Approximately $15 million in international aid is planned to be attracted to Belarus for new environmental protection projects

July 26, Minsk /Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA/. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus plans to attract about $15 million in international financial assistance for the implementation of six new environmental protection projects. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the ministry's press service. "To attract investments, in the first half of this year, the Ministry of Natural Resources held over 40 meetings and consultations with experts from foreign companies and representatives of international organizations," the press service said. "Currently, six projects are planned for implementation with a total amount of attracted international financial assistance of about $15 million." This year, 10 international technical assistance projects in the field of environmental protection are being implemented in Belarus. The volume of attracted financial resources to the country under these projects amounts to over $10 million. Donors include UNDP, the Global Environment Facility, the European Commission (EDIP/TACIS programs), the OSCE office in Minsk, and the World Bank. Among such projects are "Enhancing Capacity to Address Environmental Protection Challenges in Belarus through the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme," "Strengthening the Institutional and Legislative Framework for the Implementation of the Integrated Environmental Permitting System in Belarus," "Creating Conditions for the Sustainable Functioning of the Protected Wetlands System in Belarusian Polesie," "Sustainable Development at the Local Level," "Capacity Building in Strategic Environmental Assessment and Implementation of Environmental Conventions in Belarus," "Raising Environmental Awareness of Youth through the Establishment and Development of 'Green Schools' in Belarus," "Water Resource Management in the Western Sector of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia," "BALTRAD - Improving the Network of Meteorological Radar Stations in the Baltic Sea Region," "Integrating Biodiversity Conservation Issues into Spatial Planning Policies and Practices in Belarus," and "Promoting Information Exchange on Best Available Techniques." -0-