The membership of Belarus in the UN was marked by a number of important initiatives in the past few years. Several Belarusian initiatives put forward during the 2005 UN Summit were recorded in the organization’s documents. These provide for the acceptance of diverse ways of progress as well as for creating a global partnership against slavery and human trafficking.
The Belarusian initiative voiced in 2009 has been widely supported. It provides for an absolutely new tool for the UN, which is a global partnership policy as an effective strategy based on mutual consent and efficient in the global management of international relations.
Such policy has proven to be efficient over time. The Global Partnership against Slavery and Trafficking in Human Beings is a convincing example. It was initiated by Belarus five years ago and is now implemented by the UN.
In such a short period, the international community managed to advance from holding occasional topical meetings and conferences to drafting the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons adopted in July 2010. Remarkable are the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the New Partnership for Africa's Development, in which Belarus participates.
The 65th session of the UN GA evaluating the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) was held in 2009. Belarus proposed its new initiative on the need to promote the prosperity of future generations, which is directly related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Its essence is to create a new global partnership to protect youth interests and solve typical youth problems in a number of countries. Belarus believes that the needs of future generations should be on a high priority list in attaining MDGs.
Belarus believes that the UN General Assembly should organize topical debates to start implementing this complex strategy. The debates should deal with the problem of social degradation faced by youth. The initiative implementation plan should also be elaborated during the discussion.
Belarus also proposed to create a global strategy to make advanced technologies for new and renewable sources of energy available for developing countries and countries in transition. The idea was supported by the international community.
One of the most important strategic objectives for the international community at the moment is to provide the developing global economy with sustainable energy sources to diminish the environmental impact. This objective will make a substantial contribution to attaining MDGs.
UN General Assembly Resolution 64/206 on “Promotion of new and renewable sources of energy” reflecting Belarusian proposals was adopted in 2009. During the 65th UN GA Session Belarus called for further intensification of international cooperation in energy sector.
In 2008, Belarus joined the UN initiative to render international development assistance to a new group of middle-income countries. It was argued that the international community and all UN bodies must closely analyze typical individual social and economic problems of such countries in order to evaluate their need in external assistance.
As a result, Resolution 64/208 on Development cooperation with middle-income countries was adopted by the UN in 2009. It became the first substantial resolution on the topic, containing a number of measures and orders for the UN system to meet needs and demands of the countries under review in the international development assistance.
Our country is one of the main UN negotiators on Chernobyl. April 2011 is the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. However, the consequences of the large-scale technogenic disaster still influence Europe’s environment greatly.
Therefore the implementation of the UN strategy for the Decade of recovery and sustainable development for Chernobyl-affected regions (2006 — 2016) remains a topical problem. In this context, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine strive to keep the Chernobyl problem at the forefront of the international discussion.
To attain this goal, a resolution on “Optimizing the international effort to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster” was drafted. The resolution is aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to commemorative events to be held in the capital cities of the affected countries in 2011.
Our country gains increasingly more prestige and draws supporters from among the international community member thanks to its constructive and active position in the UN as well as its practical contribution to handling international problem.
Belarus was elected President of the 50th Session of the UN Committee for Programme and Coordination, the main subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly. This fact indicates that the authority of our country grows and the international community considers it a reliable partner.
Adopting the UN GA 65th Session report, a number of delegations mentioned the substantial effort that the Committee chaired by Belarus has put into its work and noted that it was the first time since 2002 that they managed to reach consensus on all 27 programs under discussion.
Belarus will keep contributing to the work of the United Nations to help it gain authority and advance its institutional potential. The UN should preserve its leading role in the global management of modern international processes, improve the living conditions for all people and protect them from threats and ordeals in the challenging times.
|
