The International Forum “Decent Longevity: Equal Opportunities for All Generations” was held on October 1 and 2, 2019 in Minsk. It was attended by representatives of state bodies, public organizations, educational institutions, scientific organizations, business, experts and active senior citizens from Belarus, Germany, Austria, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Israel, Estonia. The forum was dedicated to the International Day of Older Persons.
The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexander Rumak addressed the Forum with a welcoming speech. According to him, Belarus has a legislative base that defines the state policy regarding older people, and the aging of the population must be taken into account when making decisions in all spheres of life and at all levels of government. At the same time, it is necessary to form a new understanding of the image and role of senior citizens to create a society for all ages. Today every fifth resident of the Republic of Belarus is an elderly person, by 2030 every fourth Belarusian will be elderly (27%).
Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus stressed at the opening of the Forum: “Today we live on average 34 years longer than our great-grandfathers. Think about it: another whole adult life has been added to our life! People can enjoy longevity only if they have good health, so today, I hope, at our event we will discuss issues of investing in health, in creating the value of a healthy lifestyle for young and elderly people”.
The Forum discussed key topics related to the lives of older people: ensuring their rights, the concept of a roadmap to ensure that aging is fully addressed in Belarus, demographic aging, international experience in ensuring the rights of older people, innovative practices in the field of decent longevity, the results of research on needs of elderly people and the possibilities of their satisfaction, the image of an elderly person and the attitude towards them in society.
The Forum presented the draft National Strategy of the Republic of Belarus “Decent Longevity – 2030”. This document was developed at the initiative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in conjunction with republican government bodies, representatives of the academic and civil society, and determines the priority directions of state policy, taking into account demographic trends and risks associated with an aging population and is aimed at the entire population of the country.
On October 2-12, 2019, the Decade “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for All” is taking place in the Republic of Belarus.
The decade opened with a public discussion “Modern Climate Heroes in Belarus”, which was attended by students of BSPU, BSU, BSEU, MITSO, students of the gymnasium No. 19 of Minsk, which is a Resource Center for the comprehensive support of sustainable development practices.
In total, the Decade’s calendar has 60 educational events dedicated to the Sustainable Development Goals. The events will be held in educational institutions of all regions of Belarus. They will include seminars, workshops, events and festivals, and their topics will be lifelong education, eco-friendly lifestyle, multicultural education, inclusion in society and others.
The decade will end on October 11, 2019 with the festival of innovative ESD practices, which will be held at BSPU. During the festival public lectures and master-classes on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation, school interaction with the local community to achieve the SDGs, eco-friendly lifestyle and preservation of historical and cultural heritage will be held.
You can get acquainted with the events of the Decade and the interactive map of places where they will be held here.
The organizers of the Decade are the Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development” of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University and the Education for Sustainable Development Association with the support of the sustainable development partner group.
On September 23, 2019 Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei took part in the opening of the Summit on Climate Change Measures, which was organized at the initiative of the UN Secretary General Antoni Guterres on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly.
The goal of the Summit is to mobilize political will for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and increase the level of ambitious goals in the fight against climate change. The summit is held a year before countries will have to make additional national climate commitments in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
The Belarusian side is firmly committed to the transition to a low-carbon sustainable economy and sent a statement to the UN Secretariat announcing its intention to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 solely from its own resources. Among the concrete measures of Belarus on the path to ensuring low-carb development are the wider use of renewable energy sources, the construction of energy-efficient housing and the development of electric transport, the introduction of low-carbon and non-carbon technologies into the economy.
The Minister singled out climate change as an important topic for the entire planet today: “We see how, against the background of an ever-increasing population of the planet and, as a result, increased exploitation of the Earth’s limited resources, the problem of climate change is aggravating.
We are probably very close to the point of no return if the most decisive action is not taken. So far, the efforts of the international community to reduce emissions are clearly lagging behind the dynamics of the destructive processes of climate change.
The Summit on Climate Change Measures, which was held at the UN headquarters these days, gives hope for the consolidation of the world community efforts and the implementation of significant initiatives to reduce emissions.
Belarus, as a responsible participant in collective efforts to combat climate change, intends to make an unconditional commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% by 2030 compared to 1990 solely from its own resources.
A powerful impetus for the transition to a low-carbon economy was given by the launch of a motivational mechanism that provides the transfer of advanced knowledge and technologies to developing countries, as well as climate investments”.
