Mr. Chair,
Distinguished Participants,
It is my honor to present the third Voluntary National Review of the Republic of Belarus on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
At the beginning of my statement, I invite you to watch a short video highlighting the outcomes of our work. (Note: Video is available via the link)
Distinguished participants,
The Republic of Belarus is a socially oriented state with a developed industrial base, services sector, and agriculture, where the focus is placed on the individual, their needs and requirements.
A key feature of our geographical location is the presence of the shortest transport corridors “West–East” and “North–South,” connecting CIS countries with the states of Western Europe. Moreover, Belarus is part of the Great Silk Road.
We are not standing still. We are moving forward. New progressive sectors are actively developing in Belarus — space and nuclear energy. The Belarusian nuclear power plant has been put into industrial operation. The first spaceflight by a female astronaut from Belarus has been accomplished. We are exploring Antarctica.
For eight years now, a national architecture for the achievement of the SDGs has been functioning in our country.
This mechanism ensures the synergy of efforts from all stakeholders — the government, the legislature, civil society, the private sector, the academic community, and youth.
Such an integrated approach has made it possible to “embed” the Goals into all national strategic documents.
The updated National Sustainable Development Strategy up to 2040 reflects the revised national priorities, towards which both internal and external resources are concentrated.
Particular attention by the state is devoted to healthcare. Every citizen can receive medical assistance free of charge.
The healthcare system prioritizes preventive measures based on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.
Significant achievements have been made in maternal and child healthcare, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, oncology, transplantology, vaccination of the population, and other areas of medicine.
Medical tourism is becoming increasingly popular and in demand in Belarus, including among foreign citizens.
An integral part of the Republic of Belarus fulfilling its international commitments in the area of gender equality is the advancement of equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
There is practically no gender pay gap in our country.
There is a stable trend of increasing women’s engagement and expanding their participation in the political and public life of the country.
Women’s entrepreneurship is gaining momentum.
The economy of Belarus is growing at a rate above the global average.
As a result of legislative changes, the conditions for conducting business activities have improved. Work continues to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. Administrative procedures have been significantly reduced and simplified.
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, nature conservation is the duty of every citizen.
Our country does not have access to the sea. At the same time, the waters of Belarus are part of the Black Sea and Baltic Sea basins.
We have developed the principle of basin-based water resource management. We plan that, as a result of our efforts, in 2025 up to 75% of our water resources will achieve an ecological status of “good or higher.”
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is an ambitious task for every country.
A high-tech innovation infrastructure and government guarantees make our country attractive to foreign investors, while the beauty of our nature and cultural uniqueness continue to draw tourists from around the world.
The Republic of Belarus pursues a peaceful foreign policy, develops good-neighborly relations, cooperation with strategic allies and partners, actively participates in international organizations and regional integration structures, and makes a significant contribution to strengthening international security and stability.
Close cooperation has been established with the UN country team.
Belarus is open to all who come to us in peace!
Our indicators on the Sustainable Development Goals have currently reached nearly 80%. And we are not stopping there.
These results could have been even higher if not for the unilateral coercive measures arbitrarily imposed by a number of Western countries against Belarus. Such actions have no place in a civilized world. We call for a return to dialogue and the lifting of all unlawful restrictions that violate the economic and social rights not only of Belarusian citizens but also of citizens of many other countries.
The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national, regional, and global levels is intended to ensure a future in which our children, grandchildren, and all future generations live in peaceful and prosperous states.
We can only achieve this together!
Thank you for your attention.
.
Presentation
Third voluntary National Review of the Republic of Belarus on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Video on Belarus’ progress in achieving SDGs
The first and second reports are available via the link.
On 10-11 July 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministerial Training Seminar on Digital Economy and the SCO Digital Economy Forum were held in Beijing (PRC). The central theme of the activities was trends in the development of the digital economy, systems for forming data elements and national approaches to data collection and dissemination by participating countries.
The Republic of Belarus was represented at the events by the Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, Natalia Tarasyuk, and the Head of the Department of Transport and Information Statistics communication technologies of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus Tatiana Maksimova.
Within the framework of the Forum, the Belarusian delegation presented its experience in the field of measurement of digital economy, participated in thematic seminars and closed meeting of digital economy ministers of SCO countries.
In her speech, Natalia Tarasyuk pointed to the significant progress made by Belarus in developing national information infrastructure, establishing state information systems and resources in recent years. She paid particular attention to the list of national digital economy indicators developed by Belstat, which includes 35 indicators grouped into five key clusters.
