Training of civil servants on SD in Croatia

Marina Gršković, Senior AdvisorDirectorate for International Relations and Sustainable Development

Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and ConstructionCroatia

Rogaška Slatina, 10 November 2011

Importance of ESD

• Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia– umbrella document for sustainable development,

adopted on 20 February 2009– long-term orientation of the Republic of Croatia towards

sustainable development, recognising ESD as a prerequisite for achieving SD in the country

• Action Plan on Education for sustainable development– Adopted on 8 April 2011 – the first AP for NSDS to be

developed– Implementation measures for UNECE ESD Strategy for Croatia– Designed according to the SD principles, in consultation

with all stakeholders, through workshops

Reason

• Why train civil servants on SD?

Increasing ESD competencies of people who have to help decision makers & need to practice SD in their daily work

Public administration should lead the change to more sustainable way of life by its positive example

UNECE Strategy objectives:

1. Ensure that policy, regulatory and operational frameworks support ESD

2. Promote SD through formal, non-formal and informal learning

Development of training

1. Training of future trainers of civil servants on SD in Croatia – project with the Dutch government

2. Creating the concept of the training and the manual on SD for civil servants in Croatia

3. Starting the trainings of civil servants

Chronology of trainingTime Part of

trainingContent Participants

22 - 23 April

2010

Initial training in basic skills for SD

Concept of SD, techniques and skills for integrating SD in your work

Future trainers from various ministries (20 part.)

14 - 18 June 2010

Study trip to the Netherlands

How is SD integrated in work of civil servants there, seeing positive examples

Selected 10 future trainers

September & October 2010

General trainers’ training in Croatian Ministry of Administration

Communication, teaching principles, planning & structuring of the lecture, dealing with problem situations

11 trainers in the first group, the rest of them in the second, later in October & November

25 – 27 October 2010.

Specific trainers training for ESD

Integration of teaching & SD competences, practical exercises, practice in presenting our subject, helpful practical advice

16 trainers – our final trainer group for initial trainings (will later help train the new trainers)

Results

Results at the end of 2010:• Trained trainers for SD• Handbook on SD for civil servants, prepared & written by

Croatian SD trainers• Created course on SD for civil servants

Current developments and plans for the future:• Trainers educating other civil servants• Croatian trainers offering other countries in the region

their experiences (so far: Serbia, Montenegro)• Public administration more aware of SD and working

according to its principles

Content of the training

Sustainable development

in practice

Introduction:- international context- Croatian context- sustainable

development matrix

Backcasting Stakeholders

Final examples- cradle-to-cradle

approach- examples of

sustainable development

1. Introduction

• Introduction to the term sustainable development and some other terms important for this theme

• International context

• Croatian context:– Legal framework and strategic documents of SD– Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia– SD on national level– SD on local level– Application of SD in everyday life

• Sustainable development matrix

3x3 matrix of sustainable development

People Profit (or prosperity)

Planet Earth

Here & now

Later

Elsewhere

2. Backcasting

• Introduction to the backcasting

• Phases of backcasting:

a) Setting the timeframe

b) Analyses of current situation

c) Outlining the vision

d) Determining the significant areas

e) Choice of the path

• Exercise

3. Stakeholders

• Definition of stakeholders

• Choice of the project

• Development of the project, exercise

• Fishing game

• Tragedy of the commons

4. Cradle-to-cradle

• Cradle-to-grave ≠ Cradle-to-cradle• Production modes:

• Quality, efficiency, material management, added value• Examples

4a. Examples of SD

• Ecological design

• Fair trade trademarks

• Green public procurement

• Ecologically grown food served in school restaurants

• Vukomerić recycled estate...

• Exercise – what will you do / change in your life to make it more sustainable?

Result of the training

• Participants begin to truly understand the term sustainable development

• Learn how they can apply SD principles in their professional and personal lives

• Become enthusiastic about SD and truly motivated to follow its principles

• The course - basis for specialised modules to be developed in regional cooperation

Inspired SD ideas

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. 

~Mahatma Ghandi

Thank you!

marina.grskovic@mzopu.hr