Alina Oprea • 27 October, 2023 at 10:05 AM
As of this year, the Romanian state officially recognizes Sustainability Day in Romania. On the occasion of National Sustainability Day, the NGO Embassy of Sustainability in Romania conducted a study exploring how Romanians perceive tomorrow's security and how valid is the phrase "Sustainability is tomorrow's security" by correlating the needs expressed by citizens with the Sustainability Goals defined by the United Nations.
"Today, 27 October, is National Sustainability Day. As of this year, the Romanian state officially recognizes Sustainability Day in Romania. We use this occasion to tell Romanians that sustainability is the security of tomorrow. On this festive occasion, we at the Embassy of Sustainability in Romania, together with the citizens of Romania, tell the formal leaders of this country what the priorities are from the Romanians' perspective in terms of the need for security for tomorrow. As long as we live in fear, we build from one day to the next and fail to secure a sustainable future. A sustainable, healthy, and prosperous nation can only be built with predictability and only with the security of tomorrow", said Dragoș Tuță, Founder and President of, the Embassy of Sustainability in Romania.
Romanians perceive tomorrow's security in terms of fair, affordable wages (72%), a healthcare system you can rely on (71%), job/financial stability (70%), personal health, and the health of others (68%), a quality education system with well-trained teachers, necessary facilities, etc. (60%), no crime, robbers, dangerous street people (57%), a financially strong country (52%).
Topping the urgency for tomorrow's security is "Health and Well-being" (31.2%), and the issues most urgently in need of improvement are access and encouragement for free/affordable regular check-ups for all people (69%), closely followed by well-developed medical infrastructure (renovated and clean buildings, equipment, toilets, number of ambulances), along with affordable medicines for all people (56%).
The second most important theme is "Decent work and economic growth" (18.3%), which urgently needs to be addressed in the following areas: raising the minimum wage (58%), respecting work-life balance (57%), and safe working conditions for all (56%).
The third place at the top is occupied by "Quality education" (17.6%) which means a well-developed school infrastructure with renovated schools, equipped with textbooks, computers, and gyms (59%), preparation for current, and future jobs, anchored in reality (55%), an updated, less dense, more practical curriculum, etc. (55%).
The study was conducted with the support of IZI Data as a research partner. It included both a qualitative (2 online focus groups with urban and rural women and men aged 20-30) and quantitative component (1009 CAWI self-administered questionnaires, nationally representative urban-rural men and women aged 18-64, internet users, 13-20 October 2023).
The study is an important component of the awareness campaign "Sustainability is tomorrow's security. We can't leave it to chance", launched on National Sustainability Day on 27 October. The campaign is run by the non-profit organization Embassy of Sustainability in Romania.
In Romanian society, there is a widespread fear of the future, caused by the feeling of "tomorrow's uncertainty" generated by multiple systemic problems. Based on this reality, the campaign was built around eight of the most pressing issues for Romanian society today: poverty, hunger, health and well-being, quality education, decent work and economic growth, reducing inequality, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action.
Embassy of Sustainability in Romania (ASR) is an independent, non-profit, non-political NGO established in 2015. The organization promotes the business model in which companies, through partnerships, can solve social and environmental problems without sacrificing economic efficiency and profit.
The Embassy creates the framework for collaboration between private companies, state institutions, civil society, communities, and concerned citizens so that Romanians live in a healthy environment and a fair and prosperous society.
Sustainability Day in Romania - 27 October is an initiative launched by SAA in 2021, to put sustainability as high on the public agenda as possible and explain it in as simple terms as possible so that it is understood by as many people as possible. Since this year, 27 October has been recognized as a national sustainability day. In the medium and long term, this day aims to provide common benchmarks for action, dialogue, and cooperation between public authorities, NGOs, companies, and citizens.