The Summit was a major step forward in realizing high national goals and taking measures by the private sector to ensure compliance with the main deadline for combating climate change set for 2020. 77 countries pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, and another 70 states announced that they will either expand their national action plans by 2020, or have already begun this process. More than 100 major representatives of the business community, including owners of assets worth more than $ 2 trillion, as well as leading companies with total capital also exceeding $ 2 trillion, have taken concrete steps to embark on the path to achieving the goals set in the Paris Agreement and accelerate the transition from gray economy to a green one. Many countries and more than 100 cities, including many of the largest cities in the world, have announced new significant and concrete steps in the fight against the climate crisis. Youth leaders, including Greta Tunberg, expressed the need for leaders to take more action and expressed their determination to hold leaders accountable.
For reference: Sustainable Development Goal 13 is “Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its effects.” Climate change has a significant impact on economic development, natural resources and poverty alleviation. Developing low-cost and scalable solutions to reduce climate change will help countries provide a healthy and sustainable economy.
Internet game “Sustainable Development Goals: Think and Act!” was held in Belarus on September 25, 2019 – on the anniversary of the international agreement “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (2030 Agenda) adoption by the United Nations.
Participants needed to complete all the tasks of the game in three hours – to immerse themselves in the values of the 2030 Agenda as condition for ensuring a better quality of life, human rights and all life on Earth, to get acquainted with the Earth Charter +20 national information campaign and come up with their ideas and actions that would help different groups of population learn about the Sustainable Development Goals.
The game was organized by the Education for Sustainable Development Association, the Education for Sustainable Development Coordinating Center of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University and the Inter-University Club of Friends of the Sustainable Development Goals with the support of the partner group for sustainable development.
On September 25, 2019, on the anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNDP convened in Minsk national partners, academia and civil society for strategic consultations.
The goal of national strategic consultations is to develop key areas of joint activities between UNDP and national partners, taking into account the development priorities of the Republic of Belarus. The directions developed during the consultations will form the basis of the UNDP country program document for 2021–2025. More than 70 national partners, representatives of ministries, research institutes, banks, foundations, business, NGOs, universities, the country office and UNDP projects participated in strategic consultations, shared their vision and ideas for future joint programs.
“It is symbolic that these consultations are held precisely on September 25th, on the anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Today’s consultations are called upon to develop strategic directions, the main activity vectors that will unite both national partners and international partners in order to fulfill the most basic tasks – first of all, not to leave anyone aside and increase the well-being of our people”, – emphasized Marianna Schetkina , National Coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals.
Determining the strategic priorities of cooperation for 2021-2025 was the main task of the first national strategic UNDP consultations.
The consultations were held in the format of small groups work in key priority areas, which are reflected in the national sustainable developmentstrategy concept for the period up to 2035 – economic growth; digitalization; environmental safety, as well as international cooperation and implementation of the SDGs. The discussion passed through the prism of intersectoral priorities: people with disabilities, women, youth, areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster.
Among the innovations developed by the participants of the consultations and proposed by the UNDP Resident Representative are the creation of national laboratory for experimentation and innovative solutions for the SDGs and the creation of an innovative platform based on the Polessky State Radiation and Ecological Reserve.
Today the Republic of Belarus takes 23rd place in the global ranking of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
From August 14 to August 15, 2019, the Zubrenok National Children’s Education and Health Center hosted the Forum “Innovations of teenagers and youth to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, which brought together teenage leaders, representatives of teenage parliaments from cities friendly to children and teenagers, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) youth ambassadors. The large-scale event was held to honour the International Youth Day and the 50th anniversary of NCC “Zubrenok”.
The main objective of the Forum is to strengthen the potential of teenagers and youth, increase their knowledge and understanding of the SDGs, develop leadership skills to successfully achieve global goals and direct the creativity and energy of young people to modern challenges in the country, region and the world.
Teenagers aged 14–16 years worked in 17 teams with one of the SDGs throughout the Forum. The result for each team was the idea of a project aimed at achieving the corresponding Goal. Project ideas were heard by an expert panel, which included the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, the heads of UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA in Belarus, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education.
Here are the ideas the participants suggested:
SDG 1: FinGram mobile app to eliminate financial illiteracy among teenagers and youth, including an educational unit and a financial glider.
