Belarus elected to chair the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health

Belarus has been elected to chair the Protocol on Water and Health to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, BelTA was informed by the Ministry of Health press service.

The fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol is taking place from 19 to 21 November in Belgrade (Serbia). The official delegation of Belarus is headed by Deputy Minister of Health – Chief State Sanitary Doctor Natalia Zhukova.

The participants assessed the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water supply, sanitation, and health. They held a strategic discussion on existing gaps in the implementation of tasks and discussed political and technical aspects of key issues for the European Region. The issues discussed included the organisation of safe water supply and sanitation services in the context of climate change, ensuring equitable access to water and sanitation services, and current water-related health threats, such as outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease and antimicrobial resistance.

At the meeting, Belarus was elected to chair the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol for 2020-2022, taking over the chairmanship from Serbia. The country's candidacy was approved by all participants of the meeting.

Belarus's chairmanship will allow for the implementation of global initiatives and fundamental decisions of the Protocol, striving to improve the health and well-being of all residents of the European Region by ensuring the safety of water use and sustainable water resource management.

As noted by Anatoly Grushkovsky, Head of the International Relations Department of the Ministry of Health, in recent years, Belarus has been one of the leading countries in both promoting the Protocol internationally and implementing it at the national level. According to the UNDP, the republic is among the countries whose population has 100% sustainable access to improved water sources (in terms of quantity, quality, and proximity of water sources).

Natalia Zhukova also took part in several high-level panel discussions and held meetings with Pirjo Ostlin, acting Director of the WHO European Office, Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and representatives of the states participating in the meeting on the development of bilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare.