20 December 2023
On December 20, 2023, a meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development was held in Minsk.
During the Council meeting, participants discussed the results of the work of the Council for Sustainable Development (CSD) in 2023 and the main directions of the SSD activities in 2024, results of activities to implement the 2030 Agenda, improving approaches to monitoring and assessing progress in achieving the SDGs at the national and regional levels, developing the concept of the National Sustainable Development Strategy for the period until 2040, implementation of the Strategy for the development of a circular economy (circular economy) for the period until 2035, the contribution of business to achieving the SDGs.
National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals V.I. Belsky addressed the meeting participants with a welcoming speech. He emphasized that the Republic of Belarus has always been committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and is proud of the results of its work in this area. Activities to implement the 2030 Agenda will continue both in 2024 and in subsequent years.
Erol Arduch acting The UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Belarus, in his welcoming speech, noted the importance of partnership for achieving the SDGs and expressed gratitude for the joint work and productive interaction to the National Coordinator for Achieving the SDGs, members of the Council for Sustainable Development, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. Erol Arduch informed that in 2024, UN agencies together with national partners will work on the creation of a new UN Framework Program for Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Development.
Today, it can be seen that the process of achieving the SDGs in the world is slowing down, as evidenced, among other things, by the report of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of the SDGs. At the same time, Belarus is one of the world leaders in promoting the 2030 Agenda. Progress in achieving the SDGs is at the level of 80%.
An important component of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is interaction with UN agencies in the Republic of Belarus and participation in international events on the SDGs. In 2023, such events will include the Sustainable Development Summit in New York, the Global Forum on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation in the Implementation of the SDGs in Tashkent, the International Forum in Baku, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Geneva, etc.
The functioning of the national architecture for managing the process of achieving the SDGs has shown its effectiveness and relevance, and there has been an increase in interest in the work of the CSD from business communities and public organizations. In 2023, 6 meetings of the Council for Sustainable Development were held, in which more than 20 public organizations, business representatives, and international organizations took part. Taking into account the results of the CSD work in 2023 and based on the proposals of interested parties, a draft work plan for 2024 was developed and submitted for approval. The plan provides for the holding of three meetings of the Council, as well as the second National Forum on Sustainable Development (preliminarily on May 23, 2024 in Minsk) and other events.
“Belarus is constantly working to improve the methodological calculations of indicators included in the national list. In 2023, the development of metadata to assess progress towards the SDGs will be fully completed at the global level” — informed the First Deputy Chairman of the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus Kukharevich E.I.
To date, the National List of SDG Indicators consists of 254 indicators, of which 175 correspond to the global list, 79 are proxy indicators. According to the assessment of progress in achieving the SDGs in the Republic of Belarus, the greatest progress is observed in SDGs 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 17. Additional efforts are required in such areas as scientific and technical activities, tourism, ecosystem conservation, and attracting foreign investment.
Much attention in Belarus is paid to the development of regions and small territories and their balanced development. In 2023, Belstat completed work on the development of the Regional Data Platform for Sustainable Development, which includes information on all 17 SDGs and 138 indicators for all regions of Belarus. In 2024, work will continue to improve the availability of SDG data.
“In 2023, development of the National Sustainable Development Strategy until 2040 began in Belarus. National strategies are one of the key documents that determine the development path of Belarus for the next 15 years. We have to determine the guidelines for the long-term development of the country and lay the foundation on which other programs will be built” — emphasized the Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, Brantsevich T.V.
To develop NSDS-2040, an interdepartmental working group under the leadership of the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, as well as three sectoral working groups, was created, an analytical report on the implementation of NSDS-2035 was prepared, and the first edition of the NSDS-2040 Concept was developed. The strategic goal of NSSD-2040 is to increase the quality of life of the population.
Expected results: increase in healthy life expectancy to 74 years in 2040, increase in the share of the digital economy in GDP to 30% in 2040, including the share of ICT up to 10%, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2040 by 40% of the level 1990. Among the priorities of NSDS-2040 are: conservation of people and strengthening of traditional family values, quality education, technological safety and building an intellectual economy, a competitive and accessible business environment, ensuring environmental safety and resource efficiency.
As part of the implementation of the National Green Economy Action Plan for 2021-2025, a draft Circular Economy Development Strategy for the period until 2035 has been developed in Belarus. The Project highlights such priority areas as eco-design, resource-efficient production, industrial symbiosis, packaging, and the sharing economy. The draft Strategy has already undergone public discussion. The approval procedure is currently underway, after which the project will be submitted for consideration to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
“Our joint efforts will allow current and future generations to live in a comfortable and environmentally friendly environment” — emphasized the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus, Galanov V.A.
The contribution of business to achieving the SDGs is important. The UN Global Compact is the largest initiative that creates a framework for sustainable business. Only 70 countries have a UN Global Compact Network, including Belarus.
Currently, the UN Global Compact Network in Belarus has 31 participants, 5 of which joined in 2023.
Companies are ready to publicly say that they are committed to sustainable development. The degree of fulfillment of obligations is assessed by the rating agency that assigns ESG ratings. Among the first in terms of indicators are banking organizations.
The full recording of the meeting of the Sustainable Development Council in video format is available at the link.
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