On October 27, 2021, a meeting of the Regional Group for Sustainable Development of the Mogilev Region was held. The meeting was attended by representatives of enterprises, organizations, public associations that implement projects and programs aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Mogilev region.
Members of the Regional Group for Sustainable Development analyzed the results of the first year of implementation of the Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Mogilev Region for the period up to 2035 and determined a work plan for sustainable development for 2022.
Also during the meeting, the participants discussed ways of informing the population about the SDGs and the Sustainable Development Strategy, the process of implementing the priorities of the Sustainable Development Strategy in regional policy documents, in the educational process, the implementation of local initiatives and a plan for the transition to a circular economy in the Mogilev region. Bobruisk and Krasnopolsk District shared their experience of the process of developing local sustainable development strategies within the framework of the Workshop of Local Sustainable Development Strategies.
The work of the Mogilev region within the framework of the implementation of the Strategy contributes to the formation of a positive image of the Mogilev region, increases the efficiency of using the potential of the region, and also contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by the Republic of Belarus.
On October 25, 2021, at the State Educational Institution “Gymnasium No. 43 of Minsk”, the Youth Ambassador of Sustainable Development Goals 4 “Quality Education”, Rachilovsky Nikita, gave a social science lesson on the topic «Sustainable Development – a Model for the Development of the ХХI Century» for grade 11 students. This topic is in the calendar-thematic planning and was included in the textbook on social science.
During the lesson, the children discussed: the concept of «Sustainable Development Goals», the history of origin, the concept of «sustainable development», its environmental, economic and social directions, the National Strategy for Sustainable Development for the period until 2035, the architecture of managing the process of achieving the SDGs, participation SDG Youth Ambassadors in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Belarus.
In addition, the SDG 4 Youth Ambassador held a world cafe «Youth perspective on advancing the Sustainable Development Goals» for grade 11 students. During the World Cafe, urgent problems in achieving the SDGs were considered and new ideas for their achievement were proposed on the following topics: SDG 3 «Good health and well-being»; SDG 4 «Quality education»; SDG 16 «Peace, Justice, Strong Institutions».
Through the activities, students were able to immerse themselves in the SDGs, form their vision of the SDGs, and realize how they can change their lifestyle in order to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
On September 25, 2015, at the UN General Session, UN member states, including the Republic of Belarus, approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the most important Sustainable Development Goals is Goal 10 «Reducing inequality within and between countries». SDG 10 tasks, among others, ensure equality of opportunity and encourage the active participation of all people in social, economic and political life, regardless of age, disability, religion or other status.
SOOO «Disabled – Spinal» is the first organization in Belarus that unites paralyzed people in wheelchairs, which operates in the Gomel region and has been implementing projects and initiatives to support people with disabilities and their integration into society since 1997. The chairman of the organization, Gennady Grigorievich Zolotarev, shared the main stages in the formation of the organization and important projects that are now being implemented by the SOOO «Disabled – Spinal».
– Gennady Grigorievich, how the idea of creating the organization came?
– In May 1994, I was injured and fully immersed myself in the problems faced by people who find themselves in such a difficult life situation. With a certain frequency, I spent more than 2 years in hospitals and was able to assess the level of medical, social, psychological, physical, labor rehabilitation and adaptation to society of such a category of people and the conditions of a barrier-free environment created for them at that time. Usually, within 4 months, a person was assigned, as a rule, the first group of disability, a pension, technical means of social rehabilitation. And then the person and his relatives were left alone with the problems that had arisen.
Communicating with the same «friends in misfortune» we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to unite and act together. For example, on March 4, 1997, the SOOO «Disabled – Spinal» was registered by the decision of the Justice Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee.
– Have the goals and objectives of the organization changed over the past 25 years?
– The statutory goals and objectives for rehabilitation, creating a barrier-free environment, protecting the rights and interests of people with disabilities always remain the main ones. The priorities of the activity changed in different periods.
