UN ready to support Belarus
2030 Agenda is still relevant, as is the need for a joint response to challenges, so urgent actions by all partners are needed – believes Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Belarus
As the First Deputy Chair of the National Statistical Committee, Yelena Kukharevich, noted at the Sustainable Development Council – held in Minsk on September 9th, the world community focused on an interim result of the SDGs achievement last year. The National Statistical Committee also joined the process to discover that Belarus has made the greatest progress in No Poverty and Zero Hunger, also achieving a good level in Good Health and Well-Being and Quality Education. “At the same time, some goals are underdeveloped. For example, there is still a difference in salaries for women and men. The coronavirus infection has negatively affected transportation and there are also difficulties with reducing the energy intensity of GDP,” she noted.
Nevertheless, Belarus is committed to the green economy principles and, as the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Aleksandr Goroshko, stressed, work is underway to implement the law regulations to ensure successful implementation of the environment-related SDGs. Moreover, priority directions of the green economy development in Belarus until 2025 have been identified. “Among them are digital technologies, adaptation and mitigation of the consequences of climate change, smart and energy-efficient green cities, and other areas. Introduction of the green economy principles will produce not only environmental but also economic effect,” he commented.
In addition, Belarus has joined a joint statement of the high-level meeting on water resources signed by 156 countries – thereby confirming its strong commitment to implementation of the Clean Water and Sanitation goal. This joint statement highlights the most important challenges that stand in the way of achieving progress in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – including insufficient transparency of international processes, water shortages caused by growing demand and climate change, as well as insufficient funding. It also recognises the need for innovative approaches to solving these problems: multilateral and multidisciplinary approaches to achieve integrated water resources management, more data and scientifically based information on the effects of climate change, and also strengthening of transboundary water co-operation.
Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Belarus, also shared her view at the meeting, stating, “The 2030 Agenda is still relevant, as is the need for a joint response to challenges. These require urgent joint actions of all partners. Based on this, the UN is always ready to support Belarus in this direction.”
