MINSK, 13 February (BelTA) – Belarus has presented its urban planning practices at the World Urban Forum that is running in Abu Dhabi, the UAE on 8-13 February, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Architecture and Construction Ministry.
The topic of the forum is “Cities of opportunities: connecting culture and innovation”. This year's forum has brought together more than 18,000 delegates from 168 countries. The forum includes plenary sessions and open discussions about new approaches to and methods of using culture and innovations as a driver of sustainable urbanization.
Belarus Deputy Architecture and Construction Minister Aleksei Ananich spoke about the Belarusian policy in urban planning, technical regulations on the barrier-free environment, and energy efficiency. He also touched upon environmental protection, preservation and legal regulation of historical and cultural heritage, and the results of the state programs Culture of Belarus and Castles of Belarus.
During the forum, Aleksei Ananich met with UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Head of the Advanced Practices Department of the UN-Habitat, coordinator for Russia and the CIS Asa Johnson. The experts took stock of cooperation and discussed areas of future interaction and proposed joint projects.
Aleksei Ananich visited the future venue of the Expo 2020 in Dubai to check on the progress in the construction of the Belarusian national pavilion and see whether the work is going on schedule. Aleksei Ananich also held bilateral meetings with potential partners who are interested in Belarusian construction materials, project (design of multifunctional complexes, sports facilities, medical centers, industrial and residential buildings) and construction services that Belarus could provide in the UAE.
The World Urban Forum was established in 2002 by the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.
