The UN in Belarus supported the process of national consultations in preparation for the Summit.  Under the leadership of the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and UNICEF in Belarus, focus group discussions and national round table were held in August in preparation for the Transforming Education Summit.  As a result of engagement with the children, students, teachers, parents and government officials, the following priorities for transforming education in Belarus were agreed: To ensure an Inclusive, Equitable, Safe and Healthy Schools: ensuring an adequate security of educational institutions, upgrading the existing PE and sports facilities, combating juvenile crime, implementing comprehensively the principle of inclusion in education that ensures equal access to education for all regardless of their individual potential and needs, enhancing capacity in the field of vocational education for people with special needs, creating a barrier-free environment, ensuring effective socialization of young people in difficult straits. Under the thematic area of action Learning and Skills for Life, Work and Sustainable Development: building students' competencies and skills needed for inventive and business activities, creating innovative products, developing brand new educational standards in line with economic and social development trends, developing innovative infrastructure of university science, improving efficiency of research activities in higher education institutions, providing career guidance counseling based on the introduction of new professions most relevant in the context of sustainable development and green economy, developing youth business activities including via support of youth start-ups and volunteer activities and intensifying efforts to identify and support gifted children and youth. To foster Digital Training and Transformation the following efforts are needed: integrating comprehensively information and communication technologies in the educational process and activities of all types of educational institutions, developing subject-specific interactive laboratories, using actively the elements of gamification for the educational process intensification, improving teachers and educators’ digital competencies; developing innovative educational digital products, upgrading computer equipment in educational institutions, establishing innovative learning classes and robotic centres in general secondary education institutions. Transforming education requires also reform of Teachers, Teaching and Teaching Profession, and namely: mainstreaming digital, psycho-pedagogical and socio-emotional skills of teachers, improving teachers’ professional training and advanced studies, building universities’ workforce capacity, rejuvenating and improving professional development of the faculty members, increasing wages for the teaching staff. On the Education Funding issue, the following priorities were identified: promoting economic independence of educational institutions, enhancing independence of educational institutions both in planning and managing budget funds, developing innovative financing and expanding fiscal space. The above outcomes of national consultations were discussed at a roundtable on Transforming Education which took place on 15 August 2022 in Minsk.  The meeting brought together Belarusian Minister of Education Andrei Ivanets, UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki, Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus Tanja Radocaj, other UN agencies, representatives of the Ministry of Education, Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University (BSPU), BSPU Coordination Centre of Education for Sustainable Development, Institute of Inclusive Education and NGOs and other educational institutions, as well as students and teachers. The roundtable participants discussed the report on “The National education system: achievements, challenges, future development.” They also reviewed the proposals and comments on the following thematic clusters: Inclusive, Equitable, Safe and Healthy Schools; Learning and Skills for Life, Work and Sustainable Development; Digital Training and Transformation; Teachers, Teaching and Teaching Profession; and Education Funding. In his speech Minister of Education Andrei Ivanets said, citing the National Strategy for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development for the period until 2030 (NSDS-2030), that the Belarusian educational system is characterized by such traits as accessibility, high standards and inclusion. "Today we see that wherever our young people live, be it a village, a small district, or a regional district centre, they should be provided with equal access to quality education. As of today, our country ranks 17th out of 163 countries by access to basic knowledge indicator in the Social Progress Global Index. The Minister of Education also emphasized the importance of inclusive education as an aspect of the Belarusian educational system. "Today, 43 thousand children with special needs will receive education in our institutions, primarily on terms of integration. This is to say that today we are nurturing a culture of inclusive society. We say that our society, teachers and youth in general are ready to accept children with special needs in their communities," said Andrei Ivanets. Speaking during the national consultations, the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki stressed that by convening the Summit, the UN and its member states are collectively recognizing that education is key as foundation for peace, tolerance, human rights and sustainable development. "The UN in Belarus is glad to contribute to the process of national consultations which have been advanced in over 100 countries. We hope that building on the high level of education in Belarus and on the strong focus on education in the national priorities, this national consultation will help strengthen the shared vision, commitment and alignment of action across constituencies to transform education," said the UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus. Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki also added that public engagement and mobilization efforts around the Summit have sought to democratize dialogue around education and to grow a global movement for education transformation. "As UN, we will continue to do our part to make sure that, in addition to education sector officials, the voice of parents, children and teachers as well as independent education experts is heard on the national and global level," she said. Speaking at the roundtable meeting, UNICEF Representative in Belarus Tanja Radocaj stressed that educational systems worldwide are in crisis because they are behind the times and change very slowly, while the reality changes much faster. "Children, who go to school today, don't know the world without the Internet, artificial intelligence and social networks," UNICEF Representative in Belarus noted. As Tanja Radocaj said, children, who have been born this year, will live in the 22nd century. "Although biologically children remain children, their perception of the world is significantly different, and they learn better and not like their parents and grandparents. Belarusian children have told us that they want and can contribute to improvement of educational process and outcomes, they can tell us what skills they need and what makes learning interesting for them. They also see gaps in teachers' education and skills," the UNICEF Representative in Belarus said. Preparations of the Republic of Belarus for the Transforming Education Summit consisted of several stages. In particular, in summer 2022 Belarus held a scientific and practical conference "Education for the Future", two online conferences with participation of parents and public discussion of education development involving adolescents and young people.  The roundtable meeting at the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics was the final event of the national consultations in the lead up to the UN Summit that gathered together many stakeholders, including representatives of ministries, scientists, educators, the private sector, and teenagers. The UN Country Team representatives became the official partners of the National Consultations. Organization of the National Consultation process was supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus.   

