MINSK, 30 January (BelTA) - UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed plans to attend a regional forum of Sustainable Development Goals Coordinators in Minsk on 21-22 February. The preparation of the visit was discussed during a meeting between Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Dapkiunas and UN Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed. The meeting was held as part of the visit of the Belarusian delegation to the UN headquarters in New York to attend the opening of the 56th session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD) on 29 January 2018, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The upcoming regional forum will help Europe and CIS countries to get a better understanding of the common challenges to the achievement of the SDGs and will make an important contribution to the global efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UN Deputy Secretary General commended the activities of Belarus in achieving the SDGs, noting the involvement of all stakeholders in this work and assured that the UN would actively support this process.
The sides also touched upon the issue of middle-income countries in the context of importance of these countries for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Belarus' Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Dapkiunas also had a meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov. The parties exchanged views on the current situation and new challenges in the fight against terrorism.
The Belarusian diplomat informed Vladimir Voronkov on Belarusian initiatives in combating terrorism within the framework of international organizations. He invited him to take part in an OSCE event on combating cyberterrorism slated for October 2018 in Belarus.
Vladimir Voronkov reported on the establishment of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, and also on the near-term plans, including the first UN summit of heads of counter-terrorism agencies slated for June 2018.
Vladimir Voronkov praised Belarus' efforts in the field of combating terrorism and also expressed readiness for further cooperation, including joint events to combat terrorism in cyberspace.
The UN Commission for Social Development deals with the issues of poverty and social inequality reduction, promotion of international policy in social justice for the most vulnerable people. Belarus has been elected to CSocD for the term 2016-2020. The 56th session of CSocD will continue its work until 7 February 2018.
