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.”

  Speaking at the meeting of the National Council for Sustainable Development Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki emphasized the importance of discussing in Belarus the implications of climate change and how to combat them, which is one of the top priorities on the UN’s agenda. The National Council for Sustainable Development plays an important role in coordinating the cross-sectoral aspects of greening transition in Belarus. “Green economic growth is reflected in the National Development Strategy and multiple sectoral five-year national plans and programmes. Green transition for inclusive and sustainable growth is the first accelerator and one of four pillars of the UN’s Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Belarus for 2021-2025,” said Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki. UN Country Team is ready to complement these efforts under the climate agenda of Belarus and has already started working on implementation of green urban development plans at the district level, smart sustainable city profiles, technical cooperation and trainings to improve energy efficiency standards for buildings and the piloting of public private partnerships. UN agencies started a new joint UN SDG Fund project in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance. As part of this initiative, a development finance assessment of environmental expenditures will be undertaken by the UN Development Program (UNDP). Also, UN will soon be launching the big new SDG project funded by the Russian Federation, which will open new opportunities to further engage experts amongst all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, academia and the private sector. Green transitions require financing. The external resources are very important and UN Belarus is ready to leverage such resources.

In response to the situation at the Belarusian-EU border, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partners have scaled up their assistance for migrants and refugees, providing humanitarian aid at the border and expanding voluntary return opportunities and other forms of assistance. It is estimated that there are up to 2,000 migrants and refugees at the border with Poland, predominantly Kurds from Iraq, but also Syrians, Iranians, Afghans, Yemenis, Cameroonians and others. There are grave concerns for their welfare in the freezing conditions, as several deaths from hypothermia have already been registered on the EU’s border with Belarus, and because there are large numbers of women and children among the group. IOM, UNHCR and the Belarus Red Cross have been granted access to the migrants and refugees at the border by the Belarusian authorities on several occasions in recent weeks to assess their conditions and needs, distribute humanitarian aid and elaborate options for those wishing to return home.   IOM was able to provide aid in late October via the Belarus Red Cross. Following the first visit to the Bruzgi border crossing on 11 November, IOM secured food items, clothing and hygiene kits which were promptly delivered by the Red Cross to migrants relocated to a logistics facility near the border. On 24 November the same group received water, food and infant food.   The total number of migrants and refugees currently in Belarus is estimated at 7,000, with only a limited number so far expressing a desire to return home voluntarily. However, in recent days the Government of Iraq has organized the repatriation of over 1,000 of its citizens and discussions with IOM to facilitate more voluntary returns are ongoing.   It is envisaged that IOM will be able to provide a charter flight for all those remaining who wish to return to Iraq in the next two weeks. This is longer than the usual process due to the need for COVID-19 protocols to be observed. At least 44 people have so far been assisted by IOM to return home voluntarily, with another 38 in the pipeline. “Together with UNHCR and partners, our priority is the safety of these stranded migrants, upholding their human rights and preventing more deaths as temperatures remain well below freezing,” said António Vitorino, Director General of IOM.   “We are committed to providing humanitarian assistance and working with authorities on both sides of the border, and those who wish to return voluntarily will be helped by IOM to do so in a safe and dignified way.” For further information, please contact: In Vienna: Joe Lowry, Spokesperson, Senior Regional Media and Communications Officer at jlowry@iom.int, tel: +43660 3776404 In Geneva: Safa Msehli, Spokesperson, Crisis Communications and Advocacy at smsehli@iom.int, tel: + 4179 4035526
In Minsk: Hanna Kalichava, Public Information Specialist at hkalichava@iom.int, tel: +375 29 568 44 94