Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei visits the UN Headquarters in New York

04-10-2018

On October 3, 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, took part as one of the keynote speakers at the round table entitled “Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development as a Catalyst for Change through Partnership”.

The round table was initiated by the Belarusian side and based on the results of the Regional forum “Building a Partnership to Underpin National Sustainable Development Solutions”, held in Minsk on February 21-22, 2018 to promote the idea of a network of national coordinators for sharing knowledge and experience in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event was organized by the Belarusian side together with the Permanent Missions of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation to the United Nations.

In his speech, V.Makei informed the participants on the steps taken by Belarus to implement the new development agenda. Foreign Minister noted, in particular, the creation of a national architecture to achieve the SDGs, in which the Council for Sustainable Development is a key actor that operates under the guidance of the National Coordinator.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs presented main results of the Regional forum in Minsk, stressed the support of the countries of the region of the initiative of Belarus to establish a partner network of national SDG coordinators for the exchange of knowledge and experience.

During the meeting, the Head of the Foreign Ministry announced the idea of establishing a UN Directory of SDG National Coordination Mechanisms and its’ subsequent launch during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, which will be held in New York in September 2019.

High representatives of the United Nations addressed the meeting: the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Amina J. Mohammed, the Administrator of United Nations Development Program, Achim Steiner, the Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, Liu Zhenmin, and a well-known American economist, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General on SDGs, Jeffrey Sachs.

During the event, representatives of Azerbaijan and Russia also made statements.

Panelists emphasized the importance of expanding partnerships and finding new sources of funding for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Emphasis was put on the need to involve the private sector in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Jeffrey Sachs drew attention to the basic needs of poor countries and called for innovative approaches and a more active attraction of private investment. Participants supported the initiative of Belarus to establish a network of national coordinators as a platform for those who are involved in practical work on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

V.Makei held a short conversation with the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, A.Mohammed, during which the parties discussed the implementation of the agreements reached at the Regional forum in Minsk.

On the same day Minister of Foreign Affairs opened the photo exhibition “Being a Champion: The history of Great Victories” at the United Nations Headquarters. The exhibit was organized at the initiative of Belarus and it is dedicated to the sport achievements and contribution of Belarus to the international sport movement. The exhibition is organized in the run-up to the II European Games to be held in Belarus in 2019.

At the opening ceremony, the UN Under-Secretary-General on Economic and Social Affairs, Liu Zhenmin, and the Chef de Cabinet of the President of the UN General Assembly, Kwabena Osei-Danquah, intervened with the key remarks. The head of the Permanent Missions of the Member States to the UN, diplomats and other invitees also participated in the event.

In his speech, the Head of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined the role of sport and Olympic movement in promoting sustainable development, peace and solidarity among the nations. V.Makei stood for the need to observe fair judgment and fair play in sports.

The Minster of Foreign Affairs invited the high raking officials of the United Nations, as well as Member States to take part in the II European Games to be held in Belarus on June 21-30, 2019.

The exposition of the photo exhibit at the UN Headquarters, dedicated to the Belarusian sport, Belarusian contribution to the international sport movement is the beginning of the large-scale presentation of the biggest sport event on the European continent in the upcoming year — the II European Games in Belarus.

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