Aleynik at the IPU Assembly: Belarus ready to comprehensively share experience, including in achieving SDGs

At the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Tanzania, Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on International Affairs and National Security Sergey Aleynik said that our country is ready to comprehensively share experience, including in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It's from sb.by.

Sergey Aleynik listed the main threats to the modern world:

- The erosion of international law, military conflicts, climate change, trade wars and illegal sanctions all make our world fragile and vulnerable. Human efforts to combat hunger, pandemics and poverty, as well as to prevent environmental disasters and other contemporary challenges in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals have been set back by decades. The arms race fomented by the Western lobby diverted much of the resources that were supposed to serve peaceful purposes. Today, there are almost no issues that have not been politicized or caused a wide range of contradictory opinions.

The MP stressed the role of legislators in overcoming disunity:

- We, as parliamentarians representing our peoples, must promote the development of interstate relations based on mutual respect and the inviolable principle of sovereign equality of states. It is within our power to advance an agenda of unity, rather than succumbing to trends that divide nations and peoples. In this context, we consider the role of parliamentarians in the implementation of the SDGs important. In particular, parliaments are translating global sustainable development goals into national legislation, thereby creating the necessary legal framework. The Inter-Parliamentary Union plays a key role, acting as an authoritative global platform for the development of common standards and the exchange of advanced legislative experience, including in the field of public administration.

The head of the delegation assured that Belarus is open to dialogue and is ready to share experience

- Our country is always open to dialogue and is ready to comprehensively share its experience, including in achieving the SDGs. Despite numerous illegal sanctions by the West, the country has achieved significant results and is now ranked 35th in the international ranking of the SDGs. The overall level of implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda is about 83%. We have achieved four Sustainable Development Goals ahead of schedule, including eradicating poverty and reducing inequality.

Sergey Aleynik called these successes the merit of the country's leadership:

- This success is the merit of the leadership of our country, the result of effective governance and a far-sighted, consistent policy that defends the national interests. Some pseudo-democrats tried to teach Belarus about the absence of democratic institutions. However, it is in our country, unlike the modern West, that the true role of the people has been established, and the voices and aspirations of citizens are a priority for state institutions. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has always emphasized the fundamental principle of our domestic policy: the people and their legitimate interests have always been, are and will be in the center of attention of the state. The All-Belarusian People’s Assembly is an expression of genuine democracy in our country, an institution that has no analogues in any so-called liberal system. Realizing the right to participate in decision-making, the Belarusian people through the Supreme Council determine the key directions of the country’s development strategy, approve the most important priorities of society and form a national agenda that reflects the interests of all regions and social groups. Last year, the SPC approved a number of strategic documents, including a programme for socio-economic development. The main goal of this document is to ensure the transition to a fundamentally new quality of life for every citizen of Belarus. Thus, the Republic of Belarus has numerous mechanisms that embody the principle of effective public administration and completely destroy stereotypes about our wonderful country imposed from the outside.

In conclusion, Sergey Aleynik outlined the foreign policy priorities of our country:

- Belarus has many friends around the world, and their circle is expanding every year. We stand for a just multipolar world order and, together with friendly countries, seek to strengthen international peace and security, reduce tensions in international relations and restore an atmosphere of trust. My delegation is open to cooperation with all those who share these fundamental principles.

Aleynik discusses priorities of inter-parliamentary dialogue with colleagues from Latin America, Middle East and Asia