The Second National Forum on Sustainable Development was held in Minsk on June 19, 2024. The Forum was organized by the National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus in partnership with members of the Council for Sustainable Development and the UN Country Team in the Republic of Belarus.
Detailed information about the Forum
The Final Document of the Second National Forum on Sustainable Development was published as official document A/78/372 of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
In May–July 2024, strategic sessions on the development of regional sustainable development strategies were held in Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno and Minsk regions.
The main objectives of the strategic sessions were to formulate a vision of the future development of the regions and determine the main directions of sustainable development of the regions in the field of technological, innovative, investment development, green and circular economy, green urban planning.
A total of 368 people took part in the events, of which 54% were women. Among the participants were representatives of regional and district executive committees, industrial enterprises, public organizations, educational institutions, science, the private and banking sectors, SDG Youth Ambassadors.
The work of the strategic sessions was organized in the format of discussions in small groups. As part of the strategic sessions “Workshop of the Future”, participants identified challenges, growth points, weaknesses, strengths and opportunities for sustainable development of the regions. According to the general opinion of the session participants, by 2040 the regions of Belarus should be environmentally safe, attractive to young people, high-tech and innovative, and socially oriented. Brest and Grodno are regions with high tourist attractiveness, Brest also with sustainable agriculture, Gomel with high-tech industries.
Among the priority areas of the development for these regions, participants highlighted improving the quality of education with a focus on the needs of a particular region, creating of regional clusters, expanding of tourism and social infrastructure, increasing digital potential, creating favorable conditions for entrepreneurs, increasing innovation and investment activity and others.
Strategic sessions were held with the coordination of regional executive committees with the participation of experts from the Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Economy and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in the Republic of Belarus within the framework of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
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The movement of Friends of Protected Islands implements the international educational project “Reserved Meanings. Science”. The mission of the project – to revive the idea of “field ecology” and the culture of organizing research expeditions, useful outings into nature with the participation of young people and competent interaction with wildlife and scientific environmental volunteering.
Project “Reserved Meanings. Science” will be implemented until November 2024 and will reach more than 7,000 people (children and youth audiences) from various regions of Belarus, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
In Belarus, an important role in the implementation of the project is assigned to the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve, on whose territory the majority of botanical and ornithological research competitions, field expeditions, a gamified marathon and many other exciting events will take place.
The implementation of the project “Reserved Meanings. Science” will contribute to the formation of eco-friendly behavior among children and youth, which will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 4, 13, 15 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.
Source of information
From July 1 to October 31, 2023, a sociological study in the field of demography “Family formation, stable family relationships and fertility in the changing socio-economic conditions of life of Belarusians” was conducted in Belarus. This study was the second stage of a population survey conducted in 2017.
The purpose of the study – a comparative analysis of marriage and family relationships and socio-economic conditions for the functioning of households, features of the demographic behavior of Belarusians.
According to the results of a survey of 2.7 thousand people of various gender and age groups from 18 years old and older, conducted in 2023, it was noted that in Belarusian society the value of marriage remains, both at the level of behavior and at the level of values and attitudes (the share of those who agree that marriage is an outdated phenomenon – 11.4%). At the same time, 65% of Belarusians agree that divorce is acceptable. 48.8% of respondents agree with the statement that a woman needs children to feel complete. 43.5% say that it is necessary for a man to have children. 75.6% agree with the statement that children need a home and both parents to be happy. 42.7% of respondents do not agree that preschool children suffer if their mothers work.
The study was conducted within the framework of an international technical assistance project “Strengthening the scientific and educational potential of the Republic of Belarus in the field of collection, analysis and use of demographic data to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals” implemented with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The results of the study will make it possible to identify the characteristics of marriage and family relationships and demographic behavior of Belarusians, as well as to develop recommendations for improving the state family and demographic policy of the country.
On July 9–10, 2024, strategic sessions on the development of the regional sustainable development strategy of the Minsk region were held in Minsk.
80 people took part in the sessions, of which 66% were women. Among the participants were representatives of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, district executive committees, Minsk Regional Committee of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, educational institutions, banking sector, enterprises, public organizations, SDG Youth Ambassadors.
In the format of the “Workshop of the Future” discussion in small groups, participants discussed the potential opportunities and challenges, strengths and weaknesses of the Minsk region, and also determined the vision of the Minsk region by 2040. Participants of the “Workshop of the Future” see the Minsk region as:
Among the priority areas for sustainable development of the Minsk region by 2040, participants highlighted:
Strategic sessions on the development of the regional sustainable development strategy of the Minsk region was organized by the Minsk Regional Executive Committee with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Belarus within the framework of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, funded by the Russian Federation.
On July 4–5, 2024, strategic sessions on the development of the regional sustainable development strategy of the Brest region were held in Brest.
The event was attended by 81 people, of which 43% were women. Among the participants were representatives of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, state and public organizations, educational institutions, Development Bank, Brest City Architecture and Construction Center, Sporovsky Reserve, LLC “Nelva”, State Enterprise “Brestgortrans”, CJSC “Brest Technopark” and other organizations.
Participants of the session “Workshop of the Future” see the Brest region by 2040 as:
Among the main directions of the development of the Brest region, participants highlighted the digitalization of technological processes, modernization of transport infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for entrepreneurs, greening of agriculture, improvement of tourism infrastructure, improving the quality of medical services through the creation of specialized medical clusters with scientific and educational centers in regional hospitals, increasing innovation and investment activity in the region.
Strategic sessions on the development of the regional sustainable development strategy of the Brest region was organized by the Brest Regional Executive Committee with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Belarus within the framework of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, funded by the Russian Federation.
Demographic development represents one of the most important characteristics of the country’s socio-economic development and the well-being of the population, and is also an important component of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
To discuss the influence of demographic factors on the socio-economic development of regions in the regions of the country, a series of seminars “Demography and socio-economic development of the region: the relationship of problems and the possibilities of solving them” were held. Representatives of regional and district executive committees, which are responsible for issues of economics, labor and social protection, health care, education, as well as representatives of the scientific community, took part in the seminars. The knowledge gained during the seminars will help formulate directions for social and demographic development that meet the needs of the regions.
The seminars were organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) within the framework of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, implemented by UN agencies and funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
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