The development of the National Strategy of the Republic of Belarus “Active Longevity — 2030” is determined by the intensification of the processes of demographic aging, the emergence of new needs and opportunities for older citizens, as well as the need to create conditions for the realization of their potential.
The guidelines for policy development on issues related to population ageing are the Goals of sustainable development, implementation of which is impossible without making decisions for older citizens. The National Strategy is based on the principle “Leaving no one behind”, stipulated in the Agenda for Sustainable Development until 2030, and is aimed at achieving almost all the Sustainable Development Goals.
The main objectives of the strategy: — ensuring protection of rights and dignity of elderly citizens, creating conditions for their social inclusion and full participation in society; — encouraging a longer working life and creating a comfortable income level for older citizens; — providing opportunities for lifelong learning and expanding access to education and professional development; — creating conditions for healthy and safe life, active longevity; — developing social services to ensure a decent quality of life for older citizens; — creating an infrastructure and living environment adapted to the needs of older citizens.
The text of the National Strategy “Active Longevity-2030” can be found at the following link.
Photo: pravo.by
On December 8 an online conference “How the adoption of the Law “On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and their Social Integration” may affect business in Belarus: results of regulatory impact assessment” will be held. To participate, you need to register.
Now Belarus has prepared a draft law “On the rights of persons with disabilities and their social integration”, which is aimed at bringing the legislation of the Republic of Belarus in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To assess the possible impact of the draft law on the conditions of doing business in the country, the project “Support for local economic development in Belarus” conducted a pilot procedure to assess the regulatory impact of the draft law, which is devoted to the conference.
The draft Law was based on two existing laws of the Republic of Belarus: “On social protection of disabled people in the Republic of Belarus”, “On prevention of disability and rehabilitation of disabled people”. The new articles touch upon the following issues: the rights of people with disabilities; inadmissibility of discrimination based on disability; guarantees of the rights of people with disabilities in emergency situations; means of communication; educational work; automated information system of social support and rehabilitation of people with disabilities; creation of rehabilitation centers, habilitation of people with disabilities. More information about the new draft law can be found on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus.
Quality education provides an understanding of the nature and scope of sustainable development challenges and an opportunity to be critical and creative in the search for effective solutions. In the context of the Agenda-2030 for Sustainable Development, Goal 4, Quality Education, is presented as a new vision for global education. It is about transforming people’s lives through education as the main driver of development and the achievement of other Sustainable Development Goals. The role of education in the processes of achieving the SDGs was discussed during the III International Symposium “Education for Sustainable Development for all generations – social contract”, which was held on December 2-3 at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University and gathered representatives of the system of continuous teacher training and all spheres of sustainable development.
The purpose of the symposium was to agree on strategic directions for the development of continuing education practices for sustainable development. Irina Velichko, Head of the Main Department of Multilateral Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the symposium participants on behalf of the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus, emphasizing the key role of education in achieving the SDGs. Ioanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, drew attention to the importance of strengthening networking between government agencies, civil society representatives, businesses and international organizations. Representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, National Statistical Committee, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, experts of UNESCO and the EU Department of Research and Innovation also spoke at the symposium. In their speeches they stressed that the complex cross-sectoral nature of the Sustainable Development Goals requires a complex mechanism for their implementation and the creation of inter-agency structures for the coordination of joint actions. During the symposium, the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals, Anatoly Isachenko, and Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Kadlubay, awarded diplomas to the winners of the “SDG Youth Ambassadors – the future of the planet is in our hands” contest.You can find the symposium resolution, materials and videos on the website of the Education for Sustainable Development Coordination Center at BGPU, which provided organizational and substantive support for the symposium.
The Symposium was held under the auspices of the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals, with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the support of the UNDP Project “Supporting the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals and Strengthening the Role of Parliament in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”, financed by UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA in the Republic of Belarus. The Symposium was included into the Action Plan of the Council for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2020-2021 and into the Action Plan of the Youth Campaign “The Future We Want” implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Belarus with the support of the UN agencies’ representations.
On November 13, 2020 the session of the Republican Interdepartmental Council on problems of people with disabilities took place. Members of the Republican interdepartmental council, representatives of public associations “Beloi”, “Belog”, “BelTIZ” “BelAPDI MI”, “RAIK” and other organizations took part in it.
More information on the Republican Interdepartmental Council and the regulation on its work can be found at the link.
The meeting discussed issues of socialization, rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities, the importance of interaction between different structures for the most effective assistance to people with disabilities. Creating regional and district interagency councils with the participation of public organizations was also discussed, as such councils showed high efficiency and effectiveness. At the suggestion of public associations working for people with disabilities, a list of means of rehabilitation, which are necessary to care for and improve the quality of life of patients undergoing rehabilitation in healthcare institutions was compiled. In 2021, all health care institutions will be equipped with rehabilitation means from this list. The issue of employing people with disabilities is also important. More than two thousand individual professional consultations of unemployed people with disabilities were conducted by the Labor, Employment and Social Protection Authorities in 2020 as part of career guidance work. The meeting also discussed the support of enterprises where people with disabilities work, the work on socialization and rehabilitation of people with disabilities, the possibility of state assistance to the enterprises of public associations to remain competitive, the development of specific practical solutions for employment of people with disabilities in the regions, the creation of additional jobs. Socialization, rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities are important for achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 “Good Health and Welfare”, 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth” and 10 “Reducing Inequality”. In particular, one of the targets of Goal 10 is to promote the active participation of all people in social, economic and political life, regardless of disability.