Today, for the first time, we mark International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which was introduced in July 2021 through resolution A/75/L.115 on “Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech” adopted by General Assembly. The focus on hate speech as a global problem comes amid alarming trends of growing xenophobia, racism and intolerance, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred around the world.  In 2019, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted these phenomena and launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. The world observes that these concerns remain and grow today. The strategy recognizes that over the past 75 years, hate speech has been a precursor to atrocity crimes, including genocide, from Rwanda to Bosnia to Cambodia. This first UN system-wide policy initiative to tackle hate speech is aimed at complementing the efficient legal framework for addressing hate speech, xenophobia and discrimination and building on fight with discrimination and inequality. One of the main human rights instruments in this area is the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that understands racist hate speech as ‘a form of other-directed speech which rejects the core human rights principles of human dignity and equality and seeks to degrade the standing of individuals and groups in the estimation of society.” It was adopted in 1965 but, more than half a century after, hate speech remains a significant social phenomenon that has devastating long term effect on global peace, security and human rights. The devastating effect of hate speech and hatred is being observed by the whole world today. Its scale and impact are amplified by new technologies of communication, global crises like pandemic and instability. The point is getting clearer that hate speech, including online, has become one of the most frequent methods for spreading divisive rhetoric and ideologies on a global scale and threatening peace.  Dangerous, hateful propaganda and cyberbullying, as well as fake news that creates the image of an enemy, can provoke the worst of crimes. Here the special role is on the side of the private sector, the media, internet corporations, faith leaders, educators, in preventing bullying, cyberbullying and verbal violence on the Internet. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus and MTS mobile network operator have been cooperating since 2018 to protect the rights of children and adolescents on the Internet and to fight cyberbullying.   According to a UNICEF study (2018), which involved more than one million young people in 160 countries around the world, up to 70.6% of Internet users aged 15-24 may be exposed to cyberbullying, harassment, and other threats. In Belarus, 92.4% of children aged 6-17 use the Internet. 18.2% of high school students experienced cyberbullying and were affected by it. Thanks to jointly implemented UNICEF projects aimed at raising digital literacy, more than 12,000 children, adolescents, parents and teachers benefited from educational and interactive events. The world must not trample on freedom of speech and expression. When that speech is weaponized to violate the rights of others, including inciting atrocity crimes and acts of terrorism, it must not be met with deafening silence that implies apathy or acceptance. Even if hate speech is allowed under law—when it does not rise to the level of incitement of violence prohibited by international law—its consequences cannot be underestimated. To observe the Day, the United Nations invites its partners, governments, civil society groups, and individuals to mobilize efforts and resources to implement strategies to identify, address and counter hate speech. *** Anti-bullying workbook for children and teenagers "How to protect yourself from bullying on the Internet and not become haters yourself" can be downloaded from the MTS website.  

