Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov at the XVII BRICS summit on «Environment, COP 30, and Global Health» (July 7, 2025, Rio de Janeiro)

Dear colleagues,

One of the main priorities of Belarus in the field of national security is the policy of mitigating the effects of climate change and adapting to climate change, as well as maintaining a favorable environment.

The 13th goal of sustainable development – «Combating climate change» is included in the national strategic and program documents of Belarus. To date, Belarus has implemented two national programs of measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, approved strategies for the adaptation of agriculture and forestry, as well as for water resources management in a changing climate.

The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant has been fully commissioned, allowing greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by more than 8 million tons annually. In order to maintain a successful policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an ambitious plan is currently being prepared – the Long-Term Development Strategy of the Republic of Belarus with Low Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Period up to 2050.

In Belarus, the use of renewable energy sources has increased significantly. Electric transport is actively developing and the necessary infrastructure is expanding, the share of passenger urban electric transport in the total volume of transportation is growing.

Our country occupies one of the leading positions in the restoration of wetlands, which plays a significant role in providing the most important ecosystem services to the entire European region.

In the context of global challenges such as pandemics and environmental threats, the environment and human health are inextricably linked. Therefore, Belarus integrates efforts in the field of public health and environmental protection to effectively respond to threats and ensure sustainable development.

Healthcare in Belarus functions as an integrated system, has sufficient experience in diagnosing and treating infectious and non-infectious diseases, in responding to disease outbreaks. 

The Centralized Health Information System is being successfully implemented in our country. It is a large-scale project aimed at digitalization and integration of information resources in the healthcare sector.

Belarus is ready to share its experience and the latest technologies on all strategic issues of the climate agenda and public health of global importance. We are ready to join the creation of coordinated mechanisms within the BRICS framework to neutralize all types of environmental and biological threats, and thereby minimize their negative impact on the health of the planet's population. I am confident that the BRICS platform is the most in-demand and promising global platform for developing cooperation in these areas.

At the same time, I would like to once again draw attention to the problem of unilateral coercive measures introduced by individual states for purely political reasons. I emphasize the illegality and danger of using such an approach, especially when we are dealing with transboundary and global phenomena such as climate change, epidemics and other factors that threaten the life and health of the population.

Sanctions impede free access to investments and technologies that could be used to strengthen measures to mitigate climate change, preserve the environment, and combat dangerous diseases. Such policies undermine not only Belarus's efforts, but also those of the entire international community in addressing global problems .

Dear colleagues,

Taking this opportunity, I once again sincerely wish Brazil success in hosting the global climate conference COP-30. We fully support the opinion expressed by the President of Brazil: BRICS has sufficient political power to implement the ambitious goals of the Conference on Climate Change and ensure economic growth along with social and environmental justice.

Thank you for your attention.

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