New version of the Law “On Waste Management” has come into force in Belarus

Main New version of the Law “On Waste Management” has come into force in Belarus

New version of the Law “On Waste Management” has come into force in Belarus

On October 6, 2024, the provisions of the Law of the Republic of Belarus of December 29, 2023 No. 333-Z “On Amending the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Waste Management”, prepared taking into account the practice of law enforcement, as well as existing problematic issues in the field of waste management, came into force.

Thus, the Law provides for the following changes in legislation:

terminology and basic principles of waste management activities were clarified;
requirements for the implementation of activities related to the use and disposal of waste were clarified;
the priority of the main directions of a state policy in this area were introduced;
unjustified intermediation in waste management excluded;
standards are provided for the acquisition of ownership rights to waste and secondary material resources obtained as a result of the demolition of objects and having a value;
the range of business entities for which exceptions were provided in terms of compliance with general legal requirements for waste management was clarified.

Detailed information on the state policy in the field of waste management implemented in Belarus and its changes were presented at a press conference on the topic: “On changes in legislation in the field of waste management”, which took place on October 2, 2024 in Minsk.

Effective waste management makes an important contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.

On September 26, 2024, the General Meeting of the UN Global Compact Network participants in Belarus was held in Minsk.

The event was attended by representatives of business, government agencies, and international organizations.

Participants of the meeting in the format of focus groups discussed prospects for cooperation between the UN system and Belarusian business. Also, during the event were presented: the UN Fund for Localizing Sustainable Development and the results of the Global Compact Network for the 2nd-3rd quarters of 2024.

In addition, the meeting included a ceremony to award certificates to new members of the UN Global Compact Network in Belarus and Gratitudes for active contribution to the development of the Network and the promotion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With Gratitudes were awarded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, represented by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuri Ambrazevich, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Rasul Bagirov

The activities of the UN Global Compact Network in Belarus make an important contribution to the promotion of sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source of information

On September 26–27, the International Conference of Free Economic Zones “Development of Industrial Hubs Based on the Principles of Environmental Neutrality” was held in Mogilev.

The Conference became a platform for the exchange of international experience in the development of industrial hubs, as well as the demonstration of innovative solutions in the field of environmental protection and increasing labor productivity.

Representatives of ministries, regional and city executive committees, scientific and expert communities, leading consulting companies, free economic zones of the Republic of Belarus, UNDP, UNIDO, other international organizations, as well as representatives of trade and diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, and Hungary took part in the work of the Conference.

The Conference was opened by the Head of the Administration of the FEZ “Mogilev” Pavel Marinenko. He emphasized that the expediency of holding the event is due to the presence of a number of pressing issues that have a complex impact on the efficiency of free economic zones, investment infrastructure and industrial enterprises of the Republic of Belarus as a whole.

The Conference covered a wide range of issues, including: prospects for the development of free economic zones, the introduction of digital technologies in industry, modern approaches to environmental protection, innovative solutions to ensure sustainable growth, practical cases and exchange of experience between participants, and others. Also, within the framework of the Conference, agreements were signed on the development of cooperation on issues of implementing joint state and commercial projects and programs.

The program of the Conference included an exhibition of companies manufacturing equipment and providing services for environmental protection, a plenary session, a round table, and 4 thematic sections:

International experience in the development of industrial hubs. Challenges of our time;
Digitalization as a tool for increasing economic efficiency and increasing labor productivity;
Modern problems related to environmental protection;
Achieving sustainable development of an enterprise through the transition to a circular economy.

Support for section 4 “Achieving sustainable enterprise development through the transition to a circular economy” was provided by UNDP within the framework of a project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs” funded by the Russian Federation.

Holding the International Conference of Free Economic Zones “Development of Industrial Hubs Based on the Principles of Environmental Neutrality” will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, 12, 13 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.

Presentations of speakers (rus)

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In September – October 2024, the Republican campaign “Respect. Care. Responsibility” is being held in Belarus. Its essence is to emphasize the responsibility of current generations to older people and the assessment of their contribution to the development of the state.

