MINSK, 10 February (BelTA) - The Belarusian People's Congress, the country's main social and political event of five years, starts in Minsk on 11 February. The two-day forum will bring together 2,700 people from all over the country: almost 2,400 delegates and more than 300 invited persons.
Belarus' Social and Economic Development Program for 2021-2025 will be submitted for discussion of the Belarusian People's Assembly. Delegates of the large-scale forum will discuss the guiding lines and areas of the state's social and political development for many years to come.
The majority of the participants of the 6th edition of the Belarusian People's Congress are representatives of the real economy sector. Among the delegates are workers of the manufacturing industry, construction, transport and agriculture, representatives of government bodies, media, social and cultural sectors, pensioners, and students. More than 36% of the delegates are women. More than 6% of the delegates are young participants under 30.
In the run-up to the Belarusian People's Congress, discussions were held across the country to promote an active dialogue between the society and the authorities. Websites of government agencies invited citizens to fill in a form and send their ideas about changes they would like to see in Belarus. Many proposals collected from citizens via these channels were put on the agenda of the congress.
The website of the 6th Belarusian People's Congress also featured such a form. More than 1,100 proposals were submitted via the website. Most of them came from residents of Minsk – 465 (40%), Minsk Oblast – 156 (14%), and Brest Oblast – 129 (11%). As many as 114 proposals (10%) were sent from Gomel Oblast, 99 (9%) – from Vitebsk Oblast, 105 (9%) – from Mogilev Oblast, and 74 (6%) – from Grodno Oblast.
