By (Lt Col. Retd) Khalid TaimurAkram
In 2015, Agenda 2030 was adopted by the representatives of 193 countries at the United Nations. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were announced through the Agenda 2030. The United Nations, through SDGs, provided a platform for all the UN member countries to work together to improve life in different parts of the world.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are originally the continuation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were to be achieved within the fifteen years of their launch. For its prominent efforts in implementing the MDGs, Belarus has emerged as a significant regional leader.
With a remarkable success record of MDGs to build on, Belarus has taken notable steps for the timely achievement of the SDGs especially in the year 2017. Belarus Government has adopted a collaborated socio-economic, political, and environmental approach where all the stakeholders and national partners are expected to efficiently perform their due role. Belarus, through its impressive approach,has not only been able to achieve the SDGs to a significant extent but has also successfully emerged as a role model for the other member states. To ensure the overall success of SDGs, Belarus highlights the fundamental factor that needs to be incorporated in the overall strategy devised by a state. According to Belarus, the achievement of SDGs requires mutually beneficial cooperation both at the regional and global levels. Furthermore, the sharing of initiatives, plans, and experiences is also encouraged to facilitate each other in capacity building.
Effective Mechanisms for the success of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
For the practical implementation of Agenda 2030, notable measures have been taken by the Belarus Government. The National Strategy for sustainable socio-economic development, announced by the Belarus government, proved to be the foundation of numerous significant achievements. The National Strategy mainly focused on transforming the administrative model of the national economy, attaining a balance between the contribution of the public and private sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the introduction of Green Economy, promotion of social support for the most vulnerable citizens, and supporting conditions in which the individuals can utilize their maximum potential. The designed National Strategy was aligned with the goals and the challenges of the Agenda 2030 to ensure the achievement of SDGs by overcoming all the possible hurdles.
Furthermore, the incorporation of the SDGs into the national, regional, and international programs, plans, policies, and initiatives have been heavily stressed upon by the Belarus government for the fruitful implementation of the Agenda 2030. The programs, plans, policies, and initiatives taken by the Belarus government accurately divide the work between the government and central and local authorities. Hence, everyone is aware of the tasks assigned. An appropriate example of this could be the adoption of the socio-economic development program by the Belarus government in 2016. The program was mainly focused on the maximization of domestic resources especially human development which is often considered as the fundamental challenge when it comes to improving the living standards of the population through strengthened economy and investments.
To ensure the success of the SDGs, the Belarus government accurately allocated its resources in the following domains:
- Sustainable Economic Growth
- Human Development
- Social Support for the Vulnerable Sects/ Groups of the society
- Gender Equality
- Balanced Youth Policy
- Environmental Sustainability
Moreover, A National Coordination Mechanism has been introduced in Belarus. The mechanism mainly outlines the conditions and priorities during the implementation process of the Agenda 2030. In addition to the mentioned objectives, the National Coordination Mechanism further tries to create a balance between the three main factors of sustainable development which are economic, social, and environmental. Additionally, the post of National Coordinator has been created by the President of Belarus. The National Coordinator primarily analyzes the achievement process of the SDGs and the overall sustainable development of the country. The national council comprised of around 30 national and regional bodies. The main objectives of the national council included facilitating in increasing the accountability of the governmental agencies involved in the implementation of the SDGs. It further provided a platform for the intersectoral exchange, discussion, and analysis of the progress of SDGs. Additionally, it ensured that the challenges that hindered the progress of the SDGs were properly dealt with.
The establishment of the National Council for sustainable development under the national coordinator proved to be a beneficial step in this entire process. As the national coordinator is responsible for the monitoring and planning of the SDGs at the national level by coordinating the inputs from all the stakeholders involved. For this purpose, in-house discussions are regularly organized. They are attended by representatives of relevant research and scientific groups, non-governmental organizations, and partners from among United Nations agencies and international organizations. The discussions mainly revolve around the issues and challenges that are faced by the entire process. This helps the council and the national coordinator, in particular, informed about the progress and its faced issues.
The National Coordinator then reports to the President regarding the progress of the entire implementation process and provides suggestions to further improve the process by overcoming the faced challenges.
Belarus presented its first Voluntary National Report (VNR) to UNHLPF in 2017. In its first Voluntary Report, Belarus prioritized the issues of prosperity, a healthy lifestyle, and the well-being of its citizens. The existing conditions of Belarus at the start of Agenda 2030 were explained in the report. Furthermore, the weaknesses and drawbacks faced by Belarus were identified in the Voluntary National Report and the ways to overcome the challenges were outlined. It further contained the aims, vision, and the approaches that were to be adopted by Belarus for the achievement of SDGs. The VNR also stated that Belarus will be formulating policies and designing plans to work on the goals and objectives of Agenda 2030 related to food safety, health and education sector, sustainable infrastructure establishment, etc.
Another important step taken by the Belarus government is the organizing of the regular Parliamentary hearings and national consultations. These consultations include various partners (civil society included). These hearings and consultations are especially beneficial in keeping all the partners and stakeholders informed and involved. Hence, providing them a platform where they can share their valuable inputs in the form of suggestions and recommendations.
Belarus has not only taken efficient measures to keep the stakeholders involved but it has also invested in raising public awareness regarding the importance of SDGs. This has helped them in gaining the support of the general public. So, to create awareness amongst the Belarusian public, awareness campaigns have been launched which eventually led to an environment where domestic resources are utilized to their maximum potential for the achievement of the Agenda 2030.
National Development Strategy 2035
In addition to the above-mentioned measures, another important initiative was also taken by the Belarus government. The Belarus government designed a plan of action i.e. National Development Strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to incorporate the respective policies and plans into the national strategy. The document will be a link between the priorities of sustainable development at the national level and global goals in this field. National interests and international commitments to achieve sustainable development goals have been taken into account in the development of the new strategy.
The significant success of the SDGs
The effectiveness of the measures taken by the Belarus government is noteworthy. The success of the SDGs in Belarus can be easily attributed to the smart steps taken and practically implemented by the government. Few of the prominent achievements include:
- Eradication of poverty and hunger. Around 5.7% of the total population was recognized as low-income individuals
- Belarus fully meets the requirements for food.The imported products are limited to 15% only.
- In 2013, Belarus successfully met the MDGs on reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
- The maternal mortality rate has decreased more than 18 times since 1990. At present, the rate is 1.7 per 100,000 live births. In 2014, Belarus was ranked first in the world in reducing the level of maternal mortality.
- Belarus is the regional leader in terms of pre-school education coverage: pre-school education for children – 94%, provision of children with places in pre-school institutions – 97.6%.
Conclusion
To sum it up, the main factors that helped Belarus in making significant progress in the process ofachieving the SDGs include the efficient policy process that has helped Belarus in integrating SDGs at various stages of the entire analysis process. Hence, it has led to the adoption of a holistic vision of Belarus regarding the achievement of SDGs. Furthermore, the creation of a mechanism to regularly monitor implementation of the SDGs has helped the government to keep an accurate track of the progress. Another important factor that has facilitated Belarus in making notable progress is the identification of the areas, by the government, that have accelerated effect on the achievement of multiple SDGs. For example, one possible SDG accelerator is Sustainable Economic Growth Pattern. Identification of the factor by the policymakers will enable them to simultaneously solve the issues such as the reduction of employment and recognize their underlying causes. One of the main causes of the low employment rate can be the structural change in the economy.
Moreover, the efficient coordination between various stakeholders has played a major part in paving the way for progress. Lastly, the involvement of the civil society and experts from the public and private sector has proved to be beneficial in the creation of an inclusive government policy analysis process. This has helped the government enhance the performance of its various institutions. – The author is Executive Director at Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad
