LocationsIn a world where global development challenges are becoming increasingly acute, local solutions and partnerships are becoming critical to the success of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Regional formula for achieving SDGs: the experience of Belarus’ Gomel region
September 19, 2025
Photo: UNDP in Belarus
A regional forum on Sustainable Development was held on 18 September in Gomel, Belarus, which unveiled a draft Regional Strategy for Sustainable Development until 2040, alongside concrete evidence of local progress towards achieving the SDGs. The forum showed how global ideas become reality at the local level, turning into tangible projects that benefit both communities and the environment.
Main areas of cooperation
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Belarus has implemented 75 programmes and initiatives across the region since 2015, working alongside national and local partners. This collaboration has supported 40 small enterprises and generated 180 employment opportunities.
The partnership between UNDP and the Gomel region centers on three pillars that mirror broader development priorities: inclusive entrepreneurship, community capacity-building, and environmental sustainability.
Success stories reveal the true impact of the partnership.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus.
In Khoyniki, a coffee roasting enterprise employing people with disabilities has broken into international markets, demonstrating that inclusive business models can achieve global competitiveness.
The ApiMir center does not just teach the “honey business,” but also demonstrates in practice how to turn a traditional craft into a profitable business.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus
The Zhlobin district now hosts the Apimir Centre for the Development and Promotion of Beekeeping, established through UNDP and local partners’ support. The facility operates a demonstration apiary while providing training and consultancy services to beekeepers throughout Belarus, from novices to seasoned practitioners.
Environmental collaboration remains central to the UNDP-Gomel partnership, proving that protecting nature and boosting local economies can go hand in hand. Farmers in the Bragin district have embraced environmentally sustainable technologies for agriculture and cheese production through the Eco-Innovation Fund.
UNDP support has led to the safe disposal of 340 tones of persistent organic pollutants and helped rehabilitate around 3,000 hectares of damaged peatlands in the Kalinkovichsky and Khoyniksky districts.
The restoration efforts also included putting in place monitoring and early warning systems for peatland fires, as well as developing scientific plans to restore eight more degraded peatlands totaling 4,000 hectares.
Spring flooding of floodplains in the Pripyat River valley.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus
Since 2017, UNDP's partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection has delivered nature-based solutions that both preserved the rare floodplain meadows of the Middle Pripyat Nature Reserve and brought back natural fish spawning areas along the Pripyat River.
Current initiatives
The partnership's scope is expanding in 2025. UNDP has launched new pilot initiatives in collaboration with the Gomel Regional Executive Committee and Belarus's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with financial support from the Russian Federation.
In Gomel, a new resource center is providing people with disabilities access to vital information on medical, legal, and other essential services. Mozyr is developing innovative polyurethane wheelchair tires production while establishing an inclusive training facility offering barista skills to people with disabilities. Adaptive sports programmes for people with visual impairments are also launching across the region.
Photo provided by the initiative.
Organic farming is taking root in the Bragin district, where young people, including children with disabilities, are learning sustainable agricultural methods.
Disaster risk reduction
To prevent emergencies, UNDP is working with the Ministry of Forestry and the Chinese government funding through the Global South-South Cooperation and Development Fund to strengthen forest fire prevention across the Gomel and Brest regions.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education, there are plans to work with school forestry clubs, where children will learn to recognize the signs of fire and how to act correctly in dangerous situations.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus.
The project offers a scalable model of sustainable forest management that combines modern technologies with the active involvement of local communities in forest fire prevention and control efforts.
Another China-funded project will start soon. It will help to establish and equip a modern interregional medical center at the Mozyr City Hospital.
Photo: UNDP in Belarus.
The center is projected to treat 7,000 inpatients and 7,000 outpatients annually from areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Strategic outlook
The Gomel region possesses substantial internal resources and capabilities for achieving the SDGs. Regional experience confirms that partnerships between local authorities, communities and international organizations can amplify this potential, accelerating progress and reinforcing the foundations for sustainable regional development.
UNDP continues to work with partners in the Gomel region, using its accumulated experience and global networks to support initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for people in Belarus.
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