Sustainable Development Approach for Rural and Remote Resilience:

Sustainable Development Approach for Rural and Remote Resilience: Education, Strategies, Networks, Clusters Dr. Aleg Sivagrakau, Associate Professor of the International State Ecological Sakharov University, Expert on Sustainable Development, Minsk Belarus 2012

BELARUS Total land area of Belarus 207,600 km² Population – 9.458 million Population living in cities – 75.8% The capital is Minsk – 1.889,1 million inhabitants

Belarusian People Tadeusz Kosciuszko Born in Belarus in 1746, Kosciuszko is considered a national hero in America, Belarus and Poland for his leadership in the American Revolutionary War and the uprising against Imperial Russia and the Prussian Empire in 1794. Mount Kosciusko

Belarusian People Marc Chagall One of the most famous people to come from Belarus is surrealist artist Marc Chagall. Today, the Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, is one of the most visited museums in Belarus

Belarusian People Victoria Azarenka Wins Australian Open 2012 Women’s Title

Belarus

Sustainable Development Approach

Belarus after Rio 92: 1996 – National Sustainable Development Committee organization 1997 – First National Sustainable Development Strategy development and approval 1998 – The Law of State Prognosis and Planning approval 1999 – First Local Agenda 21 initiatives started (in Turov town and Vileika District) 2001-2004 – Second National Sustainable Development Strategy development and approval From 2004 – Program Of Support to Belarus of German Government helps to sustainability initiatives of local communities 2009-2010 – UNDP project “Sustainable Development at the Local Level”

Local Agenda 21: Think globally, act locally Local Agenda 21 = Sustainable Development Strategy for the territory (Region, District, Town, Village, Local Community, School…)

Local Agenda 21 Initiatives in Belarus

First Published LA 21 in Belarus

20 Local Development Strategies published

Local Sustainability Principles

Orientation to Vision

Environmental Imperative

 Combination of Economic, Environmental and Social Approaches

 Use of Local Resources with Orientation to Innovations

 Partnership

New trends: Organization of Public Councils on sustainable development, tourism and SMEs promotion First rural tourism clusters organization Involvement of business to LA21 Local NGOs creation in rural areas Interest of local authorities and civil society in “new” (forgotten) local resources, spatial planning, rural areas branding, etc.

At the same time: Absence of NGOs in the majority of Belarusian small towns and villages Loss of self-government traditions (especially at local level) during the Soviet period and the “presidential vertical” times Lack of national best practice examples in the area

Possibilities and Chances Find out new “points of growth” (based at the local potential) Unique things (there are in every village!) Promotion of local brands (festivals, local products, food, wonders…) Organization of local non-state institutions (NGOs)

Instruments for changes Using Local Agenda 21 experience in foreign countries Development of educational programs in the sphere or rural development based on the principles of sustainable development Improvement of experts potential in the sphere of local sustainable development Development of joint international programmes and projects

Leaders pave new ways

Thank You! Aleg Sivagrakau, PhD Minsk, Belarus E-mail: [email protected]