Belgrade, 5 September 2023 – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Development Agency of Serbia (DAS) invite owners and employees of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to enrol on the implementation of ESG criteria in order to improve their business.  

The “ESG Practitioner” programme comprises a series of master-class lectures and workshops that experienced professionals in the field of sustainability of business from the SMART Collective, as well as guest lecturers, will be held between 22 September and 10 October.  

This training programme is a unique opportunity for SME owners and employees to learn how to integrate ESG criteria in decision-making, business policies and strategies.  

“This would help them in gaining advantages such as better access to the capital market and affordable financing, better starting position in negotiating with foreign partners, optimisation of business due to rational use and saving of resources, attracting responsible and talented workers, as well as more respect among the clients and partners. They would also be able to better adapt to amendments in legislation and changes in market trends, especially in the EU market”, says Milica Mišković of the SMART Collective. 

The training on implementation of ESG criteria may be enrolled by representatives of production- and export-oriented SMEs, as well as SMEs that are a part, or intend to become a part of large multinational companies’ chains. 

Application for the programme is submitted online, via the form that can be found here (https://bit.ly/3qQQ8PL), by 15 September 2023 at the latest. 

More details on the “ESG Practitioner” programme may be found via the following link: https://bit.ly/3R7BE8W

Implementation of the ESG criteria enables companies to become sustainable, i.e. in addition to making profit, to also be responsible to natural resources, their employees and the local community, which contributes to an increased respect for and better competitiveness of their business.  

The “ESG Practitioner” training programme is organised as a part of the “Promotion of Sustainable Investment” programme, that UNDP implements in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and with the support of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF) and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.