Results and Prospects: Overview of the Work within the Joint Project on SDGs in 2023 and Plans for 2024

In 2023, the Joint Project implemented by UN agencies in Belarus under coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Belarus in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus and other government bodies and organizations under the general management of the National Coordinator for Achieving the SDGs and with financial support from the Russian Federation has started. 

The Joint Project provided four meetings of the Council for Sustainable Development, which were dedicated to the topics of education for sustainable development, integration of people with disabilities into the active life of society, progress in achieving the SDGs in the Republic of Belarus and the work of the UN system in the Republic of Belarus, with expert and technical assistance. In addition, the Project ensured the participation of representatives of government bodies of the Republic of Belarus in important international events, including the Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York.

Among the important results of the Joint Project within the field of the work with youth is assistance to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus in holding the competition “Youth Ambassadors of the SDGs – the Future of the Planet is in Our Hands” and choosing the Youth Ambassadors of the SDGs and their Doublers of the fourth convocation. 150 young people from different regions of Belarus took part in the final of the competition. The active involvement of the younger generation in the issues of sustainable development ensures the continuity of the country’s efforts on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and is an important area of activity within the Joint Project.

One of the significant topics the Project pays attention to is active longevity. This theme was at the core of the II Republican Meeting of Silver Age Volunteers, which was held with the support of the Project and brought together more than 200 participants. It is noteworthy that over the past five years the number of silver age volunteers in Belarus has doubled. The influence of demographic factors on the socio-economic development of the country as well as the measures to prevent them were the focus of a series of seminars taking place with the participation of representatives of the Russian demographic school. More than 100 representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Belstat, the Academy of Sciences and the country's leading universities have increased their potential in ensuring demographic sustainability.

An important aspect for achieving the SDGs is ensuring a healthy lifestyle. In this area, as part of the Project implementation in 2023, a training module on the prevention of non-communicable diseases was developed, and a series of educational videos was created to promote a healthy lifestyle. The first eight videos on healthy nutrition, physical activity, breaking bad habits and similar topics have already been published and are available for viewing via the link.

In 2024, the Joint Project will continue its work in three main directions by supporting the functioning of the national institutional mechanism for managing the process of achieving the SDGs, regional development and improvement of the system for monitoring and assessing the progress towards achieving the SDGs. Thus, the Project will continue to provide support in holding meetings of the Council for Sustainable Development, which is a key element of the national institutional mechanism for managing the process of achieving the SDGs ensuring consideration of important issues of the country’s development related to the 2030 Agenda at a high level. In addition, a number of thematic events to promote the SDGs, including popularizing the ideas of sustainable development among children and youth, are planned. For instance, with the support of the Joint Project, it is planned to hold the Second Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, the International Youth SDG Forum, the republican competitions “Children about the SDGs”, “Young Friends of the SDGs”, etc.

The work on dissemination of the knowledge about the SDGs will become strategic and systematic with the development of a national communication strategy to promote the SDGs in the Republic of Belarus.

In the field of regional sustainable development, the work of the Joint Project will be aimed at assisting regional executive committees in developing regional strategies for sustainable development and holding the Competition of pilot initiatives on the SDGs. The Project will support the most promising local initiatives in the field of green transition to inclusive and sustainable growth, youth policy, digital transformation and social innovation, gender equality, etc.

Another important component of the Joint Project is assisting statistical services in developing statistical data platforms on the SDGs and improving methods for calculating indices and indicators, such as the multidimensional poverty index. With the support of the Joint Project, it is planned to create an information center for knowledge about children and increase the capacity of Belstat employees on monitoring and assessing the progress towards achieving the SDGs.

The work on the prevention of non-communicable diseases will also continue. Heads of healthcare institutions will undergo training within the framework of the developed training module. Besides, a demonstration seminar will be organized, and the most relevant topics on the prevention of non-communicable diseases and promotion of a healthy lifestyle will be covered in educational videos for the population.

Additional information about the activities of the Joint Project as well as the latest news on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Belarus can be found on the website sdgs.by.