A just world order, sanctions as a weapon, and sustainable development. Lukashenko sent a letter to Guterres in response to an invitation to the SDG Summit

An invitation to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to participate in the Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been received. This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian head of state.

The summit will be held in September 2023. "Halfway to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is time to face the facts. Without a sharp increase in commitments, solidarity, and transformative action, we will miss the main goals of the 2030 Agenda to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the environment," the letter from the UN Secretary-General states. "I count on your support in achieving the breakthroughs our world desperately needs."

António Guterres notes that the numerous crises of the past three years have dealt a severe blow to efforts to achieve the SDGs. Nevertheless, the envisioned transformations remain possible and necessary.

"The SDG Summit will be a central element of a series of events, including the Climate Summit, the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, a series of health-related meetings, and a ministerial meeting in preparation for the 2024 Summit of the Future. The SDG Summit can be a moment when our world moves from fear to hope and from deepening pessimism to accelerating action. I look forward to your personal participation in the Summit and your contribution to making it a turning point for the SDGs," the UN Secretary-General noted.

Alexander Lukashenko sent a reply letter to António Guterres.

"Minsk fully welcomes this initiative. We believe that the upcoming event is a good opportunity to take stock of our common efforts. The Republic of Belarus is fully committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; they are effectively integrated into our national strategic documents."

"I am convinced that Belarus's experience in effectively organizing work at the national level to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals will be of interest and benefit to many other UN Member States. We are certainly ready to share it during the Summit."

Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized the importance of the Summit becoming a source of ideas and initiatives to address challenges in achieving the SDGs: "You rightly noted that 'the numerous crises of the last three years have dealt a serious blow to the efforts aimed at implementing the 2030 Agenda.' It is now absolutely clear that without peace, there can be no sustainable development on the planet. I said these words back in 2015, speaking at the UN Summit where the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted. You have also repeatedly voiced a similar thought."

"The history of Belarus is permeated with sad memories of war. And therefore, we highly value peace not only on our land but also on a regional and global scale. For several years now, we have been actively calling on all states for a comprehensive dialogue on security in order to form the foundations for building a new, just world order. Must a global catastrophe that claims millions of lives occur for us to finally be heard? Against the backdrop of growing geopolitical confrontation on the planet, dialogue in the true spirit of San Francisco is more in demand today than ever since the end of the Cold War."

The President stressed that the upcoming summit should clearly define the interconnection between peace and sustainable development, thereby giving impetus to the launch of a global dialogue on security.

"Unilateral coercive measures, or sanctions, pose a serious challenge to our common cause – the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. These voluntaristic actions, which contradict international law and are driven by the interests and prejudices of a group of Western states, directly destroy progress in achieving the SDGs. How can we, for example, eliminate poverty and hunger if sanctions undermine global food security and, consequently, increase the scale of poverty and hunger across entire regions and even continents? Sanctions have become a weapon. They can kill!"

The Head of State thanked the UN Secretary-General for the invitation to the summit and assured that Belarus would actively contribute to its preparation and participate in this important event at a worthy level.

Source: belta.by