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26 October 2015, 13:05

Sultanoglu: Achieving SDGs in Belarus will contribute to people's prosperity

GRODNO, 26 October (BelTA) – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Belarus will improve the standards of living of Belarusians and contribute to their prosperity, UNDP Assistant Administrator, Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS Cihan Sultanoglu said at a press conference in Grodno on 24 October, BelTA has learned.

Cihan Sultanoglu offered her 70th anniversary greetings to the United Nations Organization. She also emphasized that an important document concerning the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was adopted to promote the development of all countries. It is aimed at protecting the health of people of all age groups. As many as 17 cross-sectoral SDGs were developed. They are closely interconnected and touch upon the issues of not only health, but also environment, climate, education, and many others. In Belarus, some 10,000 people participated in consultations and research projects to define priorities for improving public health, enhancing education in this field, and eliminating violence.

Cihan Sultanoglu believes that the signing of the agreement on the SDGs is a very important step as it opens new opportunities for improving the standards of living of Belarusians and promoting their prosperity. Besides, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) will support the national interests of Belarus and all the UN member states, provide technical assistance, and help coordinate inter-agency efforts towards the implementation of the SDGs. Cihan Sultanoglu stressed that the process will involve government agencies, private bodies, and international organizations.

“We are happy that the Belarusian government has signed the document on the SDGs for 2016-2020. Much has been done in Belarus to develop the healthcare system, in particular to reduce the rates of maternal mortality and infant mortality, but there is still much work to do. The HIV problem remains acute as some 800 new cases are registered annually. The problem of drug abuse among young people has not been solved either. Other problems include smoking and alcohol consumption, insufficient physical activity,” Cihan Sultanoglu noted. She emphasized that the right to health is the main right of every person, so it is necessary to make maximum effort to ensure high living standards and to promote the prosperity of the Belarusian people.

The press conference in Grodno was held as part of the initiative UN70 Belarus Express for Sustainable Development Goals to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. It was attended by UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus Sanaka Samarasinha, WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab, Head of the EU Delegation to Belarus Andrea Wiktorin, representatives of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belarusian Health Ministry, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and others. They discussed further cooperation between the abovementioned partners and successful inter-agency cooperation in the implementation of the SDGs in Belarus and the world. For example, all the partners have started working on a large-scale long-term pilot project to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Belarus, promote a healthy lifestyle, and facilitate the modernization of the Belarusian healthcare system.

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