Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 10 October (BelTA) - To achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) we need to fully realize the potential of the state, society and every individual, Marianna Shchetkina, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, National Coordinator for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, said at the international conference “Women's Entrepreneurship as a precondition for sustainable development”, BelTA has learned.

According to the national coordinator, it will be possible to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals only if the government, regulators, civil society and business community join their efforts. "The necessary condition is partnership and solidarity," Marianna Shchetkina said. She added that the goals of the conference is to promote cooperation in solving topical matters and bolstering communication. The key question to be answered is what needs to be done in order to create more favorable conditions for female entrepreneurship so that the female entrepreneurship network should be more efficient including in provision of assistance, Marianna Shchetkina stressed.

"Every regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Women has established platforms for women’s business. If we, women, want to develop and bolster economy and create new jobs, we need to have greater representation in decision making, be more active and work together," she said.

Recently, more attention has been given to female entrepreneurship in Belarus. Marianna Shchetkina noted that it is important to have government support in promoting women’s employment including in business sector. She expressed hope that the conference will result in recommendations for the possible changes in the national legislation.

The forum is held as part of the Sustainable Development Weeks 2017. It has brought together representatives of government agencies, research organizations and business. The forum is expected to develop proposals on the measures to support female entrepreneurship in Belarus. Special attention is paid to the ways of promoting the gender economic equality as one of the important conditions for sustainable development. Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls was declared one of 17 sustainable development goals until 2030 at the UN Summit on Sustainable Development (New York, 2015).

The forum is set to consider the state support of female entrepreneurship: promotion of employment and self-employment, easing access to financial resources. Another important topic for discussion is female social entrepreneurship in the context of the inclusion of people with disabilities. The participants of the forum will also get acquainted with the German experience in matters of women’s leadership role in achieving the sustainable development goals. The breakout sessions are to discuss gender equality as a prerequisite for sustainable economic development; the role of women in partnership: business, public organizations, power; and social entrepreneurship through the prism of gender equality.