On Sustainable Rural Development Belarus Case Aleg Sivagrakau

On Sustainable Rural Development Belarus Case Aleg Sivagrakau Ph. D

General Information: Facts and Figures n n n n Area: 207, 600 sq. km Population: 9, 950, 900 persons Ethnic Composition: 81. 2 % Belarusians, 11. 4 % Russians, 3. 9 % Polish, 2. 4 % Ukrainians, 0. 3 % Jewish, and other Regional Cities (persons): Minsk (1, 712, 600), capital of Belarus; other regional cities: Gomel (515, 000), Magilev (369, 000), Vitebsk (367, 000), Grodna (309, 000), Brest (300, 000) Language: The official languages are Belarusian and Russian Religion: Orthodox, Roman Catholic and other; the church is separated from the state Distances (along motorways) from Minsk to some of European capitals, km: Amsterdam - 1739, Berlin - 1120, Budapest - 1110, Helsinki - 1148, Kiev - 550, London - 2180, Moscow - 695, Paris - 2129, Prague - 1141, Rome - 2268, Sofia - 1753, Warsaw - 536, Vienna - 1164, Vilnius - 182

In Belarus n there are 173 small towns and 24, 100 rural communities in Belarus, inhabited by 41. 1% of the population of the country

The most relevant factors impeding sustainable development of rural areas and communities are as follows: n n n n Large part (about 25%) of land contaminated after Chernobyl catastrophe, Economic decline, Demographical problems, Lack of resources for development, Storage of rights in the area of self-governance and selfdevelopment, The legacy of strong administrative system (“presidential vertical”) for finance, management and control from the governmental institutions. This impedes the development of local initiatives and the independence of local authorities, Absence of NGOs in the majority of Belarusian small towns and villages.

Existing and possible negative consequences n n Economic (poverty, collapse of agriculture and infrastructure…) Social (abandoned villages, no young people in rural areas, drunkenness, crime…) Cultural (lost of cultural diversity, national traditions, historical objects…) Environmental (extermination of fish, animals and unique sorts of wild plants, pollution…)

The main characteristics of the Belarusian socioeconomical situation which have an influence on the development of rural areas are as follows: n n n Lack of national best practice examples in the area, Loss of self-government traditions (especially at local level) during the Soviet period and the “presidential vertical” times, Inaccessibility (especially in small towns and villages) of modern informational and educational resources on rural and urban development, Lack of national experts and methodological literature in the area of sustainable development, Uncoordinated results of different technical assistance projects, which included several components of local sustainable development, but were not combined and, as result, lost for multiplication.

Taking into account these circumstances, the main components of the methodology for development will be as follows: (Part 1) n n Pilot approach, based on the necessity of creation and development of the first Belarusian examples of changes in the rural area, Interactive approach, that combines education and action in one process, Partnership of all interested people and organizations, Analytical approach, included selection of the best foreign experience, permanent analysis of the results of its implementation, and development of new recommendations,

Main components of the methodology for development will be as follows: (Part 2) n n n Permanent approach, founded on the use of outcomes of previous UNDP and other donors projects, such as the NGOs network, the website, the group of experts, publications, contacts with governmental, NGOs, foreign and international institutions, Motivation of the target group representatives to active participation in the new process in their areas, Sustainability of the first results, creation resources (such as LA 21 offices or Information Centers, experts prepared, manuals published) and conditions (local and national legislation) for the continuation of the process after the pilot projects closure.

The National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus covering the period to 2020 (NSDS-2020) n n n Creates a legal basis for changes Is formulated pursuant to the Law of Belarus “On State Forecasting and Socio-Economic Development Programs of the Republic of Belarus” For the first time, Belarusian NSDS was elaborated and approved by the Government in 1997 (NSDS 1997). It was predicated on the precepts and guidelines of “The Agenda 21” formulated by the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992).

Local Agenda XXI n n n “A transition of the Republic of Belarus to sustainable development in large measure depends on the active involvement of country regions in this process” (NSDS-2020) “Local administration plays a pivotal role in synthesizing all opinions and translating them into specific targets and programs, including into local sustainable development strategies (Local Agenda 21)” (NSDS-2020) 55 local initiatives on the development and implementation of Local Agenda 21

LA 21 initiatives in Belarus

Living Partnership NGO projects in 2007 n n n Expert Council on Sustainable Development and LA 21, Study tour of 15 Belarusian experts on SD to Germany, April 2007 (with support of the “East – West Meetings” Foundation, Germany), I Republican Conference on LA 21 (June 2007) together with German Program of Support to Belarus and World Bank, Hot Line on LA 21, October 2007 (with support of the ISAR, Inc. , USA), Support of the LA 21 initiatives in Belarus.

Instruments for changes (Part 1) n n Using Local Agenda 21 experience if foreign countries Creation of the National Network for rural development and make connection with international Networks Organization of an Association (Union) of small towns and villages Realization of educational programs on new approaches in the sphere or rural development based on the principles of sustainable development

Instruments for changes (Part 2) n n Support of NGOs and other independent civil society institutions Improvement of experts potential in the sphere of local sustainable development PR and informational campaigns, demonstrational effects of first success stories Transfer of modern sustainable technologies

Instruments for changes (Part 3) n n n Establishment of direct contacts between Belarusian and foreign communities (twin town movement) Development of new spheres of rural development (tourism… What more? ) Introduction of new forms of rural development (fairs, festivals… What more? )

Thank you! Aleg Sivagrakau, Ph. D Executive Director of the Living Partnership, NGO Minsk, Belarus E-mail: sivagrak@yahoo. com