Priorities of the future UN-Belarus programme of cooperation in the field of sustainable development were discussed in Minsk
More than 200 United Nations partners from all regions of the country gathered to participate in the National Consultations on Priorities of the United Nations and the Republic of Belarus Cooperation Framework for Sustainable Development for 2021-2025, which took place in Minsk on 23-24 October 2019.
National consultations on the priorities of the United Nations Development Cooperation Framework and the Republic of Belarus in the field of sustainable development for the period 2021-2025 are being held for the first time in the Republic of Belarus with broad participation of UN partners, such as representatives of the Government, Parliament, civil society organizations and business. The consultations are a continuation of the activities of the UN system organizations in Belarus to assist the Republic of Belarus in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In her speech at the opening of the national consultations, Marianna Shchetkina, the National Coordinator for the SDGs, pointed out the importance for the experts working on the new programme to be interested in the results of their work and to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals themselves, as their implementation is a hard daily task.
“The most important goal is a partnership goal. In addition to reliable, motivated partners of Belarus, we find new friends. Positions between the states are converging on the basis of the SDGs work, which contributes to the development of trust between them and is the key to improving both political and economic relations,” said Marianna Shchetkina.
Speaking to the participants of the consultations, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Dapkyunas noted that Belarus has longstanding constructive relations with the United Nations in Belarus and many technical assistance projects have been implemented.
“At the moment we are at a new stage. The sustainable development agenda and the reform of the UN development system initiated by the UN Secretary-General provide an opportunity to look at the programmatic work of Belarus with the UN from a new angle, which will allow us to reach a new, more effective level of cooperation,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking at the opening of the event, UN Resident Coordinator Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki noted the important role played by the National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, other government agencies, as well as civil society organizations, business partners and young people in the promotion of the SDGs at the country level and the preparation of the new Cooperation Framework.
The new programme will replace the United Nations Development Assistance Framework of the Republic of Belarus for 2016-2020. The national consultations will help identify priority areas of cooperation between the United Nations and the Republic of Belarus with the participation of government agencies, civil society organizations, businesses and UN agencies.
In the first part of the National Consultations, the participants got acquainted with the priorities of the National Sustainable Development Strategy of the Republic of Belarus for the period up to 2035, the results of the regional consultations and ways to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs.
During the consultations, the UN agencies and national experts discussed the priorities for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in four areas:
- Green transition to inclusive and sustainable growth;
- Focus on future generations;
- Digital transformation and social innovation;
- Gender equality in society.
According to the Sustainable Development Index, over the past two years Belarus has been ranked 23rd in the international ranking (out of 156 countries in 2018 and 162 countries in 2019) and is generally rated above the average for the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