“Participation in SCO events on digital economy highlights Belarus’ desire to develop the digital economy and willingness to share its experience. We hope that a model of open cooperation will be built based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. It is particularly important to deepen practical interaction in areas such as digital infrastructure, data collection and processing, including new industries, digital skills training, since the high rate of digital development affects not only standard work processes, but also to the needs of key sectors of the economy in personnel and competences. The implementation of such approaches will allow us to jointly solve the challenges of digital transformation that we face,” – summed up Deputy Chairperson of Belstat.
More details of the presentation can be found via the link.
On July 12, 2025, in Vitebsk the Youth Platform «Formula of Future» was organized.
The event became a discussion platform for more than 300 active and creative young people. In the open dialogue format, participants were able to discuss the implementation of the state youth policy and comprehensive support for young people, the topic of education, informational youth agenda, the possibility of using AI, the role of women in the modern world and others. Guys were also able to ask any interesting questions.
An interactive exhibition of the most vivid youth projects, including regional ones, exhibition of the republican project «Belarus: before and after» was also active on the forum site. Within the framework of the exhibition, SDG Youth Ambassadors presented the project «Sustainable Summer», which is being implemented in health and school camps throughout Belarus with the aim of popularizing the Sustainable Development Goals among young people and discussing new ideas in the field of sustainable development in the context of contemporary challenges.
Creating an enabling environment for the successful socialization and self-realization of young people, developing their potential makes an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
On July 15, 2025, the updated portal of social protection of the population of the Republic of Belarus, a single Internet resource with all information about social services and procedures, began operating in Belarus.
The updated portal is adapted for all age categories of the population. One of the features of the new version of the portal is to become more interactive in terms of services that a person can receive without leaving their home at a convenient time. It contains up-to-date information on administrative procedures, payments, allowances, pensions, state targeted social assistance, the procedure for reviewing issues, coordinates and contacts of relevant institutions and organizations. Online, you can make an appointment with specialized specialists at any institution of the social protection system.
The new version of the portal also provides a chatbot to inform the bodies of the Department of the State Labor Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus or the bodies of the Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus on issues of late payment of salaries and benefits.
In addition, an interactive assistant has been added to the portal, with which you can select your social category or life situation (loss of a breadwinner, birth and upbringing of a child, reaching retirement age, pregnancy and childbirth, establishment of a disability group, etc.), and the portal will automatically select the necessary service, including in relation to your place of residence.
The functioning of the social protection portal helps to create conditions for an independent lifestyle for people with disabilities, increase their mobility, and provide an opportunity to maintain social ties and lead an active lifestyle, which makes an important contribution to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of the Sustainable Development Goal 10 and the other SDGs.
On July 10, 2025, in Minsk was held the National Forum “Child-friendly cities: designing the future. The event was organized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the National Center for Artistic Creativity of Children and Youth, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus.
The forum brought together 150 participants from all over the country – representatives of authorities, youth parliaments, public organizations, agencies of the UN system.
The program of activities included a plenary session, special sections “Practice and development of the platform “Child-friendly cities” and “Initiatives for children and adolescents for the sustainable development of their area”, a solemn ceremony of awarding the winners and prizewinners of the Republican competition among children’s and adolescent parliaments “The Best Parliament – 2025”.
During the plenary session, participants discussed key aspects of youth policy, results of the implementation of the project “Child-friendly cities”, adolescent initiatives covering a wide range of directions: from volunteering to the Sustainable Development Goals. Special emphasis was placed on the safety and health of children, as well as on the inclusion of children with disabilities in public life. Presentations of successful practices related to the practical implementation of the project were held: presented the experience of bicameral youth structures in Bobruisk and Vitebsk, environmental initiatives such as the project «EcoDvij», programs for creating an inclusive environment and sports infrastructure, etc. The forum ended with an open discussion, where proposals were made for a final resolution aimed at creating a comfortable environment for new generations.
The implementation of the initiative “Child-friendly cities” makes an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More information about the initiative can be found via the link.
On July 10-12, 2025, the conference “Socially responsible business and society. Modern construction of an inclusive business environment” was held in Vitebsk.
The conference brought together leading experts, entrepreneurs and representatives of government organizations to discuss current issues and practices related to creating an inclusive environment in business, as well as new ways of collaboration to improve access to resources and opportunities for all categories of citizens.
The key topics of the conference were: creating an inclusive business environment, maintaining mental health of society, highlighting factors that influence the creation of a loyal relationship in the business environment, maximising the involvement of people with disabilities in the economic and political life of the country, and equal opportunities for all population groups.
