Opinions & Interviews

Khomenko: Belarus is a country with a very high level of human development

Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MINSK, 24 September (BelTA) – Belarus is genuinely committed to promoting sustainable development, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic, National Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals Sergei Khomenko said at the third plenary segment of the UN Summit of the Future in New York, BelTA has learned.

“We strongly believe that even in the current difficult situation, UN member states can and should effectively address common challenges and threats. We hope that the Summit of the Future will give additional impetus to this cause, especially in those areas that it directly affects. Such impetus is absolutely necessary given poor interim results in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals on a global scale,” Sergei Khomenko said.

The vice-speaker also spoke about Belarus' successes in this area. “All in all, Belarus has made significant progress. Our achievements are attributed to two factors. Firstly, Belarus is genuinely committed to promoting sustainable development and, as a result, works consistently to fulfill international obligations. Secondly, we have built a strong welfare state that makes a priority of promoting people's interests: we are a state for the people, a state in the name of the people. Our successes are proved by international ratings. Belarus' progress in achieving the SDGs is estimated at almost 80%,” he noted.

“We hold a solid 30th place in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the international rating. According to the UNDP human development reports, the Republic of Belarus is consistently classified as a country with a very high level of human development. In June, we held the Second National Forum on Sustainable Development, where we took stock of our work and agreed to step up efforts to achieve the Goals. The final document of the forum has the status of an official document of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly. All interested parties can familiarize themselves with it,” added Sergei Khomenko.

Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Republic Sergei Khomenko and Chairman of the Standing Committee on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic Sergei Aleinik are taking part in the UN Summit of the Future on 22-23 September. The summit is a high-level event where world leaders gather to forge a new international consensus on how to achieve a better present and safeguard the future. Effective global cooperation is increasingly important to our survival, but it is difficult to achieve in a climate of mistrust and using outdated structures that no longer reflect contemporary political and economic realities. This once-in-a-generation event is an opportunity to demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively achieve agreed goals, overcome emerging threats and seize opportunities.

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