18 September 2025
On September 18, 2025, the Gomel Regional Forum on Sustainable Development “Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Gomel Region” was held in Gomel as part of the XIX Gomel Economic Forum.
More than 140 people participated in the Gomel Regional Forum on Sustainable Development — representatives of local authorities, educational institutions, businesses, public organizations and youth.
The program of the regional forum included a discussion of strategic directions for sustainable development of the Gomel region and successful examples of localization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Republic of Belarus Renfei Liu made a welcoming speech, emphasizing the importance of holding the Gomel Forum on Sustainable Development as a platform for localization of the SDGs. She noted that over the past decade, in close cooperation with local authorities in the Gomel region, UNDP has supported more than 75 initiatives on inclusive entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, and empowerment of local communities. Full text of the speech.
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The Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Vladislav Tatarinovich noted the importance of implementing the 2030 Agenda and the need for its implementation at the local level. The development of regional strategies for sustainable development (RSSD) represents a key stage in this process. Among the priorities identified for the next five years at the state level, the formation of strong regions is one of the key ones. Vladislav Tatarinovich accentuated that the RSSD of the Gomel region will contribute to improving the quality of life of the population, reducing territorial inequality and ensuring sustainable economic growth.
The Rector of Gomel State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Igor Stoma emphasized the paramount importance of providing quality education as a fundamental factor in the sustainable development of society and achieving the SDGs. High-quality medical education, in turn, contributes to the formation of medical personnel capable of applying advanced diagnostic and treatment methods, which ultimately improves the overall health of the population and increases the level of accessibility of medical services.
The Chairperson of the Gomel Regional Council of Deputies, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Chief Physician of Gomel University Hospital – Regional Hospital for the Disabled of the Great Patriotic War Oleg Ivantsov drew the attention of the Forum participants to the fact that the localization of the SDGs is an important component of regional development, which affects all spheres of life of the local population. The sustainable development of the Gomel Region requires an integrated approach that includes not only economic and infrastructural initiatives, but also social, environmental and management aspects.
The draft Regional Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Gomel Region for the period up to 2040, developed with the support of the UNDP, was discussed at the regional forum.
The Draft strategy includes goals, priorities, directions of sustainable development of Gomel region, points of concentration of resources, directions of effective use of human capital, as well as demographic, social, natural, scientific, technical and production potentials of the region.
The Deputy Chairperson of the Economics Committee of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Daniil Dvorkin outlined the priorities for the development of the Gomel region until 2040, reflected in the draft SDGS, including:
The Deputy Head of the Main Department for the Elimination of the Consequences of the Chernobyl disaster of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Denis Sharoiko noted that the Gomel region attaches great importance to the development of the economy, infrastructure, agriculture, as well as improving the quality of life of the population in the areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster. To date, there are 13 districts in the Gomel region located in the zone of residence with periodic radiation monitoring and 19 districts in the zone with the right to resettle, about 41% of the territory remains polluted.
Special attention was paid at the regional forum to the exchange of experience on the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Chairperson of the Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Protection of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Nadezhda Tsupa presented the directions for the implementation of the “leave no one behind” principle of the 2030 Agenda in the Gomel region. These include:
Nadezhda Tsupa emphasized that the inclusion of people with disabilities in society is not only a moral imperative but also has practical benefits for the entire society. This makes it possible to create a more just, sustainable and prosperous society.
The Director of the Gomel Regional NGO for Disabled Persons with Impaired Musculoskeletal Function “Disabled Persons with Spinal Injuries” Denis Zolotarev stressed that the initiative on the creation a resource center, implemented by the Gomel Regional NGO for Disabled Persons with Impaired Musculoskeletal Function “Disabled Persons with Spinal Injuries”, with the support of the UNDP, will create conditions for the socialization of people with disabilities, their information support on legal and psychological aspects, medical and social rehabilitation, employment, and an accessible environment.
