ministries and deals with all pillars of sustainable development. Office is responsible directly to the Prime Minister, who also chaired the work of the National Council of Sustainable Development.
The main roles of the Office for Sustainable Development are as follows:
1) acting as the Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development;
2) monitoring the work of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, and the drafting of annual implementation reports (The First annual Report was adopted in October 2008, while the second one was adopted in December 2009);
3) the coordination of actors from various fields of sustainable development in Montenegro;
4) the improvement of international cooperation with organizations and networks dealing with sustainable development issues and the fostering of bilateral relations in these areas;
5) following the implementation of the Communication Strategy of the Sustainable Development of Montenegro;
6) following the implementation of Millennium Development Goals
Office for Sustainable Development (OSD) performs tasks related to the preparation and implementation of plans and projects in accordance with the purposes and principles of sustainable development and the priorities established by the document "Directions of Montenegro as an Ecological State," co-operation with international organizations to provide overseas assistance for priority projects for sustainable development, spread awareness and encourage activities in the field of sustainable development at all levels.
OSD is also the Secretariat of the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD), and as an operational, advisory and organizational body of the Council participate in the creation, launching, developing and implementing of policies and activities of sustainable development, The NCSD has a mandate to review and provide advice on all relevant documents (strategies, policies and other legal documents) pertaining to the environment as well as economic and social pillar.
OSD also helps in unifying the work of local governments, civil society, public authorities, business and scientific circles with the common aim of implementing the National Strategy for Sustainable Development and its Action Plan. The office coordinates the preparation of annual reports on implementation of National Sustainable Development Strategy and annual reports on implementation of the Communication Strategy of Sustainable Development and Millennium Development Goals in Montenegro.
OSD was also involved in promotion and support of the concept of corporate social responsibility from the beginning as this topic was recognized as powerful vehicle for development and strengthening of civil society and creating conditions for achievement of social prosperity. CSR also represents one of the ways to strengthen and safeguard sustainable development of Montenegro. At the moment the OSD is also in charge of implementing national preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development – UNCSD (Rio+20 Summit).
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