A new stage of the digital literacy project for older people and people with disabilities #yaonline has started in Belarus. The project is carried out on the initiative of the A1 company with the support of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Republic of Belarus.
The project brings together those who want to learn how to use a smartphone and mobile Internet or help others with this.
By the end of 2023, 12 master classes on digital literacy are planned to be held in six cities of Belarus – Gomel, Vitebsk, Baranovichi, Grodno, Brest and Mogilev. Classes will be held in territorial centers of social services for the population. The emphasis in training is on such an important area as Internet security, as well as on safety rules when communicating with telephone scammers.
In addition, within the framework of the project, teaching materials have been developed to help students:
Increasing digital mobile literacy of older people and people with disabilities contributes to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goals 4, 9, 10 and other SDGs.
More detailed information about the #yaonline project can be found at the link.
On November 16, 2023, the final of the EnCobi business idea competition took place in Bobruisk at the site of the Igrow Center of OJSC «Belagroprombank».
The purpose of the competition is to identify and support the implementation of promising business ideas and projects in the regions, support innovative entrepreneurship, and stimulate the development of SMEs.
More than 200 business ideas were submitted to participate in the competition. 21 projects reached the finals. Winners and runners-up were selected in two categories: «Best Business Idea» and «Best Youth Business Idea». First place in the youth category went to a modern project in the field of medicine – the use of artificial intelligence to analyze X-ray images. The winner in the «Best Business Idea» category is a project for the production of building boards from waste polystyrene foam or used drinking cups.
Holding the EnCobi business idea competition helps unlock the potential of young and talented people in Belarus and contributes to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9 and other SDGs.
On November 16, 2023, a meeting of the Interdepartmental Environmental Issues Council for Sustainable Development was held in Bobruisk in a hybrid format.
During the meeting, representatives of the ministry, academia and the business community are consistently implementing the draft National Strategy for the Circular Economy in the Republic of Belarus until 2035, the progress of the strategy includes the development of the city of Bobruisk for the period until 2035, experience in the development of a green economy in production according to the principle JSC “Ecover” PRO”, and also discussed ways to develop the green economy in other areas of the economy.
Taking measures aimed at minimizing the negative production process in the ecological situation of the urban environment makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the Republic of Belarus Development Goals 12, 13 and other SDGs.
More detailed information about the conference can be found at the link.
The rating agency BIK Ratings together with OJSC «Belinvestbank» compiled an ESG ranking of Belarusian companies from all sectors of the Belarusian economy.
When compiling the ranking, the environmental, social and governance factors of the activities of 35 companies – representatives of specialized associations, the UN Global Compact Network in Belarus, and legal entities with ESG ratings were analyzed. Based on their data on taking into account ESG factors in their activities, the TOP 20 ESG companies in Belarus were compiled and published. The leading positions in the ranking were taken by Sber Bank, BSB Bank, and Belinvestbank.
More details about the TOP 20 ESG companies in Belarus can be found at the link.
The integration of ESG factors into a company’s activities makes an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
More information about the current methodology for assigning ESG ratings is available at the link.
On November 14, 2023, the acceptance of applications for participation in the Republican youth project «100 ideas for Belarus» began.
The project is being implemented to activate the innovative thinking of young people, stimulate the implementation of innovative projects and scientific and technical developments, as well as involve them in solving problems of the country’s socio-economic development.
Young people aged 14 to 31 and young scientists from higher education institutions and organizations subordinate to the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus engaged in scientific research are invited to participate in the Project. Applications (projects, business ideas) are accepted until November 30, 2023 on the website of the project «100 Ideas for Belarus». The procedure for implementing the Project is determined in the Regulations of the Republican Youth Project «100 Ideas for Belarus». The results of the Project with the determination of the winners will be summed up in March 2024.
The «100 Ideas for Belarus» project helps young people implement their innovative ideas and contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, 10 and other SDGs by the Republic of Belarus.
A competition «Youth Ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals – the future of the planet is in our hands» has been announced in Belarus. The competition was organized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus with the support of the National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Coordination Council for Education for Sustainable Development of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus.
The youth ambassador of the Sustainable Development Goals is a representative from the student community who popularizes the Sustainable Development Goals among young people, informs them about the mechanisms for achieving sustainable development indicators at the local and national levels, helps young people acquire knowledge and professional competencies of the 21st century, master the ideas and principles of sustainable development.
Regulations on the competition «Youth Ambassadors of the Sustainable Development Goals – the future of the planet is in our hands»
More detailed information about the competition can be found at the link.
A comprehensive architecture for sustainable development has been formed in Belarus. An important place in this architecture is occupied by the real sector of the economy, in which much attention is paid to creating conditions for the maximum involvement of business entities in the management of environmental, social and corporate (ESG) factors that provide the greatest contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Adapting the ESG-agenda to national priorities, taking into account ESG-factors in the activities of companies, and their participation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is a complex task that requires a systematic, consistent and coordinated approach to its solution.
Of particular interest to Belarus is Russia’s experience in this area. Cooperation has been established between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation to exchange best practices for introducing business entities into account of environmental, social and management factors in their activities.
The introduction of the ESG-agenda concept into the work of domestic companies makes an important contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
More detailed information on the ESG-agenda can be found at the link.
On November 14, 2023, the Youth IGF Belarus youth forum on Internet governance will be held at the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics.
Youth IGF Belarus is an open youth platform for discussing the prospects for the development of the Internet with representatives of the state, business, and non-profit initiatives.
Anyone can take part in the forum by first registering on the forum website.
Forum participants will discuss current Internet problems, technical aspects of the global network, features of the domain name system, how the DNS works and how relations between countries are built, RIPE NCC development programs for the technical community, etc.
Conducting a youth forum on Internet governance, Youth IGF Belarus, will contribute to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goal 9 and other SDGs.
More detailed information can be found at the link.
November 9, 2023 the conference «Business online. Legally, effectively, productively» to discuss topical issues of the development of women’s online business, including in the regions, was held in Minsk as part of the project of the business women’s wing of the Belarusian Women’s Union «Resources and Opportunities».
The conference program included presentations by online business experts, an open dialogue with representatives of ministries and conference speakers, creative networking organized according to industry principles and based on a preliminary survey of participants. The main topics of discussion were: options for developing entrepreneurship and creating new jobs in the regions, components of a successful brand, methods of selling through social networks and marketplaces, methods of promotion via the Internet, etc.
Conducting the conference «Business Online. Legally, effectively, productively» will contribute to the achievement by the Republic of Belarus of Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, 10 and other SDGs.
On November 9, 2023, a seminar on assessing infrastructure projects using the UNECE methodology «Public-Private Partnership for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals» was held in Minsk.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the National Agency for Investment and Privatization, republican government bodies, local executive and administrative bodies, banks, and international organizations.
During the seminar, UNECE experts presented final reports on the assessment of infrastructure projects, and also discussed the prospects for cooperation with the Eurasian Development Bank in the preparation of public-private partnership projects in Belarus.
More detailed information about the seminar can be found at the link.
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