Belarus
BELARUS
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UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
Eleventh session
New York, May 5, 2014
STATEMENTS
by the delegation
of the Republic of Belarus
My delegation welcomes the document containing an extensive list of sustainable development goals. We welcome the discussion on defining the possible goals and targets to assess the level of their achievement.
We are grateful to co-chairs for their efforts in providing us with the important asset, namely the presence of experts from 20 international organizations and agencies as well as representatives of the scientific community. We believe they should be involved in the analysis of the target and tasks list and present to you their views how to optimize this list.
At this stage we need to seek for crystallizing targets in order to reduce them to a smaller number, preferably two to four targets. They must be accountable, correlate with a particular goal. The targets must be simple and concise and provide each Member state to define the ways how to complete them.
The working document lacks from the point of view of Belarus on a very important issue relating to the role of the family in the sustainable development. At the previous session, our delegation proposed an idea of establishment of a separate goal entitled “To ensure universal and continued support to the family as a contributor to sustainable development”.
To achieve this goal my delegation proposes for inclusion the following set of optional targets:
o [by year x] enact comprehensive national family policies and strategies that address demographic, economic and social challenges faced by the family in order to facilitate the participation of the family in sustainable development,
o elaborate national programmes and initiatives that promote the role of the family in improving the quality of life of present and future generations,
o develop the appropriate mechanisms to assist families caring for children, the dependent elderly and family members with disabilities, including those resulting from HIV/AIDS, encourage the sharing of those responsibilities by men and women, and support the viability of multigenerational families (source: Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994, para 5.11).
o develop national policies and programmes, including those relating to macroeconomic stability, structural adjustment programs, taxation, investments, employment, markets and all relevant sectors of the economy, with respect to the impact on poverty and inequality, assessing their impact on the family well-being (source: Beijing Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995,para 58-b),
o ensure national incentive measures aimed at supporting the family as the natural and fundamental group unit of the society playing crucial role in upbringing and protection of children, social coherence and integration,
o elaborate and implement family policies aimed at achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment and at enhancing the full participation of women in society,
o develop national policies and strategies for strengthening the family role in promoting intergenerational solidarity and reciprocity for sustainable social development,
o ensure broad national and international efforts to promote the value of the family among youth,
Please check against delivery
UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
Eleventh session
New York, May 5, 2014
STATEMENTS
by the delegation
of the Republic of Belarus
My delegation welcomes the document containing an extensive list of sustainable development goals. We welcome the discussion on defining the possible goals and targets to assess the level of their achievement.
We are grateful to co-chairs for their efforts in providing us with the important asset, namely the presence of experts from 20 international organizations and agencies as well as representatives of the scientific community. We believe they should be involved in the analysis of the target and tasks list and present to you their views how to optimize this list.
At this stage we need to seek for crystallizing targets in order to reduce them to a smaller number, preferably two to four targets. They must be accountable, correlate with a particular goal. The targets must be simple and concise and provide each Member state to define the ways how to complete them.
The working document lacks from the point of view of Belarus on a very important issue relating to the role of the family in the sustainable development. At the previous session, our delegation proposed an idea of establishment of a separate goal entitled “To ensure universal and continued support to the family as a contributor to sustainable development”.
To achieve this goal my delegation proposes for inclusion the following set of optional targets:
o [by year x] enact comprehensive national family policies and strategies that address demographic, economic and social challenges faced by the family in order to facilitate the participation of the family in sustainable development,
o elaborate national programmes and initiatives that promote the role of the family in improving the quality of life of present and future generations,
o develop the appropriate mechanisms to assist families caring for children, the dependent elderly and family members with disabilities, including those resulting from HIV/AIDS, encourage the sharing of those responsibilities by men and women, and support the viability of multigenerational families (source: Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994, para 5.11).
o develop national policies and programmes, including those relating to macroeconomic stability, structural adjustment programs, taxation, investments, employment, markets and all relevant sectors of the economy, with respect to the impact on poverty and inequality, assessing their impact on the family well-being (source: Beijing Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995,para 58-b),
o ensure national incentive measures aimed at supporting the family as the natural and fundamental group unit of the society playing crucial role in upbringing and protection of children, social coherence and integration,
o elaborate and implement family policies aimed at achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment and at enhancing the full participation of women in society,
o develop national policies and strategies for strengthening the family role in promoting intergenerational solidarity and reciprocity for sustainable social development,
o ensure broad national and international efforts to promote the value of the family among youth,
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