The Director of Gomel State Pedagogical College named after L. S. Vygotsky Irina Kazimirova informed about the contribution of the Gomel State Pedagogical College to the achievement of the SDGs and shared it’s experience in introducing inclusive practices into the educational process.As practical examples, she cited the projects “Testing a model for creating an inclusive educational environment in college when training educators in the specialty “Pedagogical support” and “Developing and testing a model of an adaptive educational environment for the implementation of educational programs of secondary special education in an inclusive environment”, optional course programs “Fundamentals of ecological culture” and “Correctional drawing”, creative laboratory “School of an inclusive teacher”, volunteer movement initiatives, etc.
The Head of the General Health Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Sergey Bely noted the important role of healthcare in achieving the SDGs. To ensure the health of citizens, as well as the prevention and reduction of morbidity, the Gomel Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, model centers for parents to teach safe living conditions for children, 4 Early Intervention Centers, and 500 health schools operate in the Gomel region. In addition, systematic work has been organized on professional training and advanced training of healthcare professionals, projects and strategies are being implemented to prevent HIV infections, tuberculosis, promote a healthy lifestyle among various population groups, and information and educational campaigns are being conducted. The project “Healthy Cities and Towns” is being implemented in 103 settlements of the Gomel Region.
The Rector of Gomel State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Igor Stoma shared the experience of Gomel Medical University in implementing sustainable health practices. Among the main areas where the university’s contribution proved to be the most significant, he highlighted the training of highly qualified personnel for the healthcare system, ensuring public health through the provision of medical care and expert advisory services, continuing medical education and the development of science in medicine, as well as international cooperation and the export of educational services.
Effective work of healthcare institutions in the field allows for the introduction of sustainable practices and improve the quality of medical care. At the moment, a large-scale project is being prepared to launch within the framework of a partnership between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, local authorities, and the UNDP with the financial support of the People’s Republic of China. This project provides for the creation of an interregional center for specialized medical care based on the Mozyr Central City Polyclinic and is aimed at strengthening the healthcare system and increasing the availability of high-tech medical care to the population living in areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster.
The Chief Physician of the Mozyr Central City Polyclinic Yulia Myagkova informed that as part of the project to create an interregional center for specialized medical care based on the Mozyr Central City Polyclinic, it is planned to implement measures to promote a healthy lifestyle, increase the number of regular medical examinations and diagnosis of diseases, and raise public awareness of preventive measures.At the same time, among the key results are expected: 5-10% reduction in risk factors for the development of chronic noncommunicable diseases; early initiation of therapy for identified diseases; decrease in mortality; 3-5% reduction in primary disability.
A significant contribution to the localization of the SDGs is made by the introduction of ESG approaches into the daily activities and strategic planning of enterprises. Through its focus on environmental responsibility, social justice, and transparent governance, ESG ensures the creation of more sustainable and inclusive business practices that consider the specificities of specific regions and the needs of different populations. The Deputy Director General for Social Policy Implementation and Ideological Work of the Byelorussian Metallurgical Plant – the management company of the Byelorussian Metallurgical Company Holding JSC Andrey Kulakovsky presented the experience of implementing this approach using the example oftheByelorussian Metallurgical Plant – the management company of the Byelorussian Metallurgical Company Holding JSC.
Sustainable agriculture is an important area of development in any region. The Founder of the Vegetables farm Elena Molochko presented information about the pilot SDG initiative being implemented with the support of the UNDP, which provides for the creation of a production and educational platform on the basis of the Vegetables to teach young people agrotechnical techniques and promote farm products.
In 2025, 5 pilot SDG initiatives are being implemented in the Gomel region with the support of the UNDP. Among them:
More information about each pilot initiative on the SDGs can be found in the presentation.
In addition, a project “Safeguarding Forests of Belarus: A Comprehensive Fire Preparedness Initiative for Community-Based Fire Prevention and Response” is being implemented in Gomel region with the support of UNDP aimed at introducing a sustainable approach to forest fire management, as well as reducing their negative impact on nature and the local population. The project is funded by the People’s Republic of China.
At the end of the regional forum, the Gratitudes of the National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for significant contribution to the achievement of the SDGs were awarded to:
The Gomel Regional Forum on Sustainable Development was organized by the Gomel Regional Executive Committee with the support of the UNDP 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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