scholarly journals Sustainability and Digital Transformation in the Visegrad Group of Central European Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5833
Author(s):  
Diána Esses ◽  
Mária Szalmáné Csete ◽  
Bálint Németh

The evolution of the digital transformation presents new challenges and many new opportunities, and provides unique solutions to individual issues, both for sectors and regions. The challenges posed by the digital world have a significant impact on social and economic processes, as well as our environment. This paper aims to provide an indicator-based understanding of the main characteristics of digitalization promoting sustainable development in the member countries of the Visegrad Cooperation. The main goal of this research is to study the relationship between digitalization transformation and sustainability together. One of the basic indicators of the article is the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). We examined interconnections between the dimensions of the DESI index and the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets together in the V4, presented the change, evaluated the selected countries based on these aspects, and set up their ranking. Competitiveness performance data shed light on the situation in Hungary within the V4 countries, pointing out the strengths and shortcomings. The results show the extent of digital performance in each country and the relationship between their digital performance and sustainability indicators.

Author(s):  
Saheed Abdullahi Busari ◽  
Miszairi Sitiris

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the prospects and challenges of the halal industry towards achieving health, environmental, social and economic sustainable development goal. This study relies on qualitative approach to gather data from secondary sources. The paper uses doctrinal approach to analyse the relationship between halal industry, maqāṣid sharīʿah and the sustainable development goals. The increase in demand for halal products is due to greater awareness and religious consciousness of most consumers, particularly among Muslim nations. However, there have been rising concerns about how halal industry can achieve sustainable health, environment, social and economy development goals. Even though halal industry assures halal (permissible) food by forbidding swine and alcohol businesses, it also entails an end to end ṭayyib (wholesomeness) of the products and services for a sustainable ecosystem as imbedded in maqāṣid sharīʿah. This paper explicates useful issues and challenges that principal institutions of the halal industry need to address to achieve halal sustainable development goals.  Keywords: Standardization, Ḥalālan, Ṭayyiban, Maqāsid Shariah, Fatwā, Sustainable Development Goals.                                        Abstrak Tujuan kajian ini dibuat adalah untuk menganalisis prospek dan cabaran industri halal ke arah mencapai matlamat pembangunan mampan sama ada dari segi kesihatan, alam sekitar, sosial dan ekonomi. Kajian ini mengaplikasikan kaedah kualitatif melalui pengumpulan data dari sumber sekunder. Ia menggunakan pendekatan doktrin di dalam menganalisa hubungan di antara industri halal, maqāṣid sharīʿah dan matlamat pembangunan mampan. Peningkatan permintaan terhadap produk halal adalah disebabkan oleh kefahaman serta kesedaran agama yang tinggi di kalangan pengguna, terutamanya di kalangan negara-negara Islam. Walau bagaimanapun, terdapat kebimbangan yang semakin meningkat berhubung bagaimana industri halal boleh mencapai matlamat kesihatan, alam sekitar, sosial dan pembangunan ekonomi yang mampan. Walaupun industri halal memberi jaminan makanan halal (dibenarkan) dengan melarang perniagaan babi dan alkohol, ia juga melibatkan jaminan hujung ke hujung (keseluruhan proses) adalah produk serta perkhidmatan yang ṭayyib bagi mewujudkan ekosistem yang mampan sebagaimana termaktub di dalam maqāṣid sharīʿah. Kajian ini menerangkan isu-isu serta cabaran yang perlu ditangani oleh institusi-institusi utama dalam industri halal untuk mencapai matlamat pembangunan halal yang mampan. Kata Kunci:  Penstandardan, Ḥalālan, Ṭayyiban, Maqāsid Shariah, Fatwā, Matlamat Pembangunan yang Mampan.


Author(s):  
Andrew Harmer ◽  
Jonathan Kennedy

This chapter explores the relationship between international development and global health. Contrary to the view that development implies ‘good change’, this chapter argues that the discourse of development masks the destructive and exploitative practices of wealthy countries at the expense of poorer ones. These practices, and the unregulated capitalist economic system that they are part of, have created massive inequalities between and within countries, and potentially catastrophic climate change. Both of these outcomes are detrimental to global health and the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals do not challenge these dynamics. While the Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge that inequality and climate change are serious threats to the future of humanity, they fail to address the economic system that created them. Notwithstanding, it is possible that the enormity and proximity of the threat posed by inequality and global warming will energise a counter movement to create what Kate Raworth terms ‘an ecologically safe and socially just space’ for the global population while there is still time.


2013 ◽  
Vol 340 ◽  
pp. 1045-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Xian Sun ◽  
Yao Shun Zhu ◽  
Cun Yu Cai ◽  
Yong Mei Li ◽  
Rui Tao ◽  
...  