Throughout the country, awards are planned for senior citizens with an active civic position, celebrations of family anniversaries, round tables with the participation of government agencies, the media and the public, concerts in social boarding houses and sanatoriums, open dance floors, legal consultations, and visits to museum exhibits.

Among such events: “Dance Marathon”, music and dance festival “From Great-Grandfathers Since Time Immemorial…”, press conference “Active longevity. Volunteer movement among senior people”, press conference “Integrated support for active longevity in Belarus. Implementation of new initiatives”, open republican sports and mass competitions “Active Longevity – 2024”, republican marathon in Nordic walking “Step to Longevity”. Also, “Silver” job fairs “Find a Job You Love” are held throughout the country.

Creating conditions for the participation of older persons in the life of the country contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Source of information

On October 1, 2024, the main provisions of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated April 22, 2024 No. 365-Z “On Amendments to Laws on Entrepreneurial Activity” come into force.

The key innovation is the definition of lists of types of activities for entrepreneurs and individuals. Individual entrepreneurs registered today, whose types of activities are not included in this list, have the right to continue working in this status until January 1, 2026.

The Law also established a system of incentives for the controlled transition of individual entrepreneurs to a commercial organization, legal entity, and business consolidation.

In addition, new instruments of state support for small and medium-sized businesses have been introduced. First of all, these are grants – financial resources from local budgets on a non-repayable, gratuitous basis. Businesses will also have the opportunity to use guarantees from the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support of Entrepreneurs.

Support and development of small and medium-sized businesses makes an important contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 1, 8 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.

Source of information

Every year on October 1, the Republic of Belarus celebrates the Day of Older Persons. This day is a sign of gratitude and respect for the older generation.

In Belarus, over the past 10 years, the number of citizens over 65 years of age has increased to 17% of the total population and today amounts to about 1.6 million people. More than 40 thousand people over the age of 90 live in the republic. There are 613 centenarians aged 100 years and older, of which 85% are women.

The protection of the rights and legitimate interests of older persons and ensuring active longevity are the most important components of the state social policy of the Republic of Belarus. A comprehensive document at the national level regarding older persons is the National Strategy of the Republic of Belarus “Active Longevity – 2030”, which defines priority areas of action in such areas of life as education and employment, healthcare and social services, and accessible living environment.

Thus, to meet the needs of elderly people in the Republic of Belarus:

about 1.5 thousand people are involved in 140 older persons councils;
the number of silver age volunteers is increasing – volunteer units unite more than 4.5 thousand older persons;
more than 220 clubs organized to implement non-formal education programs, with approximately 3.6 thousand people studying in them;
in order to emphasize the responsibility of current generations to older persons and to assess their contribution to the development of the state, the annual republican campaign “Respect. Care. Responsibility” is held;
the pension system functions stably;
created comfortable working conditions for older persons after retirement – 21.5% of the total number of pensioners who have reached the generally established retirement age continue to work;
for the first half of 2024, assistance was provided in finding employment for about 700 citizens of pre-retirement age and about 2.6 thousand citizens of retirement age;
146 territorial social service centers and 81 social boarding houses operate and cover more than 170 older persons and people with disabilities;
support measures are being strengthened for veterans of the Great Patriotic War and other categories affected by the consequences of the war;
provides health resort treatment and health improvement for older persons and people with disabilities.

Among the promising areas for implementing state social policy towards older persons, were noted: the development of infrastructure, information and digital environments, the introduction of a long-term medical and social care system for maximum preservation of the family and home environment, as well as changes in the information agenda.

Creating comfortable conditions for the full and comprehensive participation of older persons in the life of society contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Source of information

The National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus published a statistical data book “Belarus on the pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.

This publication presents indicators reflecting sustainable development of the Republic of Belarus.

