Vice Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, National Coordinator for SDGs Marianna Shchetkina met with UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus Alexandra Solovieva to discuss cooperation areas and possible expansion of partnership in SDGs achievement, BelTA learned from the press service of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament.
Belarus shows interest in developing international cooperation in the area. “Minsk can become a suitable platform to organize large-scale international SDG events. We are interested in the experience of other countries and are ready to share our best practices,” Marianna Shchetkina said.
At the regional forum in Minsk in February 2018, Belarus put forward an initiative to develop a partner network of national coordinators for SDGs. The proposal was supported by the international community. Many countries have already showed interest in the project.
Belarus' major efforts are focused on economy, environment, social sector and monitoring. Business community and public organizations are invited to take an active part. Special attention is on projects with the participation of the youth. According to Marianna Shchetkina, work is underway to set up a so-called laboratory on SDGs to accumulate innovative technology and projects.
Alexandra Solovieva stressed for her part that such projects, innovation are interesting for the UNDP. She hailed the progress achieved in the country. “Belarus is a champion in many SDG areas. Your country generates a lot of local ideas and projects which can be useful for other countries,” she said.
In 2019, Belarus and the UNDP will start working on a new country program for 2021-2025. “It would be great if the program is harmonized with the national sustainable development strategy and your efforts on the SDGs,” Alexandra Solovieva added.
The parties talked over cooperation within the national action plan for green economy development in Belarus.
The parties also discussed the EXPO 2020 Global Best Practice Program “Small Steps, Big Leaps – Solutions for Sustainable Impact”. This is a platform to showcase projects that have provided tangible solutions to the world's biggest challenges.
