Annual Report 2021 presented by UN in Belarus at a briefing session at the SDG Council
25 May 2022
19 May 2022, Minsk
The UN Resident Coordinator drew the attention of the audience to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine. She raised awareness of the meeting participants of the efforts applied by UN Secretary-General to unblock certain routes of trade in food products and agricultural fertilizers as the key to overcoming the global food security crisis.
Ms. Kazana-Wisniowiecki also urged the Council for Sustainable Development to enhance cooperation in addressing the triple planetary crisis and other important problems faced by the humanity. .
“We are facing a slow onset of the triple planetary crisis: climate change, rising sea levels, massive loss of biodiversity and the drastically increasing waste and pollution problem. Addressing these challenges requires unity, cooperation and a new ambition which will go beyond the agreed global goals,” said Ms. Kazana-Wisniowiecki.
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 focused on the importance of partnerships and the role of civil society organizations, many of whom were liquidated in 2021, for sustainable development in Belarus.
“In this context, we need to understand that Leaving Noone Behind is not some abstract principle. Giving people voice and participation, engaging in a dialogue and promoting respect for diversity of views and experiences can be a driving force for progress in a modern society,” marked Ms. Kazana-Wisniowiecki.
As part of the meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development a briefing session and interactive discussion involving heads of the UN agencies and experts on responding to COVID-19 and its influencing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals was conducted as well as the discussion of the results of UN agencies’ work in Belarus in 2021 and priorities for 2022. The UN Belarus Annual Report for 2021 is available at the Publications section of the UN Belarus web site.
The National Council for Sustainable Development is a consultative advisory body and a part of the institutional mechanism for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Belarus.
On 19 May, the Annual Report 2021 has been presented by UN in Belarus at a briefing session at the SDG Council with participation of representatives of ministries, the Parliament, regional executive committees, educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations as well as UN agencies took place in Minsk.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Yury Ambrazevich and UN Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki welcomed the meeting participants.
As Mr. Ambrazevich said in his speech, the goal of the meeting was to present the 2nd voluntary national review of the 2030 Agenda, which Belarus prepared and would represent in July 2022 at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN Headquarters in New York.
In her speech Ms. Kazana-Wisniowiecki highlighted the role of the Council for Sustainable Development as a key national mechanism of coordination of long-term development policies aimed at achievement of the SDGs. She also welcomed the opportunity to present the UN Belarus Annual Report for 2021.
UN entities involved in this initiative
Goals we are supporting through this initiative
