Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

8 3. METHODOLOGY The preparation of the 2017 VNR underlined the necessity of a coordination mechanism for the SDGs at a national level. Following up on this observation, the Council of Ministers (CoM) appointed on 30 May 2018, the Ministry of Finance, through its Development Service, the Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development (DG EPCD) as the national coordinator for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The National Coordinator’s competency comprises the effective incorporation of the SDGs in the national policy framework, the regular monitoring of progress and awareness raising events. Engagement of the local authorities and of the main stakeholders is also targeted, as a necessary step towards creating ownership and involvement of the totality of the Cypriot society. SECURING THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR In 2020, Cyprus started preparing its second Voluntary National Review. In this context, in December 2020, the Council of Ministers invited each Ministry to contribute to this effort in its area of competence under the coordination of the Ministry of Finance (DG EPCD). Each SDG has been allocated to the most pertinent Ministry to prepare the input in cooperation with other Ministries involved and by also securing the input of the non-governmental stakeholders that are related to its area of activity. Statistical data was derived from the Statistical Service of Cyprus, which largely draws on the EU SDG indicator set. Based on the contribution from the Ministries and with the help of an academia centre selected through a tendering procedure, the coordinator prepared the main body of the Report. The Press and Information Office of the Government edited the graphics and the layout of the Report. INVOLVEMENT OF THE PARLIAMENT, THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE MAIN STAKEHOLDERS The involvement of Parliament in the SDGs has been so far rather limited. Although the Parliament is reviewing all strategic documents and therefore dealing with SDG policies in this context during hearings on Government’s Strategy, Sectoral Strategies and annual budgets, not much has been undertaken with and within the Parliament specifically on the SDGs, as the overarching agenda. It is useful to mention though, that the Parliament holds special sessions to discuss the problems of some vulnerable groups, such as those for the Elderly and Children. In fact, the set-up of the Children’s Parliament has been recognised as a best practice. For the purposes of this Report, the main stakeholders, including the Parliament, the Commissioners for Environment, for Volunteerism, for Children’s Rights and for Equality and Justice, have been asked by the National Coordinator to send their views in writing. Similarly, the main umbrella organisations among the stakeholders such as the trade unions, the employers’ organisations, the Federation of the NGOs, the Youth Council, the academia, and research centres were asked to give their views on the level of implementation of the SDGs in Cyprus and of the activities that they promote which they would consider as best practices. Their contribution is summarised in the relevant section 5 (Stakeholder Engagement). SURVEY OF THE WIDER PUBLIC In order to get a very preliminary idea of the level of awareness among the general public, a simple questionnaire was distributed electronically through the social media and the website of the DG EPCD. The response, which is also analysed in the Stakeholders Section (Section 5), shows slight to moderate satisfaction in Government’s effectiveness in implementing the SDGs, underpinning the necessity to increase awareness on all the initiatives promoted towards sustainable development.