On November 28, the representatives of Regional working groups on achieving SDGs met in Brest to exchange the experience and coordinate their work.
Being the leading region in achieving SDGs Brest has been chosen to host the first meeting of Regional groups and has shared its experience in implementation of the Global Goals. Brest is a part of UNICEF Initiative “the Child Friendly City”. Moreover, by 2050 the project of an ecologically attractive city “SymbioCity” is scheduled for the implementation. This is a pilot project for Belarus which is encompassing steady city development in 6 aspects: transport, ecology, architecture, water supply, sewerage, and greening. The first changes that are connected with water purification and sewerage are planned to be implemented in 2019 – by the city’s millennium.
Based on a complex approach, the Brest project is simultaneously solving the problems of clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), affordable and clean energy (Goal 7), sustainable cities (Goal 11) and climate change (Goal 13). Besides helping to achieve several SDGs at once, the implementation of the project is showcasing the process of Localization of SDGs, one of the basic principles of working with Sustainable Development Goals. The Brest meeting marks the shift from the national level of creating the institutions on achieving the SDGs to the regional one, which has been discussed at the first meeting of National Coordinator on achieving SDGs Marianna Shchotkina with the UN Resident Coordinator Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki.
The implementation of SDGs at the local level (localization) is an important condition for achieving the Global goals, that allows to solve the most critical issues of every region considering its specific features and the sphere of interests.
Mogilev region and Minsk city have also been assessed as the leading regions at the implementation of Agenda 2030.
On January 24, the first National Forum on Sustainable Development was held in Minsk. Within the framework of the Forum, more than 450 representatives of republican government bodies, local authorities, public organizations, scientific and business circles, the diplomatic corps, international organizations, including agencies of the UN system, gathered to discuss the work carried out in the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and also outline strategic and practical guidelines for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The forum was held in the format of plenary and sessional sessions, at which the achievements of Belarus in the economic, social, and environmental blocks of sustainable development were presented, and issues of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the 2035 Agenda were also discussed separately. The speakers were representatives of government agencies, private business, public and scientific organizations, as well as UN agencies.
The Forum opened with a greeting from the President of the Republic of Belarus and a video message to the participants from Ms. Amina Mohammed, First Deputy Secretary-General of the UN. The Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Mikhail Myasnikovich, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Sergei Rumas, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, Ioanna Kazana-Vishnevetsky, addressed the participants with greetings. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator, and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, visited the Forum on her first country visit in her position.
National coordinator for achieving the SDGs in Belarus Marianna Shchetkina, in her address to the Forum participants, named the main milestones achieved by the Republic of Belarus in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and announced the agenda:
The program of the First National Forum on Sustainable Development is available for downloading via the link (440KV). The presentation with the Forum agenda can be seen here.
The first session of the Forum was devoted to economic issues: what economic indicators Belarus is demonstrating now, what goals it sets for itself to achieve by 2035, what is the role of private business, digitalization of the economy and energy in achieving these goals. During the session, acting UNDP Resident Coordinator in Belarus Zachary Taylor introduced the Forum participants to the concept of impact investing and the opportunities it opens up both for business and for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Deputy Director of the HTP Alexander Martinkevich with a report on digitalization in the economy, which plays a significant role in achieving sustainable economic growth. The discussion was moderated by the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus Dmitry Krutoy.
Session No. 2 of the National Forum on Sustainable Development was dedicated to the environment and ecology. The session discussed issues of sustainable land use and protection of terrestrial ecosystems, rational use of water resources and the transition to sustainable consumption and production patterns. A report on organic agriculture as a factor in “green” development was presented by Elena Sidorova, deputy head of the SidSad peasant farm. First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus Iya Malkina spoke about the priorities of environmental development of Belarus. The session was moderated by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus Andrey Khudyk.