The III International Symposium “Education for Sustainable Development for All Generations – Social Contract” will be held on December 2-3, 2020 at the educational institution Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University. The main organizers of the Symposium are the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Belarusian State Pedagogical University and the Association “Education for Sustainable Development” in partnership with the UN in the Republic of Belarus and with the support of the National Coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the UNDP/UNICEF/UNFPA project “Support to the Architecture of Management of Sustainable Development Goals Achievement in the Republic of Belarus — 2”. The aim of the Symposium is to share experience and best practices that provide a link between continuing education and ensuring environmental integrity, economic sustainability, social well-being and human resource development. The Symposium is held within the framework of the Action Plan of the Council for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2020-2021 and the Action Plan of the Youth campaign “The future we want” implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Belarus. The Symposium will be organized taking into account the recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will be held in a hybrid format using an online platform for most of the Symposium participants. The Symposium will be attended by members of the Sustainable Development Council, the Parliamentary and Partnership Groups for Sustainable Development and UN agencies. The participants of the Symposium will also include representatives of government agencies and public organizations, educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus and foreign countries, including Armenia, China, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
There will also be an award ceremony for Youth Ambassadors of Sustainable Development Goals, winners of the contest organized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus.
A thematic press conference dedicated to World AIDS Day was organized by the National Press Center of the Republic of Belarus in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. Participants discussed the situation with the spread of HIV infection in the world, the system of medical care for people with HIV infection in the Republic of Belarus and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctors’ fight against the spread of HIV infection.
According to the epidemiological service, as of 1 November 2020, there are 22,792 people with HIV infection in Belarus. At the same time, there is still a negative attitude in society towards people living with HIV, which makes many people afraid to be examined, which leads to late detection of the disease, increases the risks of health problems, death, further transmission of infection and has serious economic consequences. One of the reasons for this is the criminalization not only of HIV transmission, but also of putting people at risk of HIV infection, an approach that causes stigmatization. To address this issue the Ministry of Health together with UN agencies in Belarus is preparing proposals to improve the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. To stop the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is one of the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 3 ‘Good Health and Welfare’. Thanks to prevention, effective antiretroviral therapy and joint efforts of international, national and nongovernmental organizations, the number of new HIV cases in the world is declining every year, and Belarus has been able to confirm its status as a country that eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV for several years. A video version of the briefing dedicated to World AIDS Day can be viewed on the website of the National Press Center.
Sustainable event management is an approach to organizing and conducting events that reduces negative impacts on the environment, infrastructure and local economy. This approach is relevant for events regardless of their format, size, scope and target audience. Key sustainability indicators of the events: transport and carbon dioxide emissions reduction, waste management, energy distribution, ethical labor practices, appropriate management of the organizers’ supply chains, good business practices, consumers’ rights.
Sustainable event management is based on the ideas of the circular economy and promotes the values of equality, inclusion, environmental friendliness, which contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, 10 Reducing Inequality, 4 Quality Education and others.
To promote sustainable event management, a short guide has been issued. It includes best sustainable event management practices and specific instructions for organizing events with the concept of sustainable development in mind. The guide was prepared by the Center for Environmental Solutions and is available here.
Back in early 2020, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus approved a plan of measures to gradually reduce the use of plastic packaging. According to it, from January 1, 2021 it is prohibited to use and sell in catering establishments disposable plastic dishes: forks, spoons, knives, sticks for stirring drinks, glasses, cups, plates, straws for drinks. It will also be prohibited to use disposable packaging for food: containers, trays, boxes, etc., except for packaging for culinary semi-finished products and confectionery products. The prohibition does not apply to disposable plastic caps and caps for glasses and other containers, because no alternative has been found.
In addition to the ban on disposable plastic, it is also important to prevent the formation of plastic debris through the use of recyclable containers, own dishes, deposits. Reducing the use of plastic packaging and disposable plastic production contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 12 “Sustainable Consumption and Production”, 13 “Combating Climate Change”, 14 “Conservation of Marine Ecosystems”, 15 “Conservation of Terrestrial Ecosystems”.
Detailed information on what should disappear from sale can be found in the explanations of regulatory acts of the Ministry of Antitrust Regulation and Trade, as well as on the website of the Center for Environmental Solutions.
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The Sustainable Development Strategy for the Mogilev Region until 2035 was approved at a meeting of the Mogilev Regional Council of Deputies.
The priority in forming the Strategy was to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, improve the welfare of local residents, create modern industries and increase the number of jobs. The Strategy is to become the basis for the development of regional and district forecast and policy documents for the medium and long term.
The Mogilev region districts are developing and adopting their own sustainable development strategies, action plans on sustainable energy development and climate, local economic growth plans and territorially oriented development passports.
Information on the process of developing Mogilev Region Sustainable Development Strategy is available on the website of the Mogilev Region Executive Committee.
Another batch of medical equipment and personal protective equipment (contactless thermometers, disposable gowns) to respond to the spread of coronavirus was purchased and handed over to the State Institution “Republican Center for Medical Response Organization” for further transfer to medical institutions, schools and other organizations.
Non-contact thermometers quickly measure temperature, reducing the number and time of physical contacts between doctors and patients. This simplifies the procedure for determining a patient’s condition and helps reduce transmission. Disposable gowns are an essential part of coronavirus treatment and protection of medical professionals.
Support to the country in combating coronavirus infection within the framework of the UNDP/UNICEF/UNFPA international technical assistance project “Support to the architecture of management of the sustainable development goals of the Republic of Belarus — 2”, implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and under the leadership of the National Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals, is systemic in nature and contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
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