Opinions & Interviews

“The fact that this is the third EPR shows that the country pays increased attention to environmental issues. Environmental policy is an integral part of national security. This is why careful attitude to all resources, the harmonious development of economy and nature conservation have become the focus of development in out country,” the Belarusian Prime Minister noted.

The Prime Minister noted that Belarus fully supports the efforts of the UNECE to conduct such surveys for countries with economies in transition. “High political status and credibility of the EPR enhance the country's image on the international arena and contribute the development of international relations. An objective assessment of foreign experts and their vision of our development are important for us,” he said.

Andrei Kobyakov noted that Belarus keeps pace with modern trends and can offer its achievements to the international community. “Our country was the first among the CIS countries to have introduced the principle of extended producer responsibility. The country has also developed a system of measures for greening the economy to ensure environmental sustainability, employment and competitiveness of Belarusian goods,” he noted.

According to the Prime Minister, Belarus will continue to work on promoting sustainable consumption and production models in all sectors of the economy, transition to green procurement and innovation technologies.

The third EPR of Belarus was conducted by the UNECE experts in 2015. It is an effective instrument for the promotion of national environmental policy and helps identify problems and challenges in the field of environmental protection and attract expertise and financial resources of international organizations and donor countries for their solution.