The third session of the National Forum focuses on social development issues to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. During the session, issues of ensuring decent work and quality of life of the population, social protection of the older population, development of a system of continuous education, and gender equality were considered. Vadim Bogush, rector of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, spoke in his report about the role of lifelong education and equal access to it. The potential of partnership and interdepartmental interaction to achieve Goal No. 3 – Good health and well-being – was discussed in the speech of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Belarus, Natalya Zhukova. During the session, the influence of business on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals was once again emphasized – Alexander Skrabovsky, director of the Dobra Foundation and coordinator of the sustainable development partnership group, made a presentation on the contribution of business to the social sphere and the achievement of the SDGs. The discussion was moderated by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Irina Kostevich.
During the fourth session of the Forum, the National Statistics Committee presented for the first time the National Reporting Platform of Belarus on the Sustainable Development Goals. A presentation on the capabilities of the platform was given by Elena Kukharevich, Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee, and its head, Inna Medvedeva, acted as a moderator of the session. In addition, during the session, participants discussed the formation of mechanisms for monitoring the achievement of SDGs in the regions, the use of geomonitoring and administrative
The winners of the “Superheroes for Super Goals” comic sketches competition were announced yesterday in Minsk at National Sustainable Development Forum. The competition has been launched in September 2018 with the goal of involving young people in the Sustainable Development Goals agenda.
The competition took place from September to November 2018, with schoolchildren and students from all over Belarus participating with their works about the SDGs and revealing their vision of the Goals’ significance to Belarus.
The work of Renata Sivakova (13 years old), the student of the State Educational Institution “Povyatskaya Nursery-Kindergarten — Secondary School” has scored the third place of the competition. Her superheroine is Mrs. SDGs, which personifies all 17 Goals. In the comic, she goes to the places that lack clean water. She uses her superpowers to help suffering villagers to cope with a monster that pollutes water. The second place was taken by Maxim Morozov (19 years old), a student of the Grodno State University named after Yanka Kupala, Faculty of Art and Design. Maxim’s superhero is Ales Zhurka, a young guy with a fashionable haircut in a traditional superhero costume. But instead of the cape Ales Zhurka is wearing crane wings, a symbol of unity with the nature of Belarus. Ales Zhurka helps Belarus achieve Goal #2 (End Hunger) by creating a machine that gathers grain and bakes bread right away; gives super effective lessons, helping to achieve Goal #4 (Quality Education). Superhero also has the ability to teach any profession in 2.5 minutes, aiding in the realization of Goal #8 (Decent Work). Clean water and energy Ales Zhurka are also under the personal control of a superhero.
The first place was taken by Anna Kovetskaya (14 years old), a student of the State Educational Institution “Minsk High School No. 210”. Anna’s superhero — Tsuravik, the spirit of the Belarusian swamps. He loves nature and takes care of it, scavenging and cleaning water from pollution. In his free time, Tsuravik writes books about the importance of protecting our nature.
All the winners were awarded diplomas and memorable gifts in a solemn ceremony on the Forum’s stage.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all the participants for the bright and impressive works!
The date of the First National Sustainable Development Forum has been announced at today’s meeting of the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki and National Coordinator on the implementation of SDGs Marianna Shchotkina.
The upcoming forum will gather over 400 participants. The representatives of the Council for Sustainable Development, parliamentary and regional working groups on SDGs, Partner group on Sustainable development, the representatives of the UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as diplomatic corpus are invited to participate. According to Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (RBEC) Mirjana Spoljaric Egger has already confirmed her attendance. It will be her first regional visit in this position.
At the Forum, the participants will hear the reports on the progress of the Republic of Belarus in the implementation of SDGs, assess the pace of the progress and outline the strategic moves for further development. The concept of the National strategy on sustainable development by 2035 is to be presented as well. The current version of the Concept is publicly discussed and can be found on the website of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus.
The participants of the forum will discuss the opportunities of supporting sustainable economic growth, ecological safety, more effective realization of the potential for cooperation between business, authorities, and civil society, fighting climate change and the preservation of ecosystems, gender equality, and inclusion.
The workshop “Raising Media Awareness on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda as a mean of promoting the Sustainable Development Goals” was held in Minsk on November 15, 2018, by UNDP office in Belarus, UNICEF, and UNFPA. The occasion has brought Belarusian media representatives together with consultants from Germany, Turkey, and Belarus in order to take a look at the best practices of conveying information about SDGs to the mass audience.
The meeting was opened by the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki and the National Coordinator for implementation of SDGs Marianna Schotkina. The National Coordinator has brought to the attention of the participants the steps that Belarus has already taken to build the work on achieving SDGs. Marianna Schotkina also noted the importance of the media coverage in this process. The Minister of Information of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Karlyukevich also addressed the journalists on the matter.
The first to share his experience with covering SDGs in mass media was Nicolas Douillet, communication specialist at UNDP Regional Centre (Istanbul, Turkey).
Nicholas has highlighted the problem he’s facing in his work — people do not believe that the Sustainable Development Goals are achievable. However, he cites as an example the fact that world poverty has decreased threefold thanks to a timely implemented plan (Millenium Development Goals). 17 Sustainable Development Goals imply the same kind of plan.
In order to talk about SDGs in an accessible and newsworthy way Nicholas proposes to pay attention to modern trends in communication:
– increased share of video in media consumption;
– increased media weight of bloggers;
– readers’ media consumption on social media (be where your reader is).
In conclusion, Nicholas Douillet offers some tips on how to convey information about the SDGs to the reader:
1. Visualize
Any information is better received if accompanied by visuals.
2. Think positive
No matter how important the problem is, if the situation is hopeless, people defend themselves from frustrating information. Offer the ways to solve a problem instead of horrifying readers.
3. Explore the formats
From comics to video, the more different formats are used for the same content, the greater its potential audience.
4. Look for the stories on which depends the future
For example, peatlands in Belarus are a source of income for thousands of people and an important environmental factor for the whole Europe.
5. Tell stories
The story of a relatable person works best.
German media practitioner Heike Jansen, (the board member of OO Netzwerk Weitblick, responsible for training and development), has identified the main barriers for SDGs coverage in media:
– lack of funds;
– high competition;
– low wages for journalists;
– reduction of trust to media;
– lack of time for the research and verification.
Among the most effective tools for presenting information about SDGs Heike cites:
1. Storytelling
2. Visualization
3. Service Journalism (creating useful instructions and maps that explain how to implement the SDGs in everyday life)
4. Development of a database of experts in various fields for data verification
Belarusian experience of working with media on promoting SDGs was presented by the coordinators of the Partnership Group for Sustainable Development, who have been working on gender equality, ecology and corporate social responsibility matters for many years.
Alkhovka Irina Alexandrovna (the Coordinator of the Partnership Group on Social Issues, chairman of the board of the international public association Gender Perspectives) was speaking about the study of gender stereotypes in recruitment and the situation with gender discrimination in Belarus, which was conducted jointly with the media (Rabota.tut.by).
Evgeny Aleksandrovich Lobanov (the Coordinator of the Partnership Group on Environmental Issues, the Director of the Center for Environmental Solutions) shared the experience of delivering information on SDGs and eco-living in various formats tested by the Center for Environmental Solutions. The materials produced by the center are often distributed in media, proving the thesis that interactive maps, memos, and interviews with experts are in demand among users and clearly perform the service function of journalism.
Alexander Skrabovsky (the Coordinator of the Partnership Group for Cooperation with Business, the Chairman of the Coordination Council of Global Compact Network in the Republic of Belarus, the Director of Dobra Foundation) spoke about the existing legislative obstacles for publications on socially responsible business and suggested ways to overcome them.
The seminar was attended by representatives of 20 media outlets. The participants formulated proposals for developing an information strategy on the SDGs, cited the need for greater involvement of the Ministry of Information and creating a group of journalists to coordinate the work on promoting SDGs.
On December 17, the Parliamentary group on implementation of SDGs held an expanded meeting to hear the reports on the results of the implementation of the parliamentary hearings recommendations on “Partnership of the branches of government as a necessary condition for achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.
The event had gathered deputies, representatives of the ministries, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, representatives of the UN agencies, coordinators of Partnership group on sustainable development together at the Council of the Republic.
