16 February 2024
On February 15-16, 2024, the IV Mogilev Regional Forum on Sustainable Development was held in Mogilev, organized by the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as part of the Joint Project “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of SDGs”, implemented by agencies UN and funded by the Government of the Russian Federation.
Forum participants discussed the development of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus until 2040, the implementation of local sustainable development strategies and initiatives in the Mogilev Region, the contribution of business to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mogilev Region for the period until 2035 (SDS-2035), international and national experience in the area of “smart cities”, as well as summing up the results of the Regional Contest of Best Practices in 2023 for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mogilev Region for the Period Until 2035.
Strahar R.B., Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee, addressed the participants of the forum with a welcome speech. He noted that it is important to preserve the vector of our own sustainable development. Mogilev region was the first to develop a regional Sustainable Development Strategy. From 2024, the second stage of the implementation of this Strategy begins, which will last until the end of 2030 and will be aimed at greening, digitalization, changing production and spheres of life, developing the intellectual economy and the service sector, introducing social innovations, cultural transformation of society, improving the image of rural areas for life. The Deputy Chairman also underscored that the forum will provide an opportunity to discuss perspectives and problems, to form a vision of further efforts of the state and society, necessary to achieve the SDGs.
In his welcoming speech, Armen Martirosyan, Acting UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus, noted that against the backdrop of complex crises and challenges, the Sustainable Development Goals can not be achieved by individual stakeholders and achieving global Goals at the regional level is becoming more important than ever. Armen Martirosyan emphasized that during the implementation of the second stage of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mogilev Region for the period until 2035, it is important to pay special attention to the issues of digitalization and innovation in urban development.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Ambrazevich Y.G. made a welcoming speech on behalf of the National Coordinator for achieving the SDGs, Belsky V.I. He noted that the Mogilev region is a regional leader in the subject of the Sustainable Development Goals in the country and its experience in building strategic directions for sustainable development must be applied in other regions of the country. He also emphasized that the experience of holding the Mogilev Regional Forum should be taken into account in preparation for the II National Forum on Sustainable Development.
In his welcoming speech, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, head of the intersectoral group on ecology of the Council for Sustainable Development Galanov V.A. noted that sustainable development is impossible without ensuring environmentally favorable conditions for life. The Mogilev region is an industrially developed territory and the attention that paid by enterprises to environmental safety issues is quite high.
Deputy Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus, head of the intersectoral group on education of the Council for Sustainable Development Kadlubay A.V. addressed the forum participants with a welcoming speech. He emphasized that in Belarus SDG 4 is being implemented at all levels of basic and additional education and is one of the priority areas of state policy. According to the education index, Belarus entered the first quarter of the most developed countries in the world. Belarus ranks 17th in the Social Progress Index for «access to basic knowledge».
“The initiative of the Mogilev region in promoting sustainable development is a guide for other regions” – noted the director of the State Scientific Institution «Research Economic Institute of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus», Berchenko N.G.
However, the development and implementation of the regional strategy is impossible without a clear link with the National Strategy.
To date, the Analytical Report on the Implementation of NSDS-2035 and the concept of NSDS-2040 have been prepared.
The drivers of sustainable development until 2040 in the NSDS-2040 concept are defined as: ensuring technological security, digital transformation, creating new professional competencies and conditions for self-realization, expanding the export potential of national brands, creating market institutions for a competitive environment, introducing the principles of a «green» economy.
The functions of the NSDS include not only strategic planning, but also the pooling of resources, consolidation of society, positioning on the external contour. Therefore, in the development of the NSDS-2040 document, significant attention is paid to joint discussion. In February-April 2024, it is planned to hold events in the format of round tables and foresight sessions to involve stakeholders in the development of the NSDS-2040.
For the Mogilev region, 2024 is the beginning of a new, second stage of implementation of the SDS-2035. The Mogilev region was the first region at the regional level in Belarus to develop a Sustainable Development Strategy. In 2023, the first stage of strategy implementation ended, which was aimed at generating knowledge about sustainable development, implementation of the Strategy into the current planning system as the main document of the strategic development of the region, building a system of step-by-step actions in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
“By the fall of 2024, a report on the implementation of stage 1 of the strategy will be prepared and the Mogilev region will be able to serve as an example for other regions in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of regional sustainable development strategies” – said UNDP expert, associate professor of the department of “Economics and Management” of the Interstate educational institution of higher education “Belarusian-Russian University”, Shadrakov A.V.
The report of the 1st stage of the SDS-2035 will contain information on the achievement of strategic goals, the dynamics of the values of target indicators, the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of the 1st stage, as well as recommendations for the 2nd stage of the 2035 SDS.
Among the recommendations for the implementation of stage 2 of the SDS-2035:
Regarding local sustainable development strategies and the implementation of local initiatives in the Mogilev region, it is worth noting the contribution of the Mstislavsky district. The achievements of the Mstislavsky district allowed it to join the project of the Mogilev region “Workshop of Local Sustainable Development Strategies”. As part of this project, the residents themselves identified the strengths and weaknesses of the region, priority areas for development, and formed an “image of the future”, which formed the basis of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mstislavsky District until 2035.
