Events

6 Jun 2018

Organization of national SDG forum under consideration in Belarus

MINSK, 6 June (BelTA) – There are plans to arrange a national forum on sustainable development in Belarus in order to engage the nation in the work on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The statement was made by the national coordinator on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Deputy Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Marianna Shchetkina during the regional SDG conference in Minsk on 6 June, BelTA has learned.

The senator said: “We intend to arrange an event for mass media this year in order to teach reporters how to approach the Sustainable Development Goals. Besides, we would like to arrange a national forum on sustainable development in order to get the nation involved in discussing this problem. It is very important to switch the society’s mind to global goals on the local scale. All big things have to start small. Let’s talk on the scale of the country, one industry, or one’s own workstation.”

Participants of the conference noted that legal mechanisms are needed to allow citizens and civil society institutions to contribute to the development of SDG-related programs and documents, to implement them, monitor and evaluate the results. It is necessary to better define the participation of local self-government bodies, particularly the rural councils, in the resolution of problems relating to the sustainable development of territories. A national forum on sustainable development would help determine these positions taking into account the opinions of citizens.

The regional conference Strategies and Partnership for Reaching the SDGs is scheduled to take place in the Johannes Rau International Center for Education and Exchange in Minsk (IBB Minsk) on 6-7 June. Taking part in the event are 270 people representing government agencies, the private sector, public organizations and initiatives from Belarus and Germany, and international organizations. More than half of them came from the regions. These are the people, who work hard to assist with the sustainable development of their territories, enterprises, in organizations and initiatives.