MINSK, 18 November (BelTA) – The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection hosted a meeting to discuss cooperation in environmental protection with the UN and UNDP, BelTA learned from the press service of the ministry.
Belarusian Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Andrei Khudyk met with United Nations Resident Coordinator in Belarus Joanna Kazana-Wisniowiecki and UNDP Resident Representative in Belarus Alexandra Solovieva. The parties discussed cooperation between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the UN and UNDP in environmental protection, mitigation of climate change, and the status of international technical assistance projects aimed at fulfilling environmental tasks and implemented jointly with the UNDP.
Andrei Khudyk noted that the unilateral sanctions imposed in violation of the UN Charter by a number of states against Belarus impede the solution of environmental problems, the press service noted. According to him, this can affect the state of the ecosystems of the entire European region. As an example, the minister cited the situation with the failure to provide meteorological data by a number of European and international organizations. This information is used to predict hazardous phenomena, ensure the safety of civil aviation and improve the accuracy of forecasts. The parties discussed the implementation of international technical assistance projects aimed at the conservation of biological and landscape diversity, environmentally safe disposal of hazardous waste, the development of ecotourism, and environmental education.
"The minister highlighted the difficulties with obtaining financing for environmental projects within the framework of the seventh operating cycle of the Global Environment Facility and proposed to look into a possibility of allocating grant funds for new environmental projects. Special consideration was also given to the negative consequences of the fence built on the territory of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Belovezhskaya Pushcha. Andrei Khudyk stressed that the international ecosystem is suffering a wide-ranging irreparable damage. In this regard, he suggested undertaking an immediate assessment by the international community of the situation in Belovezhskaya Pushcha," the press service said.
The parties agreed to set p a joint expert group to promote this issue in international organizations.