In order to ensure the sustainable development of resource-exhausted cities,with Dongchuan disrict of Kunming as an example, the achievements and problems in the economic transformation, as well the relationship between the geological hazards and mining were analysed,the results showed that Dongchuan has achieved good results in the process of transformation in economy, city transformation, and ecological construction.However, the basic cause of severe natural disasters lie in over-exploitation is ignored for the misunderstanding of the causes of geological disasters.Therefore, the prominent problem in the development of transformation is the insufficient emphasis on eco-environmental protection.Resource-exhausted cities must pay attention to ecological construction in the transformation process for keeping the economic and environmental sustainability.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1676
Author(s):  
Rebecca Schiel ◽  
Bruce M. Wilson ◽  
Malcolm Langford

Ten years after the United Nation’s recognition of the human right to water and sanitation (HRtWS), little is understood about how these right impacts access to sanitation. There is limited identification of the mechanisms responsible for improvements in sanitation, including the international and constitutional recognition of rights to sanitation and water. We examine a core reason for the lack of progress in this field: data quality. Examining data availability and quality on measures of access to sanitation, we arrive at three findings: (1) where data are widely available, measures are not in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, revealing little about changes in sanitation access; (2) data concerning safe sanitation are missing in more country-year observations than not; and (3) data are missing in the largest proportions from the poorest states and those most in need of progress on sanitation. Nonetheless, we present two regression analyses to determine what effect rights recognition has on improvements in sanitation access. First, the available data are too limited to analyze progress toward meeting SDGs related to sanitation globally, and especially in regions most urgently needing improvements. Second, utilizing more widely available data, we find that rights seem to have little impact on access.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1030
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Sobczak ◽  
Bartosz Bartniczak ◽  
Andrzej Raszkowski

This presented study discusses problems related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty, aimed at eliminating poverty, based on the example of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries. The introduction addresses the general characteristics of the V4 and attempts to define the concept of sustainable development, with particular emphasis on its complex nature and importance for future generations. The purpose of the research was to assess the diversity within the Visegrad Group countries in the years 2005–2018 in terms of poverty and sustainable development level in the No Poverty area and also to identify the impact of the socioeconomic development level in the studied countries on sustainable development in the No Poverty area. Taking into account the analysis of poverty indicators in the Visegrad Group countries, the best results were recorded for Czechia. The second part of the conducted analyzed allowed us to conclude that Czechia definitely presents the highest level of sustainable development, followed by Slovakia. The highest average dynamics of changes occur in Poland and Hungary, which result in the gradual elimination of the existing disproportions. Among other research results, it is worth highlighting that the V4 countries show significant, however, decreasing differences regarding the indicators describing poverty in relation to sustainable development.


Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bain ◽  
Richard Johnston ◽  
Francesco Mitis ◽  
Christie Chatterley ◽  
Tom Slaymaker

The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), are responsible for global monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The SDGs represent a fundamental shift in household WASH monitoring with a new focus on service levels and the incorporation of hygiene. This article reflects on the process of establishing SDG baselines and the methods used to generate national, regional and global estimates for the new household WASH indicators. The JMP 2017 update drew on over 3000 national data sources, primarily household surveys (n = 1443), censuses (n = 309) and administrative data (n = 1494). Whereas most countries could generate estimates for basic drinking water and basic sanitation, fewer countries could report on basic handwashing facilities, water quality and the disposal of waste from onsite sanitation. Based on data for 96 and 84 countries, respectively, the JMP estimates that globally 2.1 billion (29%) people lacked safely managed drinking water services and 4.5 billion (61%) lacked safely managed sanitation services in 2015. The expanded JMP inequalities database also finds substantial disparities by wealth and sub-national regions. The SDG baselines for household WASH reveal the scale of the challenge associated with achieving universal safely managed services and the substantial acceleration needed in many countries to achieve even basic services for everyone by 2030. Many countries have begun to localise the global SDG targets and are investing in data collection to address the SDG data gaps, whether through the integration of new elements in household surveys or strengthening collection and reporting of information through administrative and regulatory systems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Mamdouh M. A. Sobaihi

Reference material concerning sustainable development has increased dramatically over the last decades, with more and more countries, agencies and businesses following the sustainable development ideals and principles. However, one of the most basic of human institutions has not contributed, and perhaps not allowed to contribute, to the debate. Religion and faith systems have a great potential in influencing not only the definitions of sustainable development but also concepts of human sustainable practices to achieve sustainable development goals. The main obstacle to the fulfillment of this potential appears to be the lack of outreach and acceptance of the scientific community to the religious and faith system institutions and individuals. In this paper, a review of the literature is carried out to shed light on the root of this schism between science and belief systems. In addition, the paper will highlight how the majority of the literature deals with process rather than the individual human being and how to make him/her a better practitioner of sustainability. It is also aimed that the paper shed some light on how religious and faith system ideals can be incorporated into sustainable development plans and systems. The main focus of the paper is to cast light on the religion of Islam and some of the Islamic teachings and Ideals and how they can be incorporated in delivering the message of sustainable development since the religion of Islam is forecast to be the largest faith on the planet in the not too distant future. In conclusion, a discussion on how the various religious networks can deliver the message of sustainability will be discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-186
Author(s):  
Frauke Lachenmann

The negotiation process of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) process was extremely ambitious. It sought to remedy all the shortcomings of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) by ensuring transparency, ownership of the countries of the Global South, strong involvement of civil society groups and stakeholders, and creating a truly transformative set of sustainable development goals. Yet, it did not manage to avoid all the mistakes that were characteristic of the formulation of the MDGS. In addition, it struggled with its very own problems. The article traces the developments and debates that led to the formulation of Goal 16 on the rule of law. It shows that the success of this ambitious goal largely depends on the refinement of the indicator framework and the review mechanism.


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