SDG 2: Children’s Volunteer Care Center to address the adverse social situation among children and teenagers, including free nutrition, medical and psychological assistance, specialized educational courses, and communication with other children and adolescents.
SDG 3: a social video (or a series of social videos) on teenagers’ loneliness as one of the potential causes of thoughts about suicide.
SDG 4: a prototype of a specialized class for developing effective communication skills among children and teenagers to solve the problem of lack of educational programs in communicative qualities in the framework of school education.
SDG 5: a campaign on social networks (using the hashtags #BE_YOURSELF #MY_CHOICE #BEMYSELF) to solve the problem of stereotypical ideas about the appearance and image of girls and guys.
SDG 6: prototype rainwater purification device (for rural and urban areas) and a mobile application with tips on using and installing such a device.
SDG 7: Challenge in social networks “Save energy in 30 days” (using the hashtags #safetheenergy #saveenergy) to inform the public about the problem of non-responsible energy use and to create eco-friendly habits.
SDG 8: Career guidance program “I want to work …” involving students to present their professions and organizing educational excursions to companies and organizations for more detailed acquaintance with a particular profession.
SDG 9: Econet project for exchanging recyclables for free mobile Internet traffic (waste paper / plastic collecting machines are equipped with a screen for issuing a QR code with the amount of free traffic earned, which can be obtained in a special application).
SDG 10: a series of educational activities to get acquainted with the cultures of other countries for more tolerant and inclusive behavior towards representatives of other countries and cultures (includes interviews, interactive quizzes, talk shows, days “on the contrary”, etc.).
SDG 11: prototype application for the effective organization of all necessary contacts and locations of government and other institutions in different categories: education, health, social services, etc., including a breakdown by city and age of users and users.
SDG 12: “sweetilizator” – an automatic machine for exchanging recyclables (primarily plastic) for rewards for children and teenagers (small chocolates).
SDG 13: Chloroferm – a prototype incubator for growing chlorella algae to purify indoor air in an urban environment.
SDG 14: talk shows on raising awareness and awareness among the population about negligent pollution of marine ecosystems.
SDG 15: agency for environmental advertising and developing brand positioning using eco-friendly principles in the production of packaging, souvenirs, etc.
SDG 16: A school legal support service for children and teenagers, including an education unit and mediation services.
SDG 17: an application to strengthen global partnerships, collaboration and the exchange of best practices among teenagers from different countries to achieve the SDGs in the format of a specialized social network.
To engage youth in achieving SDGs at the global level, there is the UN 2030 Youth Strategy. The strategy outlines priority areas designed to improve the lives of young people who are directly related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and one of the platforms to accelerate the achievement of SDGs in Belarus – focus on future generations. These directions are also reflected in the national strategic documents of Belarus. In the concept of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development for the period up to 2035, it was noted that young people play a special role in the national model of sustainable development, which is the engine of sustainable development in the long term.
The forum was held as part of the UNDP / UNICEF / UNFPA project “Supporting the functioning of the architecture for managing the process of the Sustainable Development Goals achievement in the Republic of Belarus” with the support of the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals Marianna Schetkina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education.
On September 20-30, 2019, the largest Global Week in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (Act4SDGs) will be held around the world. Thousands of individuals and organisations mark the fourth anniversary of the historic adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals across the Global Week to Act for SDGs.
Last year, more than a million people took part in actions in 1243 cities in 142 countries. This year the largest Global Week to Act4SDGs ever will drive action in solidarity with citizens across the globe including youth groups through Fridays for Future and youth-led global climate strikes, and civil society organizations through the #StandTogetherNow campaign.
This year is particularly important as for the first time since the SDGs were adopted in 2015, Heads of State will review progress on implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the UN Summit on the SDGs. Furthermore, our collective mobilisation is set against a backdrop of five major Summits tackling some of the most pressing problems of our time including; climate change, universal health coverage, small island states and development financing in addition to the Sustainable Development Goals. Outstanding actions from around the world will be showcased at the UN High Level Week throughout the Global Week to Act4SDGs.
Collective mobilization efforts are especially important against the backdrop of five major summits that address some of the most pressing issues of our time, including climate change, universal health coverage, small island states, and development finance, in addition to the Sustainable Development Goals.
How to support Global Week?
Organize the action: register, mark the action on the map and document it using photos, videos and the hashtag #Act4SDGs.
