Vitaly Khotsenko: Omsk Region was the first among the subjects of the Russian Federation to present a comprehensive model for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030

On April 16, 2025, within the framework of the SCO International Sustainable Development Forum in Omsk, an official presentation of the Strategy for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the Omsk Region until 2030 took place. 

The document was presented by Andrey Shpilenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Omsk Region, representative of the region to the Government of the Russian Federation, during the session "The Role of Business in the development of cities and Regions". It was noted that the Strategy was developed on the basis of key international and national documents, including the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strategic documents of the Russian Federation, as well as national projects that serve as the main tool for achieving sustainable development goals in the country.

"The Omsk Region was the first in the country to present a model for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which includes three key components: the strategy itself with a detailed implementation plan for each of the Sustainable Development Goals, the formation and publication of non-financial reports, as well as the promotion of sustainable development goals outside the region. The strategy includes an indicator framework for monitoring progress towards achieving the SDGs. A total of 173 indicators are included in the list," said Vitaliy Khotsenko.

Among the priority steps to implement the strategy are the creation of a Council for Sustainable Development under the leadership of the Governor, the annual publication of progress reports, the introduction of models for the implementation of sustainable development goals on infrastructure sites and in industrial clusters, as well as the formation of a pool of "green" investment projects.

For information transparency purposes, a special section "Sustainable Development" will be launched on the Omsk Region Government's Portal in the near future, where citizens and businesses will be able to familiarize themselves with key documents, indicators and initiatives.

The results of the All-Russian research on how business helps to develop cities were also presented at the Forum as part of the presentation session. Omsk has become the leader among Russia's 12 million-plus cities in terms of the level of social investment by large companies. The research was conducted by the Platforma Social Design Center under the leadership of Alexey Firsov.
Special attention is paid to achieving one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: "Sustainable cities and human settlements". According to the expert, urban development is impossible today without the involvement of business, especially in the field of social investment and support for high-quality urban infrastructure.

"Omsk not only topped the survey's ranking, but also demonstrated how our long-standing partnership with Gazprom Neft and their systematic approach to social investment are transforming the urban environment. A great contribution to the development of our city is made by the companies "Titan", "Ruskom" and others. Today, our task is to create such conditions for business that social entrepreneurship becomes not a burden, but one of the key trends in the development of the region," said Vitaly Khotsenko, Governor of the Omsk Region.

Following the discussion, it was decided to conduct a separate study, with a focus on the Omsk region. It will help identify regional trends, best practices and identify growth points for further development of partnership between government and business.

Experts from different countries gathered at the Forum to discuss an important and at the same time difficult topic — how to make business and economy not only profitable, but also responsible towards people and nature. Experts shared examples of how such principles already work in their countries. For example, Russia and Kazakhstan already have their own sustainability assessment systems for companies and regions, and an Indian representative joined online and explained how such measures help them combat environmental and social problems. 
The plenary session was another step towards creating a unified strategy for sustainable development within the SCO and strengthening international relations.