Alla Bodak, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Council of the Republic on Legislation and State-building and the Head of the Parliamentary working group, opened the meeting. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, greeted the participants of the meeting as well.
At the beginning of the meeting, Alla Bodak has introduced one of the core improvements in legislative support for the implementation of SDGs — the establishment of the law “On legal and regulatory acts of the Republic of Belarus”. According to the law, the impact of any proposed legal act has to be considered within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals. The law will come into force on February 1, 2019, and will contribute to achieving SDGs in Belarus at the legislative level.
The report on the implementation of SDGs in preserving the continental ecosystems and fighting the climate change was introduced by Iya Malkina, the First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. The Deputy Minister reported on the results that had already been achieved: starting with the recovery of 11% of damaged peatlands and finishing with the 42% reduction in energy sector emissions. The Ministry announced plans to create the strategy of low-carbon development of Belarus until 2030 and to join the Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone and other initiatives.
Gennady Trubilo, the First Deputy Minister of Housing and Communal Services, spoke on the implementation of SDGs in providing Belarusians with drinking water and dealing with household wastes. By 2017, 90,64% of Belarusian population has been provided with clean drinking water. In order to achieve the Goal №6, it’s necessary to build 1400 more stations on water de-ironing. It is also planned to increase the use of solid municipal waste from 20% in 2018 up to 50% by 2035.
The issues of quality education as the Sustainable Development Goal and the priorities for the reformation of the national educational system have also been discussed at the meeting.
The participants paid close attention to the representation and promotion of SDGs in media. Igor Buzovskiy, the Deputy Minister of Information of the Republic of Belarus, presented the report on the issue.
In December 2017, the parliamentary hearings marked the necessity of legislative support and the partnership of the governing structures in developing and implementing legislative tools for implementation of SDGs. The hearings concluded with the pool of recommendations for the government. Anna Starovoytova, the member of the Permanent Commission of the House of Representatives on international affairs and the Parliamentary working group on SDGs, reported on the work of Parliamentary working group on implementation of SDGs and cooperation with national and international structures.
The meeting was held thanks to the support of the Project “Support to the National Coordinator on Implementation of SDGs and Strengthening the Role of the Parliament in the Implementation of SDGs”, which is financed by the United Nations Development Program, UNICEF and United Nations Population Fund.
The World Economic Forum has published a report on gender gap in political, economic, education and healthcare in 149 countries. Belarus scored 28th in the rating having its position improved by two points.
The Scandinavian countries are the leaders. The smallest gender gap can be found in Iceland: since 2006 the country has shortened the gap by 85%. Norway, Sweden, and Finland are catching up. Besides them, the top-10 of the countries which are the closest to gender equality includes Nicaragua, Rwanda, Namibia, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Ireland.
The World Economic Forum has been publishing the annual reports on gender balance in the world since 2006. In 2018, the average gender gap in the world reached 32%. The world’s biggest gender gap lies in politics (about 77%). The average rate for the gender gap in economics is 41.9%. Spheres which are close to hitting gender balance are education (4.4%) and healthcare (4.6%).
However, the gender imbalance is still widespread. On average women occupy only 34% of managerial positions, hold 18% of ministerial mandates and 24% of seats in parliaments. And in 44 countries, according to the report, about 20% of women do not have basic literacy skills. By projecting the trends of 2018 into the future the authors of the report suggest that with such a pace of development 106 countries will reach gender balance only in 108 years.
Reaching gender balance is one of SDGs which the UN Member-states promised to achieve by 2030. Supporting gender equality helps to build a healthier and economically successful society.
On October 25-26, Marianna Shchotkina, National Coordinator on the implementation of SDGs, has shared Belarusian experience of the implementation of the Global Goals at Baku Forum on Sustainable Development.
Marianna Shchotkina gave a speech at the official opening ceremony of the Baku Forum on Sustainable Development, informed about the work on the implementation of SDGs in Belarus, and emphasized the importance of information and experience exchange between the countries on the issues of implementation of SDGs.
National Coordinator shared the results of the parliamentary hearings on SDGs and Regional Forum of National Coordinators on Implementation of SDGs, which took place on February 2018 in Minsk.
The Forum hosted the official meeting between Marianna Shchotkina as the Deputy Chair of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and Ali Akhmedov, the Deputy Prime-Minister of Azerbaijan and Head of National Coordination Council for sustainable development.
During the meeting, the representatives discussed the ongoing processes in bilateral cooperation, making a special accent on cooperation for the implementation of SDGs and intensification of partnership in this sphere.
The representative of Azerbaijan was impressed by the progress of Belarus in developing the national platform for monitoring the implementation of SDGs, the adaptation of the national system of statistical reporting to the global standards and the experience of developing statistical indicators. This experience is specifically interesting to Azerbaijan.
The parties agreed to cooperate by holding consultations, shared events and experience exchange regarding the implementation of SDGs.
Фото: UNDP Azerbaijan
On October 9-12, Minsk hosted the 23rd Belarusian Energy Forum and Exposition EnergyExpo. The participants presented over 150 innovative projects in Energy and Ecology. For the first time, the agenda of the Forum included the discussions of Sustainable Development Goals and the Plenary session on “SDGs of the Republic of Belarus. Energy. Ecology. Energy efficiency.” At the session, the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus Victor Karankevich presented a report on the strategy of Belarusian energy development and outlined the connections with SDGs. The list of the key indicators for Belarusian energy development includes the following directions:
• Reducing the share of the dominant type of fuel (natural gas) in gross consumption;
• Reducing the share of the dominant energy source (gas) in the production of heat and electricity;
• Raising the country’s energy self-sufficiency level;
• the share of accumulated depreciation in the original value of fixed assets of the energy companies.
The First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus Iya Malkina took part in the session with a report on the trends of energy development in the context of sustainable development and Paris Climate Agreement. Head of the Energy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission Leonid Shenets spoke about the perspectives of the Fuel and Energy Complex of Eurasian Economic Union, as well as the representatives of Germany, Austria, and other countries.t The Forum gathered the representatives of 300 organizations from 15 countries (Austria, Belarus, Germany, Denmark, Italy, China, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Czech Republic, and Switzerland) who shared their experience on the implementation of SDGs.
The scientific and practical conference “SDGs: science and innovations” was dedicated completely to the Agenda 2030. Iya Malkina, the First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental protection of the Republic of Belarus, named the main directions on achieving Ecology Sustainability in Belarus: “It’s obvious that the key priorities for us are the development of green electric transport, creation of the network of green or smart cities and improvement of the system of urban mobility which means social welfare, ecological safety, and energy efficiency”.
On November 28 in Brest, representatives of the Regional Working Groups for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals gathered to exchange experience and coordinate work.
At the first meeting, Brest, one of the leading regions in working on the SDGs, presented its experience in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Brest participates in the UNICEF “Child Friendly City” program, and until 2050, the project of an environmentally attractive city “Simbiosity” is being implemented here. This is a pilot project for Belarus, providing for the sustainable development of the city in 6 aspects: transport, ecology, architecture, water supply and sanitation, landscaping. The first changes related to water purification and disposal are planned to be introduced in 2019 – by the city’s millennium.
The implementation of the project not only leads to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals at once, but is also based on an important element of sustainable development – localization of the SDGs. The Brest project, based on an integrated approach, addresses simultaneously the issues of clean water and sanitation (Goal No. 6), affordable and clean energy (Goal No. 7), sustainable cities (Goal No. 11) and climate change (Goal No. 13).
Active work on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is also organized in the Mogilev region and the city of Minsk.
The meeting in Brest marks the transition from the national level of building institutions to achieve the SDGs to the regional one, which was discussed at the first meeting of the National Coordinator for the Achievement of the SDGs, Marianna Shchetkina, with the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus, Joanna Kazana-Wisniewiecki.
The implementation of the SDGs at the local level (localization) is an important condition for achieving the Global Goals, allowing us to solve the most pressing issues in each region, taking into account their specifics and interests.
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