It is worldwide recognized that the shortest way of human rehabilitation and adaptation is through physical culture and sports. In the early period of its formation, the main public association focused on the introduction of a healthy lifestyle and the development of invassport among wheelchair users.
In 1998 we created our own club «Overcoming». Formed teams of wheelchair athletes in athletics, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, powerlifting, swimming participate in official competitions, various tournaments and sports days both domestically and abroad.
Since 2017, we have been working on the issues of socialization of people with disabilities, the introduction of a healthy lifestyle and the development of invasport together with the GOCOR for Paralympic and Deflympic Sports and the branch of the «Center for Inclusive Culture». These institutions were the first in the country to be established. Every person with a disability after an injury, ideally, should go through their own path of medical, social, psychological, physical, labor rehabilitation and socialization into society already in new living conditions. In 2000, we were one of the first founders of the UE «Prometey – INVO», where new jobs were created for young disabled people who have no work experience and received social pensions. Also, the regional fund «Center for active rehabilitation, social protection of disabled people of the musculoskeletal system, development of disabled sports» was created. Its main goal is to attract investments for solving statutory tasks.
Today we see our participation in solving the problems of people with disabilities as a link between a specific person and his environment or target group with relevant structures. The system of measures for the provision of rehabilitation and habilitation services for people with spinal injuries was created as a result of many years of painstaking joint, partner work with health care institutions, social protection, with the support of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, within the framework of state programs in the Gomel Region.
In the Department of Neurosurgery №2 of the Gomel Regional Clinical Hospital, spinal surgeries are performed and medical rehabilitation is carried out in the postoperative period, then the person is sent to the Republican Clinical Hospital of Medical Rehabilitation in Aksakovschina. Early and late medical rehabilitation is carried out in the Gomel regional hospital for disabled veterans of the Patriotic War. The instructors of the SOOO “Disabled — Spinal” provide social and habilitation services within the framework of the state social order and we are very good at implementing this task together with the local authorities. In the sanatorium «Pridneprovsky» conditions have been created for the spa treatment of such people. And this work will continue.
– What attention is paid by the association to the problem of the accessible environment?
– This is a very important problem not only for wheelchair users, but also for other people with limited mobility. Any person should be able to freely, without outside help, leave the house, move independently in space and receive the necessary services on an equal basis with other people.
In order to receive a socially significant object after reconstruction, major repairs or new construction that fully complies with the conditions of a barrier-free environment, the customer needs to develop a technical task taking into account the barrier-free environment. Designers design estimates in accordance with building codes. And builders should not allow any deviations or violations. And here the participation of those for whom this is being done is very important. That is, the TK and design and estimate documentation of such objects must be coordinated with public associations of people with disabilities who have trained experts. Our organization participates in the examination of documents and monitoring of objects of a barrier-free environment. And this interaction needs to be strengthened to achieve the best result.
– How is the partnership with local authorities established?
– We understood from the very beginning that it was impossible to solve the tasks that we set for the organization independently, without the participation and support of the state. Therefore, all our work was aimed at creating and strengthening partnerships with the authorities and its state structures.
Interdepartmental councils on the problems of people with disabilities (regional, city, district) are a very good legal field for interaction with government agencies. I, as the chairman of the association, am a member of the architectural and urban planning council of Gomel. The organization participates in the implementation of the regional set of measures of the State Program «Social Protection» for 2021-2025.
The understanding of the need to unite their efforts and create a dialogue platform for joint discussion and solution of common problems came after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the country, and the reflection of these documents in state programs to address the problems of people with disability to public associations of disabled people in the region.
On November 15, 2019, the largest public associations of disabled people in the region signed an Agreement on joint activities within the Council of Public Associations of Disabled People of the Gomel Region «Accessible Environment — Inclusive Belarus». Today the council includes 10 legal entities. Six strategic directions have been identified for joint work, which are common and important for all participants.
SOOO «Disabled — spinal» actively participate in conferences and seminars at the international and regional levels, spreading their experience and establishing new partnerships. The results of our work and long-term plans were presented at the Regional Forum for Sustainable Development of the Gomel Region, which was held on October 15, 2021 in Gomel with the support of the National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Gomel Regional Executive Committee and the United Nations Development Program.
The activities of our organization make an important contribution to the achievement of SDG 10 by the Republic of Belarus, ensuring the creation of conditions for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the active life of society.
On October 22, 2021, a meeting of the leadership of the Council of Ministers and the Head of State was held, at which a decision was made to improve approaches to stimulating the use of electric transport in the Republic of Belarus.
The government has proposed several innovations to create favorable conditions for the purchase of electric vehicles, as well as to expand the validity of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated March 12, 2020 №92 «On stimulating the use of electric vehicles» for the period until 2025:
Since the implementation of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated March 12, 2020 №92, 5700 electric vehicles have been purchased in the country, the amount of electricity consumed by this type of transport has increased 6 times, more than 480 charging stations have been installed, 10% of gas stations provide charging services. It is planned to reach the level of 100 thousand electric vehicles by the end of 2025, which will be about 3% of the total number of vehicles.
The expansion of the Decree will have a positive effect on the development of the country by reducing costs, increasing production volumes and reducing emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, which will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by the Republic of Belarus 9, 11, 12, 13 and other SDGs.
More information on promoting the use of electric transport can be found here: https://pravo.by/novosti/obshchestvenno-politicheskie-i-v-oblasti-prava/2021/october/66837/.
The development of a project for the placement of state «green» bonds on the stock exchange of the Astana International Financial Center has begun in the Republic of Belarus since August 2021.
The strategic goal of the «green» finance concept currently being developed is to use this capital as efficiently as possible for the needs of social infrastructure, including in the regions.
By implementing this initiative, Belarus will provide an additional contribution to regional development through projects with positive economic, environmental and social impact.
The introduction of «green» finance instruments is an important stage in Belarus’s transition to a «green» economy, as well as a contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
More detailed information about the project can be found at the link: https://www.belta.by/economics/view/brantsevich-zelenoe-finansirovanie-orientirovano-na-regionalnye-proekty-465542-2021/?utm_source=yxnews&utm_medium=desktop.
On October 1, 2021, The State Standard «Clear language. General Provisions» was put into effect.
The main goal of creating Gosstandart is to promote and create a barrier-free communication environment in the Republic of Belarus for people who have difficulty understanding information.
The standard provides the basic rules for constructing and presenting information in a clear language, including the location of text on the page, size, color, font features, requirements for illustrations, websites, audio information.
Due to the introduction of the “clear language” methodology, which is innovative for Belarus, each person, including a person with a disability, has the opportunity to gain access to information that determines the scope of his social interaction, professional or labor employment, satisfaction of his needs, which makes a significant contribution to achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goals 10 and other SDGs.
On April 23, 2021, the State Program «Science-intensive technologies and equipment» for 2021-2025 was approved by the resolution №245 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. The main goal of the State Program is the formation of a knowledge-based economy by ensuring the scientific, economic and geopolitical interests of the republic, national bioresource and environmental security, technological development of industries to achieve competitive advantages.
Work on scaling up the technology for synthesizing genes is already underway within the framework of the State Program. Artificial genes are widely used in biotechnology and scientific research to help fight disease. The technology for producing artificial genes is the basis of one of the strategies for expanding the genetic code.
In 2021, the Junior Researcher of the Protein Engineering Laboratory of the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Veronika Shchur, won the Grand Prix of the project «100 Ideas for Belarus» with a unique development of synthesizing artificial genes. The main goal of the young scientist is to introduce technology into production.
Research and innovation activities of young people act as a powerful engine of social development and economic growth of the country, and also make a significant contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by the Republic of Belarus 8, 9, 11 and others.
More detailed information about the developments of young scientists can be found at the link: https://www.sb.by/articles/davay-gen-rabotay.html.
