MINSK, 24 March (BelTA) - Thirty-two initiatives have become winners of the second Call for Initiatives on Entrepreneurship Development within the framework of the project “Support to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises for Sustainable Regional Development”, BelTA learned from project's PR specialist Nadezhda Sinelnik.
Among the winners are 11 cluster initiatives and 21 socially important initiatives. They will create about 150 jobs, including for people with disabilities.
The cluster initiatives aim to develop cooperative ties in the SME sector, and create sustainable cluster growth points in the furniture industry, berry growing, printing services, tourism, handicraft business and IT. The pilot districts of the project will launch the innovative types of entrepreneurial activity, including online marketplaces, product innovation laboratories, and start using quadcopters in agriculture.
Socially important initiatives will focus on business development whilst simultaneously addressing social problems. The pilot projects implementing social important initiatives will establish healthy food production and also introduce innovative solutions for environment challenges: biohumus production, recycling of used clothing, paper tableware production, and manufacture of 3D printed products from recycled waste and plastic. The winners also include initiatives for the development of social entrepreneurship in tourism. An important element of socially-oriented initiatives is to expand the availability of social services and medical care by setting up specialized platforms and support centers, and creating opportunities for employment and social adaptation of vulnerable groups of people.
The project “Support to Economic Development at the Local Level in the Republic of Belarus” is funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP in partnership with the Belarusian Economy Ministry.
The winners of the first Call for Initiatives on Entrepreneurship Development, the results of which were announced in November 2020, included 8 cluster initiatives and 25 socially important initiatives. Overall, following the two Calls for Initiatives on Entrepreneurship Development, 19 cluster initiatives and 46 socially important initiatives will be implemented in 12 pilot districts of the project.
“Regional development, taking account unique local competitive advantages and fostering entrepreneurial potential of the population, is in focus of the national social and economic policy for the next five years. The initiatives implemented within the framework of the project will contribute to achieving this target, showcase new models of entrepreneurship, create new jobs, and enable socially vulnerable groups to participate in the country's economy and generate income,” National Project Coordinator (Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus) Irina Babachenok said.
Sustainable economic development is impossible to achieve without a strong private sector, Dirk Schuebel, Head of the European Union Delegation to Belarus pointed out. UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus Alexandra Solovieva stressed that the implementation of the winning initiatives will help increase the number of SMEs and their contribution to the GDP as well as open up more economic opportunities for women and the youth in the regions.
