Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 24 July (BelTA) – Belarus demonstrates a decent response to global challenges in the face of the consequences of the global economic and financial crisis, Ph.D. of Philosophy, Assistant Professor Nikolai Shchekin told BelTA commenting on the UN Human Development Report 2014 published on 24 July.

“The fact that Belarus holds leading positions in the group of countries with the high human development index (by the way, it is far ahead of our partners in the CIS) shows that the Belarusian social and economic model is viable and is moving in the right direction keeping pace with the time,” the expert underlined.

According to Nikolai Shchekin, Belarus’ high positions in the United Nations rankings confirm that the country effectively protects the rights of its citizens in the field of education, labor and social security, healthcare, safety and other walks of life.

“The choice once made by the Belarusian society to follow its own development path without a backward glance at somebody’s instructions from outside has proved right. The country’s government once opted for the concept that is based on stepwise, not shock modernization of economic processes, creation of favorable conditions for evolutionary development of the civil society, care for ordinary people and efforts to make people’s everyday life more comfortable. This concept chimes in with the interests of the Belarusian people and serves as a solid foundation for the further sustainable social, economic, political, scientific, technological and cultural development of Belarus,” Nikolai Shchekin said.

Speaking about the most important achievements of Belarus’ state policy, he mentioned social accord and minimal social and economic risks for people.

On 24 July the United Nations released the Human Development Report 2014 where Belarus is placed 53rd among 187 nations. Belarus holds leading positions in the group of countries with the high human development index. The Russian Federation is in the same group of countries ranked 57th, Kazakhstan 70th, Azerbaijan 76th, Ukraine 83rd, Armenia 87th. The third group of countries with the medium level of human development has Turkmenistan (103rd), Moldova (114th), Uzbekistan (116th), Kyrgyzstan (125th), and Tajikistan (133rd).

The UNDP has published annual global human development reports since 1990 as an independent and empirically sound analysis of trends, progress and development policies. The report, entitled "Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience" highlights the need for both promoting people's choices and protecting human development achievements.