Director of the Department of Entrepreneurship of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus Olga Rusinovich noted that in Belarus the necessary conditions have been created for the implementation of entrepreneurial initiative by persons with disabilities. In accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, citizens may choose the most convenient form of conducting business: to be IP, self-employed or craftsmen. Implemented electronic business registration and digital tax administration, which significantly simplifies the path from idea to implementation. There are benefits for persons with disabilities. Digitizing the most demanded administrative procedures and making interaction with the state transparent and efficient are being held.
Within the framework of the conference, an agreement on cooperation was also signed between the Joint Organization of Business Entities JSC «BLG» and JSC «Belarusian Society of Disabled Persons».
Implementation of programs and projects aimed at creating an inclusive environment contributes to improving the quality of life, increasing access to education and employment, as well as forming a positive public opinion on the social responsibility of business, which makes an important contribution to the achievement of the Republic of Belarus of the Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, 10 and the other SDGs.
More information about the conference is available via the link.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus conducts an environmental action “Green choice” to abandon disposable plastic (bags, dishes, tubes, packaging) in favor of alternative products.
Joining the action can begin by sorting waste and choosing an alternative to plastic, replacing it with products made of glass, paper, cardboard. The recycled plastic can be delivered to a recycling point near your house. Their location can be seen on the interactive map. Also, near houses are installed special color containers: yellow – for plastic, green – for paper, blue – for glass.
Plastic recycling has become a solution to the environmental problem, as it allows waste to be converted into valuable recycled raw materials. On average, 100 thousand tons of plastic waste are processed in Belarus per year. At present, the separate sorting infrastructure includes 266 mobile and 1,409 fixed recycling sites, 81 facilities for separately collected municipal waste, 9 waste processing plants in Baranovichi, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Orsha and Novopolotsk, 382.8 thousand containers for collecting municipal solid waste, 329.5 thousand containers for separate collection, 1,734 garbage trucks, including 901 with rear loading.
The refusal of plastic and the efficient use of secondary material resources makes an important contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 12, 13 and the other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.
On 6-7 July 2025, the XVII BRICS Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro (Federative Republic of Brazil). The summit was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov.
During his presentation at the extended session of the summit «Environment, COP-30 and Global Health» the Minister emphasized that one of the priorities of the Republic of Belarus in the field of ensuring national security is the policy on mitigation and adaptation to climate change, as well as the preservation of a favorable environment. The SDG 13 is already included in national strategic and program documents.
«Belarus is ready to share its experience and the latest technologies on all strategic issues of global importance, both on the climate agenda and public health. We are ready to participate in the creation of coordinated mechanisms within BRICS to neutralize all kinds of environmental and biological threats and thereby minimize their negative impact on the health of the planet’s population,” said the head of the foreign policy department.
The Minister expressed confidence that the BRICS platform is the most sought-after and promising global platform for developing cooperation in these areas.
The full text of the speech is available via the link.
For more than 10 years, tourism has been among the main areas of activity of specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) of Belarus. The Strategy for the development of environmental tourism is being implemented on the territory of four pilot OCTs. These wildlife sanctuaries are “Lakes”, “Naliboksky”, “Osveysk” and “Red Bor”.
Within the framework of the Strategy, various activities aimed at developing infrastructure for eco-tourism, sustainable forms of economic activity. Environmental awareness raising activities for tourists and residents are being held. Monitoring the state of the environment and the level of impact of tourists on natural complexes are being conducted. In addition, ecotourism clusters are being formed and interaction with other environmental agencies, private companies and residents is being strengthened.
Thus, in the Vologinskiy district, the first model tourist-excursion green route “Vologyny Lodges” in Belarus with a length of 150 km was developed, a significant part of which passes through the territory of “Naliboksky”, covering 10 agroecohouses. Tourists get acquainted with the local culture and life, meet with folk craftsmen, taste national dishes and drinks. The route also includes an inclusive ecological path “Belokorets” (length 960 m), along which persons with disabilities, elderly persons can walk and relax.
In 2025, it is planned to create an ornithological trail at the tourist site “Nalibokskoe Forest Guerrilla Movement”, symbolic gate into the pasture, as well as carrying out thematic ecotouristic events “Night of Deer”, “Night of Wolves” and “Path of Tarpan”.
“Naliboksky” is also available for online viewing. On the official website of the SPNA developed a virtual tour with interface in three languages Belarusian, Russian and English.
Implementation of the Strategy for the development of ecological tourism contributes not only to the preservation of unique natural territories of Belarus, but also to the development of sustainable tourism, which contributes to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of the Sustainable Development Goals 13, 15 and the other SDGs.
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