Share information about the action: find inspirational ideas, videos and messages in different languages here .
Our world and our future are under threat. We’ve made some progress but nowhere near enough to deliver on the promises made by all nations in 2015 to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and create a future of peace and prosperity on a thriving planet, with no one left behind. The SDGs will be achieved only if everyone acts. Many people and organizations everywhere are making positive changes to their work, home and social life in order to achieve the SDGs. Every action matters, and we invite every person and organization to join the global SDG movement.
The Fourteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing severe drought and / or desertification was held from September 2 to 13, 2019 in New Delhi, India. The conference was attended by delegations of 152 countries, including the Republic of Belarus. The delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the Belarusian State University.
The fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) was the first since the adoption of the UNCCD Strategic Framework for 2018–2030. One of the most important decisions of COP 14 was the decision “To intergrate Sustainable Development Goal 15 and its related Target 15.3 into the implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the Land Degradation Neutrality”. The decision recognized that Sustainable Development Target 15.3 provided an impetus for the implementation of the UNCCD and that setting voluntary targets for a neutral balance of land degradation helps countries mobilize funding in this regard.
All Parties to the UNCCD are invited to step up the integration of sustainable development goals, in particular Target 15.3, into their national strategies, plans and programs. Parties to the UNCCD that have committed themselves to the voluntary objectives of LDN (land degradation neutrality) are invited to take measures to accelerate their achievement: to promote synergies between multilateral environmental agreements, strengthen coordination and cooperation at the national level, and create favorable conditions for achieving LDN. Parties to the UNCCD that are developed countries and other countries are invited to provide financial and technical support for the implementation of the UNCCD and the achievement of the LDN. Assistance to developing countries will be provided by the UNCCD secretariat, the Global Mechanism and relevant UNCCD bodies within their mandates.
At this point, 122 countries, including the Republic of Belarus, have established voluntary national objectives of the LDN and have begun to implement them.
Belarus shared with COP 14 participants the accumulated practical experience in restoring degraded peatlands. Successful implementation of the project of the Government of the Republic of Korea and the UNCCD “Restoration of drained peatlands in Belarus”, in the course of which ecological rehabilitation of more than 1 thousand hectares of peat bogs in the Kostyukovichsky and Cherikovsky districts of the Mogilev region on lands affected as a result of the Chernobyl accident was specifically mentioned.
For reference: Goal 15 is “Protecting and restoring land ecosystems and promoting their sustainable use, sustainable forest management, combating desertification, ending and reversing land degradation, and ending biodiversity loss.” 2.6 billion people are directly dependent on agriculture, but 52 percent of agricultural land is moderately or severely affected by degradation. Losses of arable land are 30–35 times higher than previous indicators. Due to drought and desertification, 12 million hectares of land on which 20 million tons of grain could be grown are lost each year (23 hectares per minute). Land degradation directly affects 74 percent of the world’s poor population. Target 15.3 is: by 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world.
The online game “Sustainable Development Goals: Think and Act!” will be held from 13:00 to 16:00 on September 25, 2019, on the anniversary of the United Nations international agreement “Transforming Our World: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (Agenda 2030) adoption. Pupils and their parents, students and their teachers and everyone who wants understand Sustainable Development Goals better are welcome to take part in the game.
To participate in the game one should:
– register before 14:00 on September 23, 2019 (the application form is available via link);
– on September 25, 2019 at 13.00 check your email and receive game assignments (or download them from the game’s web page on the website of the Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development”, Belarusian State Pedagogical University)
– complete the selected tasks of the game using all available sources of information;
– on September 25, 2019 until 16.00 to send the results to the email address of the game organizers.
The game is organized by Education for Sustainable Development Association , Education for Sustainable Development Coordination Center of Belarusian State Pedagogical University and the Inter-University Club of Sustainable Development Goals Friends.
17 September 2019 Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belarus Oleg Slizhevsky met with the head of the EU Cooperation Programme Berend de Groot.
The meeting focused on the preparation of the Draft Programme for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the Legal Sphere. The Draft Programme incudes the provision by the European Union the technical assistance, in particular, to improve the system provision of public services to the population on the principle of “one window.”
As a result of the meeting an agreement was reached to continue the coordination of the key components of the Programme, taking into account views and needs of the interested state bodies of the Republic of Belarus.
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