“In the Mstislavsky district, work has been underway to popularize and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for more than 10 years. About 60 public initiatives have been implemented in 2023 alone” – informed the Deputy Chairman of the Mstislavsky District Executive Committee Sudilovskaya O. N.
Initiatives are aimed at developing tourism potential, improving territories and recreational areas, creating an eco-friendly lifestyle, ensuring accessibility to education in the interests of sustainable development, ensuring partnerships, etc.
Particular attention in the Mogilev region is paid to supporting small and medium-sized businesses, as well as women’s entrepreneurship.
“Our strategy is to create centers with sustainable business models and environmentally friendly management of SME projects. We divide our activities into information, training and support for entrepreneurs. Regarding women’s entrepreneurship, several training sessions, the business forum “Women of the Future”, the women’s business school, etc. were held in the Mogilev region in 2023. In 2024, the work will continue: the second and third business forum for women, round tables with the participation of women entrepreneurs will be held, and a business camp for women will be organized” – said the director of LLC “Dekro Consulting”, Sidorenko I.I.
In addition, in the Mogilev region, work is actively underway to create dialogue platforms with the involvement of authorities, the public and leaders of the business community to discuss problems at enterprises and running their own business, as well as to formulate proposals for improving the conditions for the implementation of professional qualities, development of strategies and business training methodologies.
Much attention in Belarus is also paid to the development of “smart cities” and digitalization, and the experience of international partners is very important in this direction. When we talk about the development of “smart cities” or cities of the future of digitalization, innovation, we focus on SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities”.
“However, if we focus and look at truly «smart cities», they can become the driving force for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals” – affirms Strategic Digital Program Manager, UNDP Digital Head Office and UNDP Global Center for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development Handfort Kalum. “Smart cities” is also about technology and innovation, however, first of all, “smart city”» is about people and how we can make the urban environment more inclusive, sustainable and accessible to life”.
“I would like to give a new concept to a “smart city” – this is a city in which happy people live, where “smart” technologies serve everyone individually and their families, and at the same time make their lives more comfortable and safer” – suggested by partnership specialist of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Eletskikh T.V.
Areas of UNFPA initiatives are aimed specifically at improving the lives of every person and include areas such as strengthening capacity to respond to demographic changes in the population, expanding access to services in the field of maternity and reproductive health, ensuring the active participation of youth and older people in society, ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men.
Among such initiatives that are being implemented in Belarus, including in the Mogilev region:
The experience of the Russian Federation in implementing the Smart Cities concept and their involvement in global infrastructure projects is also important for Belarus.
The platform “ROSATOM Smart City” implemented in more than 150 cities and regions of Russia and unites systems, authorities, businesses and the population in such areas as security, resource and service management, feedback and problem reporting, transport management, etc.
To date, much has been done in the Republic of Belarus to develop and implement the Smart City concept:
Currently, work is underway in Belarus to create a digital platform “Smart City (Region)”. Research work has already been carried out, a concept for creating a platform and technical specifications have been developed.
In 2024, it is planned to integrate the platform with government systems and with a unified system for identifying individuals, as well as testing the platform in Minsk and the Orsha region. In 2024-2025, it is planned to put the platform into permanent operation in 17 cities of Belarus.
Also in Belarus, within the framework of the State Program “Digital Development of Belarus”, the initiative “My City” has been developed and is being successfully implemented – a mobile application that accumulates the most popular services for a specific region. With its help, citizens receive simple and convenient access to the entire city infrastructure – city administration, educational and healthcare institutions, trade, culture and leisure facilities.
Since the launch of the application “My City” for the Polotsk region in February 2021, the project has grown significantly. Forty-three cities have already joined it and 19 more cities are preparing to launch.
“Bobruisk became one of the first large cities to join the application “My City”. Today, in Bobruisk, the application contains 285 pages, more than 6 thousand downloads, more than 330 thousand requests, more than 6 thousand clicks on active links” – informed the head of the Bobruisk telecommunications center of the Mogilev branch of Beltelecom, Bobtsov A.M.
The results of the 2023 best practices competition for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mogilev Region for the period until 2035 can be found at the link.
Recording of the IV Mogilev Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in video format
Speaker presentations:
On the development of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus until 2040On the implementation of the 1st stage (2021–2023) of the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Mogilev Region for the period until 2035 and recommendations for the 2nd stage of the StrategyOn the implementation of local sustainable development strategies and the implementation of local initiatives in the Mogilev regionAbout international and regional trends in the field of “smart cities”, digitalization and innovationA city comfortable for everyone: UNFPA and business initiativesAbout the experience of the Russian Federation in implementing the Smart City concept On the implementation of the “Smart City” concept in the Republic of BelarusApplication “My City” in the city of Bobruisk
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