On 11-15 October, 2021, within the framework of the Decade «Education for Sustainable Development for All», the project «SHE in Art and Life» was implemented at the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank, within the framework of which were carried out:
The project was initiated by members of the SDG Volunteer Team with the participation of SDGs 4, 11 and 13 Youth Ambassadors with the aim of promoting the ideas of gender equality, partnership among youth, as well as popularizing the creativity of Belarusian artists, which contributes to the implementation of the Agenda for Sustainable Development for the period up to 2030.
Students and pupils of educational institutions of the city of Minsk attended a series of lectures on the peculiarities of the interpretation of the image of a woman in world and national art, took part in the discussion «Social and professional status of women scientists and the influence of gender stereotypes on scientific activity», as well as in the training «Playing in gender stereotypes».
More detailed information about the project can be found at the link: https://bspu.by/news/universitet/proekt-ona-v-iskusstve-i-zhizni-realizovan-v-bgpu.
On October 15, 2021, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development of the Gomel Region was held on the basis of the State Institution «Gomel Regional Social and Cultural Center» with the support of UNDP in the Republic of Belarus. The event was held in a hybrid format.
The event was attended by the National Coordinator for the achievement of the SDGs, the UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Belarus, the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, the National Statistical Committee, the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, district executive committees, representatives of public organizations, financial institutions, educational and scientific institutions.
Progress towards sustainable development of the Gomel region in the context of three components: economic, social and environmental spheres was discussed at the regional forum. The Gomel region occupies 20% of the industrial volume. The share of GDP is 101.5%. Export potential is developing steadily. New and existing social facilities are constantly being introduced and the existing ones are being modernized: schools in Gomel, a modern kindergarten in Mozyr, a children’s regional hospital equipped with the latest technology, the Gomel central city polyclinic, a rehabilitation department in the Gomel boarding school for disabled children. The projects «Accessible Environment – Inclusive Belarus», «Healthy Cities and Villages» are being implemented. New treatment facilities have been commissioned in Rogachev, a major overhaul of the wastewater treatment plant has been completed in Rechitsa, waterlogging of drained peatlands and other environmental protection measures are underway.
The central topic of discussion at the Forum was the UNDP initiative to create the Chernobyl Investment Platform, the goal of which is to revive the territories contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster, leaving no one behind development opportunities.
The platform creates advanced conditions for:
More detailed information on sustainable development of the Gomel region can be found at the links: https://www.belta.by/regions/view/asljuk-vse-17-tselej-ustojchivogo-razvitija-uspeshno-realizujutsja-v-gomelskoj-oblasti-464743-2021/, https://news.sb.by/articles/stroitelstvo-zhilya-provedenie-gazoprovoda-v-gomele-prokhodit-forum-po-ustoychivomu-razvitiyu-region.html.
On October 14, 2021, the second Regional Forum #GBCregions (State. Business. Citizens — Regions) took place in Brest.
The event was organized by the National Traffic Exchange Center, the National Center for Electronic Services, as well as Belarusian cloud technologies.
The regional forum was attended by heads of state organizations, regional and district executive committees, representatives of IT companies, banks, business and educational institutions.
The main purpose of the forum was to raise awareness of organizations in the Brest region on information security issues.
Information protection, the development of the created electronic government of the Republic of Belarus, the introduction of biometric documents, the implementation of the elements of the “Smart City” at the regional level, increasing the IT literacy of society, the implementation of IT projects of state bodies and organizations, consideration of promising developments and other issues were discussed within the framework of the forum.
It is impossible to remain competitive, to produce products and services in demand on the international market. without digital transformation. Holding such an event provides an opportunity to understand the needs of the state, business and society, and also contributes to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, 11 and other SDGs.
More detailed information about the regional forum in Brest can be found at the link: https://zarya.by/news/glavnye-novosti/v-breste-segodnja-prohodit-regionalnyj-forum-gbcregions/.
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