Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Y.Ambrazevich participates in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

On July 17-18, 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Yuri Ambrazevich, took part in the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development of the United Nation Economic and Social Council.

The event brought together a significant number of the participants of foreign delegations from more than 160 states, more than 90 countries were represented at the level of Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus made a national statement during the general discussion. Y.Ambrazevich stressed that sustainable peace is the main condition for sustainable development. In the absence of it, no measures would lead to the achievement of the SDGs.

The Deputy Foreign Minister stated that the world should also become free from unilateral coercive measures and called for a targeted condemnation of the ban of Lithuania, United States and European Union on the transit of potash fertilizers from Belarus to developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Y.Ambrazevich stated the need to ensure in practice the right of every country to have access to food, fertilizers, energy, and other resources, including technologies at an acceptable reasonable price, which will significantly reduce the technological and economic gap in development between the "golden billion" and the rest of the world and will prevent many future conflicts.

The Deputy Foreign Minister informed about the progress of Belarus in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which, in the face of unprecedented external pressure, was made possible by investing resources in the development of regional economic integration and relying on bilateral partnerships with like-minded states in the East and South.

Within the framework of the general discussion, Y.Ambrazevich also made a statement on behalf of 26-member states of the Group of Friends of the Family, noting the need to strengthen family-oriented strategies and programs as part of an integrated and comprehensive approach to sustainable development.

For reference: The Group of Friends of the Family was established in New York in 2015 at the initiative of Belarus, Qatar and Egypt, uniting 25 UN member states. In 2023, Sri Lanka joined the Group. The member states of the Group of Friends defend at the UN the key importance of the institution of the natural family for the sustainable social and economic development of human society.

In the context of the preparations for the thirtieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, which will be celebrated in 2024, the member-states of the Group called on the agencies of the UN system to intensify research and awareness-raising activities on family issues in order to design and implement development programs that consider the interests of the family as a social institution.

The Deputy Minister opened the thematic event organized by Belarus, Russia and the Eurasian Economic Commission “Regional potential for the SDGs: partnership for the sake of goals”. Y.Ambrazevich emphasized the role of integration associations in solving the problem of sustainable economic growth and promoting sustainable development at all levels. He noted the significant potential in the development of interregional cooperation based on the principles of parity and abidance by the norms of international treaties, and called for the "integration of integrations." He paid attention to the experience of Belarus' participation in the Eurasian Economic Union, membership in which has become one of the main factors that made it possible to adequately resist the unilateral coercive measures imposed on the Belarusian state by Western countries.

Y.Ambrazevich held a briefing on the impact of sanctions on the supply of Belarusian potash fertilizers to world markets in the context of global food security. The event was attended by representatives of the UN member states of Africa, Asia and Latin America, traditionally acting as importers of potash fertilizers.

During the speech, it was emphasized that the illegal ban by the EU countries and, specifically, Lithuania on the transit of Belarusian fertilizers has direct negative consequences for millions of people around the world, depriving them of access to fertilizers at a reasonable affordable price.

Reports and statistics from authoritative international organizations (UN, FAO, WTO, World Bank, International Fertilizer Manufacturers Association) are given to confirm the conclusions that the current shortage of potash fertilizers in the world markets will continue to lead to a reduction in their use, a decrease in yields and, as a result, an increase in food prices.

Based on the international solidarity shown, Belarus will continue to seek the removal of restrictions on the trade in Belarusian potash in partnership with like-minded foreign states.

The Deputy Foreign Minister took part in a UNIDO themed event on achieving SDG 9 (industrialization, innovation and infrastructure) in middle-income countries, during which views were exchanged on possible measures and recommendations to accelerate the industrial sustainable development of MICs.

The Deputy Foreign Ministry of Belarus also took part in a meeting with the leadership of the UN economic commissions from all regions of the world. He emphasized the unique unifying mandate of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and other regional commissions and noted the need for their interaction. Belarus, being a European country, is increasingly integrating into the Eurasian processes and in this regard, in 2022, it began to actively cooperate with ESCAP, where it received observer status. Y.Ambrazevich called for maintaining a regular format of cooperation between experts in all areas of UNECE expertise, noting that the technical level of professional and depoliticized mutual understanding is a prerequisite for the readiness of the entire region to quickly restore cooperation after the establishment of a lasting peace and a new system of European security.