In total, the National List of SDG Indicators includes 246 indicators: 172 of them correspond to the global level, 10 indicators are calculated using GIS technologies. 232 relevant indicators for Belarus are available for measurement. Thus, the level of availability of indicators for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Belarus is 94%.

The country has reached a high level of progress in achieving the SDGs – 80.5%. The progress on the indicators with available statistics and time series at least two years was 88%.

Positive dynamics were noted for the following indicators:

the share of the population living below the national poverty line is 3.6% (in 2015, when the Agenda was adopted, it was 5.1%);
the share of the population living in comfortable housing – 93.8% (in 2015 – 86.1%);
unemployment rate – 3.5% (in 2015 – 5.2%);
the share of women on leadership positions is 49.5% (in 2015 – 45.9%);
share of use of solid municipal waste – 35.5% (in 2015 – 15.6%);
forest cover of the territory – 40.2% (in 2015 – 39.7%);
the share of the area of specially protected natural areas is 9.1% (in 2015 – 8.8%).

The design and printing of the statistical data book supported as part of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, funded by the Russian Federation.

The National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus published a statistical data book “Belarus on the pathway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.

This publication presents indicators reflecting sustainable development of the Republic of Belarus.

The country has reached a high level of progress in achieving the SDGs – 80.5%. The progress on the indicators with available statistics and time series at least two years was 88%.

Positive dynamics were noted for the following indicators:

the share of the population living below the national poverty line is 3.6% (in 2015, when the Agenda was adopted, it was 5.1%);
the share of the population living in comfortable housing – 93.8% (in 2015 – 86.1%);
unemployment rate – 3.5% (in 2015 – 5.2%);
the share of women on leadership positions is 49.5% (in 2015 – 45.9%);
share of use of solid municipal waste – 35.5% (in 2015 – 15.6%);
forest cover of the territory – 40.2% (in 2015 – 39.7%);
the share of the area of specially protected natural areas is 9.1% (in 2015 – 8.8%).

The topic of sustainable development is personally and socially significant. It is connected with the life of each of us and has developmental potential, contributes to the formation of a holistic picture of the world and an adequate understanding of a person’s place in it, the development of personal and professional skills, and the competence of students in identifying and solving global and local problems.

Purpose of the Biggest Lesson on the SDGs

The goal is to develop in students an understanding of the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals in solving global problems of our time and an awareness of the role of every inhabitant of the planet in the process of achieving the SDGs.

Expected results of the classes

Participants know:

the importance of all 17 SDGs for the global community and for their country.

Participants can:

identify which SDGs are a priority for the development of the Republic of Belarus;
explain why the SDGs are important for everyone;
name specific steps that everyone can take to create a better world for current and future generations.

Materials of the lesson (ru)

Didactic scenario

Methodological recommendations

Presentation “The Biggest Lesson on the SDGs”

The materials of the Biggest Lesson on the SDGs were developed by the Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development” of BSPU within the framework of the international technical assistance project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, implemented with financial support from the Government of the Russian Federation.

On September 25, 2024, the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank hosted an educational quest “SDG: The Way Forward”, aimed at understanding the ideas and values of sustainable development, familiarization with the SDGs, and understanding the role of each person in the SDGs achievement. Moderators of the quest were the SDGs Youth Ambassadors together with the Green Office of BSPU and the Coordination Center “Education for Sustainable Development” of BSPU.

In total, more than 120 first-year students representing various faculties and institutes of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University named after Maxim Tank took part in the quest.

The program consisted of two parts. The information part was aimed at familiarizing students with the principles and values of sustainable development, the history of the formation of the concept of sustainable development, the achievements and prospects of Belarus. The interactive part of the quest included the work of 9 stations: intellectual games “The SDGs: What? Where? When?”, “Own Game”, linguistic game “Think-Around”, ecological games “Separate With Us”, “Sort”, “Green Code”, logic games “Associations” and “Hexes”, graphic game “Pictionary”.

Holding the educational quest “SDGs: The Way Forward” will contribute to the popularization of the ideas and values of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.