A regional sustainable development strategy will be developed in the Vitebsk region with the support of the EU

A Regional Sustainable Development Strategy is being created in the Vitebsk region, and all local community groups can participate in its development. The work is currently in its initial stage, where it is necessary to adequately describe the present day in order to subsequently formulate the desired image of the future. Recently, a “round table” was held at the regional executive committee to discuss the materials and project ideas already developed.

The development of the document is carried out within the framework of the international technical assistance project "Support for Regional and Local Development in the Republic of Belarus," funded by the European Union. Project Manager Peter Corsby noted that in addition to expert assistance to the local community in long-term planning, it is planned to select and finance pilot projects aimed at solving priority regional problems. Applications are currently being accepted for the competition for subsequent selection and financing of initiatives. The total amount of funds to be provided to partners will be approximately 1.3 million euros. Proposals are expected to be finalized by the end of the year. In general, the technical assistance project should be completed in August 2016.

The Ministry of Economy of Belarus acts as its national coordinator. In the Vitebsk region, the regional center of the State Scientific Institution "NIEI of the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus" is intended to play the role of a platform for accumulating ideas, processing information, and providing expert support for the development of the regional strategy. During the "round table," the head of the center, Natalia Berchenko, emphasized that to develop a document that meets local specifics, it is necessary, in particular, to identify the directions of sustainable development strategy that are relevant to the region and concentrate the efforts of the expert community on them, without scattering them across a wide range of problematic issues. As the data from a preliminary SWOT analysis show, these could include the development of rural settlements and their infrastructure, environmental protection and rational use of human waste, the development of alternative energy, and the activation of entrepreneurial initiative. However, at this stage, the project coordinators face the task of involving broad segments of the public, as well as official bodies, in formulating the image of a desired future.

The international technical assistance project "Support for Regional and Local Development in the Republic of Belarus" is being implemented by an international consortium headed by the company "ECORYS Nederland" from the Netherlands.

Sergey Antonov, "Vitebskiye Vesti"