The UN Belarus Results Report 2021 was presented in Minsk as part of the meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development with representatives of ministries, the Parliament, regional executive committees, educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations as well as UN agencies. Belarusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yury Ambrazevich and UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki welcomed the meeting participants. Speaking about the priorities of the United Nations in Belarus in the area of sustainable development UN Resident Coordinator highlighted the agreed long-term areas for cooperation such as green transition, opportunities for young people and future generations, supporting digital transformation and social innovations and gender equitable society with equal opportunities for women and men. She also emphasized the importance of partnerships and the role of civil society organizations, many of whom had been liquidated earlier in 2021, for sustainable development in Belarus.   The theme of the presentation by Alexandra Solovieva, UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus, was green transition for inclusive and sustainable growth.    As she noted, the UN country team (UNCT) was working hard to support public authorities and administration in climate actions planning and implementation, which allowed Belarus to set a new goal to reduce CO2 emission by 35%. As a result of UN agencies’ activities at the local level, in rural areas and small towns, dozens of initiatives were launched producing income and jobs, including creation of social enterprises for people with disabilities.  The innovative Chernobyl Investment Platform was created to support green and inclusive innovation-driven growth in the districts affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe. In 2022, UNCT priorities in the area of climate resilience will be disaster risk reduction in the agricultural sector, treatment of persistent organic pollutants and sustainable management of chemicals and ozone-depleting substances; in the area of innovations UNCT will focus on cleaner and resource-efficient production technologies, integrated application of eco-industrial park strategies and use of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for smart manufacturing development. In a joint presentation dedicated to the topic of Future generations orientation: adolescence and youth Vyacheslav Grankov, acting WHO Regional Director to Belarus, and Gabrielle Akimova, UNICEF Deputy Representative, pointed out that in 2021 the UN agencies focused on providing large-scale assistance to public health care and, first of all, COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures.  A signification contribution to the development of the national program on public health and demographic security for 2021-2025 was made as well as facilitation of assessment of COVID-19 socio-economic impact on families with children. Beside that, support was provided to develop the national system of early childhood intervention and to strengthen systems for child protection, inclusive education and encouragement of positive parenting. In the area of digital transformation and social innovations UNCT contributed to the development of a wide range of policy-level documents on smart cities, green urban development plans and the national program of digital development for 2021-2025 as Ralph Heinrich, Economic Affairs Officer, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division, UNECE, informed in his speech. Also, among the UNCT focus areas in 2022 there are digital trade facilitation, public-private partnership related to sustainable infrastructure, green urban development in small and medium-sized cities, online safety and information security in educational cyberspace for children and teachers and reduction of digital gender gap. Head of UNFPA Office in Belarus Olga Atroshchanka presented the results of UN activities in Belarus aimed at the achievement of gender equitable society. In particular, the following activities were implemented: engagement in the development of the National Action Plan for Ensuring Gender Equality; launch of the Gender Data Web Portal;  presentation of the concept of favourable corporate environment for employees-parents and gender equality; development of the draft national information strategy on active longevity for the elderly people aged 65 and over; carrying out a survey of the role of fathers in Belarusian families and development of the concept of involved fatherhood promotion in Belarus, including social and economic benefits of men’s engagement into childcare.   Mahym Orazmuhammedova, Chief of Mission, IOM Belarus, and Timofei Solodkov, Associate Protection Officer, UNHCR Office in Belarus, highlighted the measures taken in response to the refugee and migration crisis in Belarus.   In 2021, UNCT provided immediate humanitarian aid for the total of 1,500,000 US dollars to people in the border area through enabling voluntary return of those migrants, who decided to return home, and also, providing support to those who wanted to apply for asylum in Belarus. At present, UN provides assistance in response to the situation of refugees from Ukraine teaming up with the state bodies and other involved organizations (such as Belarusian Red Cross). The strategic priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 will guide the United Nations Organization in its activities in 2022. This work will be continued in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and implications of the war in Ukraine and will aim to help Belarus address their diverse after-effects. Therefore the top priorities of the UN in Belarus will be: achieving the global goals and helping partners address the triple planetary crisis; focusing on Belarus-specific SDG accelerators; and pursuing the leaving no one behind principle.

Seventy seven years ago, on 27 January 1945, the prisoners of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz were released by the Red Army. To prevent similar crimes against humanity in future the United Nations Organization (UN) designated the date as the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. This year the central theme of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day is “Memory, Dignity and Justice.” Today we commemorate six million Jewish men, women and children, who died in the Holocaust between 1933 and 1945, including 800 thousand Jews murdered in Belarus by the Nazi and their accomplices. In his speech dedicated to the International Holocaust Remembrance Day the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Remembering the past is crucial to safeguarding the future. Today, let us commit to never be indifferent to the suffering of others, and never forget what happened or let it be forgotten by others. Let us pledge to always be vigilant and uphold human rights and dignity for all.” The UN rejects and condemns without reservation any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event and considers such denial a manifestation of extreme religious intolerance, anti-Semitism and act of genocide. The UN considers hate speech a direct attack on the ideals of tolerance, inclusion, and diversity. Hate and hostile speech influences social cohesion, sets the stage for the manifestation of violence and undermines peace and sustainable development principles. The UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki took part in the ceremony of a memorial ketubah signing in the Beit Simcha Centre in the presence of the Plenipotentiary for religions and nationalities, representatives of the embassies of Israel, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Great Britain, Romania, Poland and other countries and the Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim communities of Belarus. The text of the ketubah says: “In 2005, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted its Resolution 60/7, in which resolved to designate the day of liberation of Auschwitz by the Red Army as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.  May the memory of the Holocaust victims help prevent any acts of genocide in future as well as any attempts to deny the tragedy of six million Jews, the victims of the Catastrophe.  May their memory remain eternal.” Together with the representatives of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, the diplomatic corps and religious communities the UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus Alexandra Solovieva took part in the memorial ceremony in the Yama Memorial Complex. “Belarus is working on perpetuation of the memory and passing it on to future generations. Memorials and memorial boards are being opened and educational activities conducted, - Alexandra Solovieva said addressing the ceremony participants.  - We cannot allow these crimes to happen again. The tragedy of the Holocaust is an eternal and fearful memory for all of us about the consequences of anti-Semitism, discrimination, hatred and prejudices.”