MINSK, 21 February (BelTA) – The SDG forum in Minsk is defining a partner framework for the national coordinators on the Sustainable Development Goals, Belarus' Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei told the media on 21 February, BelTA informs.
“The forum lays down the foundation of a partner framework for the national SDG coordinators. In fact, it is the start of a new regional process to promote the joint work on the Sustainable Development Goals,” Vladimir Makei noted.
According to the minister, the forum is not going to be a one-time event. Belarus' aim is to build up, together with partners, regional cooperation between the national SDG coordinators. “The forum will be an integral part of a series of important events that are due to take place in Belarus this year,” the minister said.
Belarus has become a recognized partner of international community in the area of sustainable development. Even before the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, the country had achieved the UN-confirmed successes in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, Vladimir Makei said.
Together with its international partners, Belarus has developed the Sustainable Development Goals. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attended the UN Summit in 2015 where the goals were adopted. In his speech at the summit the head of state outlined the inextricable link between the development and peace and security. The tasks of the regional forum of national SDG coordinators, which opened today in Minsk, are consonant with Belarus' basic attitudes to the work in multilateral organizations, namely to promote the international cooperation on the most pressing issues on the agenda.
“It is not possible to ensure healthy development in an unstable, chaos-prone world where confrontation and mistrust reign. These issues are clearly interrelated. Belarus can and is ready to share its expertise across the entire range of these issues and also to offer possibilities and ideas. Minsk is always ready to be a welcoming place for international discussion of the global agenda,” Vladimir Makei said.
Minsk is hosting the regional forum of national SDG coordinators. The forum has gathered delegations from more than 40 countries. Top-ranking officials, representatives of international organizations are expected to participate in the forum. Participants of the forum are expected to share the best practices in achieving the SDGs, to discuss the problems in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
