Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 20 February (BelTA) – The regional forum of national coordinators for achieving the sustainable development goals will become a unique opportunity for sharing experience in this sphere, BelTA learned from UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed on 20 February.

Amina Mohammed noted she would be glad to use the unique opportunity to talk to specialists of the highest caliber, who take care of implementing the SDGs. She said she intended to share the knowledge she would get during the Minsk forum with experts from other countries upon her return to New York. “If we collectively undertake responsibilities, we should secure partnership and resolve problems together. In today’s world problems become more and more complicated,” she stressed.

The UN deputy secretary general pointed out that the regional forum of national SDG coordinators in Minsk had exactly that goal in mind. In addition to discussing what has been done already there are plans to talk about problems and work out ways to resolve them in Minsk, said Amina Mohammed.

BelTA reported earlier that Amina Mohammed arrived in Belarus upon the invitation of Marianna Shchetkina, Deputy Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus and the national coordinator for achieving the sustainable development goals. During the meeting at the UN HQ in New York in July 2017 Marianna Shchetkina invited the UN deputy secretary general to take part in the regional forum of national SDG coordinators, which will take place in Minsk on 21-22 February and will gather delegations from over 40 countries. Top-ranking officials, representatives of international organizations are expected to participate in the forum. Participants of the forum are expected to share the best practices in achieving the SDGs. They will discuss problems in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The dialogue is expected to contribute to spreading the best international practices and innovative approaches to reaching the SDGs. It will become a platform for creating a regional network of national SDG coordinators.

UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda on 25 September 2015. It includes 17 goals meant to eliminate poverty, fight inequality and injustice, resolve problems relating to climate change. Belarus has already taken a number of important steps to reach the SDGs. The government has adopted a national strategy on sustainable social and economic development till 2030. A national infrastructure for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals has been built. The government works to achieve the SDGs together with the private sector, the civil society, and international organizations.