On July 26, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus plans to attract approximately $15 million in international financial assistance for the implementation of six new environmental protection projects. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the ministry's press service. "To attract investments, in the first half of this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources held over 40 meetings and consultations with experts from foreign companies and representatives of international organizations," the press service stated. "Currently, six projects are planned for implementation with a total international financial assistance amount of approximately $15 million." This year, 10 international technical assistance projects in the field of environmental protection are being implemented in Belarus. The volume of financial resources attracted to the country under these projects amounts to over $10 million. The donors include UNDP, the Global Environment Facility, the European Commission (EU-IDP/TACIS programs), the OSCE office in Minsk, and the World Bank. Among these projects are: "Enhancing Capacity to Address Environmental Protection Issues in Belarus through the Implementation of the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme," "Strengthening the Institutional and Legislative Framework for the Implementation of an Integrated Environmental Permitting System in Belarus," "Creating Conditions for the Sustainable Functioning of the Protected Wetlands System in Belarusian Polesie," "Sustainable Development at the Local Level," "Building Capacity in Strategic Environmental Assessment and in the Implementation of Environmental Conventions in Belarus," "Raising Environmental Awareness among Youth through the Establishment and Development of 'Green Schools' in Belarus," "Water Resource Management in the Western Sector of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia," "BALTRAD - Improvement of the Meteorological Radar Network in the Baltic Sea Region," "Integration of Biodiversity Conservation Issues into Spatial Planning Policies and Practices in Belarus," and "Facilitating the Exchange of Information on Best Available Techniques."

BELTA