The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is essential for universal progress and prosperity, National Coordinator for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic, Professor Valery Belsky told BelTA.

“In the run-up to the 2023 SDG Summit to be held in New York on 18-19 September, the UN Secretariat and Secretary-General António Guterres personally are making efforts to reinvigorate the work on the 2030 Agenda. The key theme of the summit is securing momentum needed to achieve the declared goals by 2030, given that the work on many goals is behind schedule, as well as pushing world leaders to adopt more ambitious plans, to reform the registration system for national and global commitments, and to reinforce monitoring and control over their implementation. In the run-up to the summit, a preliminary report of the UN Secretary-General was published; recommendations were proposed to maximize progress to implement the SDGs. The emphasis is on the climate agenda, biodiversity conservation, poverty and inequality eradication, including through the mobilization of resources to help countries in need,” said Valery Belsky.

The key talking points also include the use of unilateral coercive measures that significantly hinder progress to achieve the SDGs by a number of countries, including Belarus and its trading partners. “In accordance with the UN Charter, sanctions can be imposed by decision of the UN Security Council. This is a legally binding norm. But the United States and its allies disregard this norm. Due to restrictions on settlements, Belarus cannot even transfer its membership fee to the UN. Such a situation should receive an appropriate international evaluation. Therefore, Belarus intends to focus on the issue of illegal sanctions and the way they harm the SDGs. The UN Resident Coordinator Office in Belarus was informed about it,” the national coordinator noted.

“Our country is one of the world leaders in promoting the 2030 Agenda. The National Strategy for Sustainable Development, which is being developed for a 15-year period, chimes in with the SDGs and is part of the planning and forecasting system of Belarus. The architecture of sustainable development institutions has been fine-tuned and close interaction with UN structures is maintained. Progress on the key SDGs has approached 80%, and there is no doubt that all the long-term tasks will be fulfilled. It is generally recognized that Belarus is a donor to world food security, as it is one of the largest suppliers of fertilizers and dairy products. The country stands out for its efforts to improve healthcare, especially maternal and child health, to overcome income inequality, including in the regions. It is noteworthy that some SDG indicators, like the proportion of urban population living in slums, are something unheard of in Belarus. We are ready to share our best practices and invite interested parties to cooperate, although we still rely on international assistance in certain areas. This primarily has to do with overcoming the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident,” Valery Belsky noted.

Moreover, Belarus actively contributes to the peace process in the region. “Effective negotiations were held on our territory to resolve the crisis in Ukraine after the well-known events of 2014 and the start of the special military operation in 2022. Belarusian initiatives at the UN shape the agenda in the fight against human trafficking, our efforts to preserve historical memory and counteract the rehabilitation of Nazism have resonated worldwide. We believe that it is of paramount importance to unite the world community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that are seen as the basis for universal progress and prosperity, despite the defiance and discrediting of this work by individual countries that play a significant role in international relations. After all, our values do not let us stay indifferent to the plight and suffering of people who are often deprived of basic necessities like food, shelter, access to quality healthcare, protection from all kinds of violence, especially violence against children. The Belarusian people paid a huge, terrible price for peace and prosperity, and have developed intolerance to injustice and diktat. We expect that our voice, the voices of other peoples of the world will finally be heard and the global powers will start acting in a decent and responsible way and drop attempts to pursue their selfish interests under the guise of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” added the national coordinator.

Written by belta.by