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ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION CENTER "ECO-INFO" GreenGreen BelarusBelarus CENTRAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY NAS BELARUS NewsNews && EventsEvents № 4 (55), April, 2018 MINSK, BELARUS inin BelarusBelarus http://qoo.by/346I BELARUSIAN GOVERNMENT

THIS ISSUE: TO CONTINUE TAKING CARE OF CHERNOBYL-AFFECTED AREAS Belarusian government to contin- The state will needs and worries caused by the catastrophe,” the ue taking care of Chernobyl- never leave speaker said. Turning to the local residents, he as- C h e r n o b y l - sured them that the country's leadership will never affected areas ...... 1 affected are- leave Slavgorod District and other affected areas one- as to face the on-one with the consequences of the disaster. Belarus calls for international effort C h e r n o b y l The Council of the Republic has been working consequenc- to make sure the Chernobyl remain on the interna- to overcome Chernobyl catastro- es, Chairman tional agenda. Belarus has always openly informed the ...... 1 of the Coun- international community about the progress in miti- phe consequences cil of the gating the Chernobyl impact, the transition to sustain- R e p u b l i c able development of the affected regions. Belarus, Italy to join climate Mikhail Myas- nikovich said The council for cooperation of local self- change mitigation efforts ...... 2 during a commemorative meeting in the the government bodies at the Council of the Republic held Alley of Memory of Abandoned Villages of Slav- a meeting with the chairmen of the regional and city gorod District, BelTA learned. councils of deputies of Mogilev Oblast and Gomel Ob- About 25.7m trees planted in Bela- last in Slavgorod District on 26 April. The participants Mikhail Myasnikovich recalled that the Cherno- visited the Alley of Memory of Abandoned Villages of ...... 2 rus during Forest Week byl accident affected 2 million people directly. But one Slavgorod District, participated in the commemorative way or another the tragedy was felt across the whole meeting-and laid flowers to the monument. Forest Week gets underway in Bel- country. “We have been living with this tragedy, and we will cope,” the speaker stressed. Relevant govern- For 32 years already Belarus has been work- arus ...... 2 ment programs, including those of the Union State, ing to minimize the impact of the catastrophe that have been implemented thanks to the joint of the happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Tra- president, the government and the parliament. ditionally, Belarus pays tribute to the victims of Cher- WB, Belarus sign agreement on nobyl on 26 April. Photo by Gennady Zhinkov The speaker drew attention to the fact that additional funds for forestry sector the Chernobyl disaster is remembered in Belarus not only during these April days. “We take care of the BELTA, ...... 2 26.04.2018 Kobyakov: Clean-up day money will be used to upgrade BELARUS CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL healthcare infrastructure ...... 3 EFFORT TO OVERCOME CHERNOBYL About 190 companies to take part CATASTROPHE CONSEQUENCES Overcoming consequences always been in favor of continuing way from a country, which re- in Italy-Belarus forum on green of the Chernobyl catastrophe international cooperation in this ceives humanitarian aid, to a full- economy ...... 3 requires not only national ef- field. value partner and an expert with forts, but international ones, “Due to the Chernobyl catas- experience of overcoming conse- Energy Ministry: NPP will contribute too. Belarusian Deputy Minister trophe Belarus has lost 485 villag- quences of large-scale man-caused of Foreign Affairs Andrei Dap- es and towns,” noted the Belarus- catastrophes,” the official pointed kiunas made the relevant ian deputy minister of foreign out. to green economy in Belarus ...... 3 statement during the briefing affairs. Andrei Dapkiunas stressed Securing proper and safe con- held on 25 April for ditions for life in the affected Minsk to host international forum heads of foreign diplo- areas, putting the polluted matic missions and rep- territories back on social and ... 3 resentative offices of economic development track “Trade unions and green jobs” international organiza- remain a critical task for the tions in anticipation of central government and Plans to unveil updated Belarusian the 32nd anniversary of municipal authorities. the Chernobyl nuclear electric car by 2018 year-end ..... 5 power plant accident On behalf of Belarus Andrei and International Cher- Dapkiunas expressed grati- nobyl Disaster Remem- tude to leading international brance Day, BelTA has organizations, governments, learned. non-governmental organizations, civil initiatives, public The official said: and political figures of vari- “Unfortunately, it is prem- ous countries for their con- ature to say that the sorrowful that Belarus feels responsible for tribution to overcoming conse- legacy of the Chernobyl catastro- keeping the attention of the inter- quences of the Chernobyl catastrophe is a thing of the past. Over- national community directed to- phe. coming consequences of the Cher- wards the history of the tragedy BELTA, nobyl accident requires not only and to the invaluable experience 25.04.2018 national efforts, but international Belarus had accumulated while

ones, too.” Belarus will continue fighting consequences of the disas- Belarus-Russia program on social security working persistently to draw the ter. “Over the course of more than attention of the international com- 30 years since the Chernobyl ca- of people living in Chernobyl-hit areas munity to this problem and has tastrophe Belarus has gone all the ready NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS P. 2 BELARUS, ITALY TO JOIN CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION EFFORTS Belarus and Italy will join action on also as a result, to improve the living conditions sentative offices of joint Italian-Belarusian com- climate change mitigation, Belarus' First of our and future generations. The state envi- panies. The goal of the event is to advance the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and ronmental policy is latest achieve- Environment Protection Iya Malkina told at one of the main ments of the the opening of the 2nd Italian-Belarusian components of Italian industry Business Forum on Green Economy on 23 Belarus' national in green econo- April, BelTA has learned. security. An im- my with the portant achieve- focus on waste GREEN BELARUS Iya Malkina noted that Belarus has been doing a lot to achieve the global sustainable ment of this policy management, development goals and introduce the principles is the implementa- renewable re- of the green economy. “It is very important for tion of the National sources (solar us that Belarus and Italy agreed on the memo- Action Plan for and wind power , 2018 randum of understanding and cooperation in Green Economy plants), energy vulnerability, risk assessment, adaptation and Development in efficiency in civil mitigation of climate change between the Minis- Belarus through and industrial

APRIL 2020. Its strategic construction,

try of Natural Resources and Environment Pro- tection of Belarus and the Ministry of the Envi- goal is to improve agriculture, ronment and Protection of Land and Sea of the quality of life of smart cities. Italy. We invite our counterparts from the Ital- the population on The forum is ian ministry to visit Belarus for the official sign- the basis of grow- aimed at strengthening and expanding bilateral ing of the memorandum,” she said. ing economic competitiveness attracting invest- economic cooperation between Italian and Bela- № 4 ( 55 ), ment and innovative development. The first deputy minister stressed that only rusian companies. The forum is organized by through joint efforts of the state, business and According to Iya Malkina, the 2nd Italian- the Italian embassy in Belarus in cooperation civil society it is possible to achieve sustainable Belarusian forum is a great opportunity to es- with Confindustria Belarus and the Belarusian social and economic development. The applica- tablish cooperation in many areas of green Chamber of Commerce and Industry. tion of the best technical methods and technolo- economy. Attending the event are almost 50 gies helps not only to preserve the environ- Italian and 140 Belarusian enterprises. Among the invitees are Belarus' major governmental BELTA, ment, take production onto a new level, but 23.04.2018 institutions, specialized associations and repre- ABOUT 25.7M TREES PLANTED IN BELARUS DURING FOREST WEEK About 25.7 million trees were planted in The last day of the campaign coincided with 83,000 people took part in forest restoration and Belarus during the Forest Week campaign the National Clean-Up Day. Some 52,000 Bela- clean-up effort. The final day of the campaign on 14-21 April, BelTA learned from also featured members of the Council of the press service of the Belarusian Ministers, the State Control Committee, the Forestry Ministry. State Secretariat of the Security Council, the Seedlings, mostly pines and birches, Information Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign were planted on the total area of more Affairs and other departments. than 6,700 hectares. “The Forestry Ministry extends its gratitude This year the Forest Week campaign to all Belarusians who participated in the was held for the 11th time. Traditionally, campaign,” pointed out the press service. representatives of the private sector, Reportedly, Forest Week 2018 coincided public organizations, sports associations, with the Year of Native Land in Belarus and and schools were actively involved in the was dedicated to the restoration of forests event. The campaign was vigorously sup- damaged as a result of the pest outbreak in ported by heads of different ministries and 2017. The main goal of the event was to agencies, oversight agencies, members of raise public awareness of forest issues, to parliament. Anyone could take part in the promote respect for one of the country's campaign. This year forestry enterprises greatest natural resources, to enhance the organized works on 2,800 sites. Besides environmental, economic and social role of planting trees, volunteers collected garbage, did forests

rusians joined the campaign during the working landscaping in public recreation facilities. Some week. They were joined by 31,200 forestry spe- BELTA, 221 facilities were prepared for the spring- cialists on the clean-up day. Thus, more than summer period during the campaign. 24.04.2018 FOREST WEEK GETS UNDERWAY IN BELARUS The Forest Week has started in Belarus, BelTA learned from the and planting stock. For the current campaign the forestry companies have press service of the Forestry Ministry. prepared more than 17 million seedlings to plant new forests on the area The campaign will last from 14 to 21 April. It has been traditionally of over 3,700 hectares. organized by the Forestry Ministry. “This year the campaign is dedicated to “Belarusians take an active part in the campaign. The campaign is the Year of Native land and restoration of forests damaged by the board- widely supported by businessmen, public associations, mass media, gov- scale distribution of bark beetles. The main objective of the campaign is to ernment bodies, watchdogs, MPs and others,” the press service said. attract wide public attention to the problems of forests, to popularize a Belarus will celebrate its Forest Week for the 11th time this year. An careful attitude to one of the main natural resources of the country, and to estimated 81,000 people took part in the campaign in 2016, and 82,500 in strengthen the environmental, economic and social role of forests. 2017. Anyone can apply to a nearby forestry to take part in the campaign. The forestries will provide the volunteers with the necessary equipment BELTA, 14.04.2018 WB, BELARUS SIGN AGREEMENT ON ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR FORESTRY SECTOR The World Bank and Belarus' regularly. Everyone can see it. This means that trees have to adapt to Forestry Ministry have signed the changing climate, too. Forest seed centers being built under our an agreement to allocate addi- project will grow planting stock that is better adapted to modern condi- tional €12 million to finance tions,” Alex Kremer added. the Belarus Forestry Develop- In April 2015, the Belarusian government represented by the Forest- ment Project, BelTA has ry Ministry and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Develop- learned. ment signed a loan agreement on the Belarus forestry development The document was signed by project. IBRD provided a loan for $40.7 million. These funds were in- Belarus' Forestry Minister Vitaly vested in the construction of container-grown forest nurseries, and pur- Drozhzha and World Bank Country chase necessary equipment. In March 2018, the World Bank Board of Manager for Belarus Alex Kremer. “The agreement demonstrates that Executive Directors, after studying the progress on the project, decided the World Bank recognizes and praises the efficiency and hard work of to allocate an additional loan of €12 million. all the stakeholders in the project. Our forestry project is a success sto- More than 90 Belarusian forestry companies are taking part in the ry,” Alex Kremer said. implementation of the Belarus Forestry Development Project. Such projects are of great importance, as they make a considerable contribution to climate change mitigation. “Climatic changes take place BELTA, 11.04.2018 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS P. 3 KOBYAKOV: CLEAN-UP DAY MONEY WILL BE USED

TO UPGRADE HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE

The money earned during that forests are the lungs of the nature. We breathe and live thanks to the National Clean-Up Day them. And for our country, the forest is an important resource, one of on 21 April will be used to the few we have. It is important for us to use it and constantly renew it. upgrade the healthcare And this is exactly what we are doing today,” said the prime minister. infrastructure ahead of “The results of what was done will be observed in a couple of years, and the 2nd European Games these results could be used by future generations,” noted Andrei Kobya- MINSK 2019, Belarus kov.

GREEN BELARUS Prime Minister Andrei The government estimates that more than three million Belarusians Kobyakov told the media, took part in the clean-up day. “The atmosphere of holiday coupled with BelTA has learned. work and great usefulness of what we do create a good mood. I am sure “The part of the money that millions of our citizens taking part in the clean-up day today feel the

, 2018 will be sent to the republican same,” Andrei Kobyakov added. fund will be spent on further Reportedly, half of the sum earned during the clean-up day will go to purchase of equipment for the Belarusian Finance Ministry. This money will be used to buy medical the Minsk City Emergency Hospital as part of the preparations for the equipment for the Minsk City Emergency Hospital for setting up addition- APRIL 2nd European Games MINSK 2019. according to the estimates, we need al 24/7 emergency rooms and also extra beds in case participants and to build up the capacities that provide medical services to those who guests of the European Games MINSK 2019 need any emergency hospi- may need it,” said Andrei Kobyakov. tal care. The Belarus prime minister took part in the event to plant trees in The other 50% of the money earned during the clean-up day will Stolbtsy Forestry. Other representatives of the Belarus Council of Minis- remain at the disposal of the regional authorities and the Minsk City Hall. № 4 ( 55 ), ters also worked there as part of the clean-up day there. They planted The money will be spent to improve the population centers, to tidy up pines and birches on the areas deforestated because of the onslaught of memorial complexes and sites of combat and military glory, to upkeep bark-beetle. burial places of soldiers and partisans of the Great Patriotic War and also Planting trees on the National Clean-Up Day has become a tradition to prepare sports and health-improvement summer camps for children. for the government members. The Belarus prime minister noted that such sort of activity in the fresh air is very useful for the people who BELTA, work in offices a lot. Moreover it contributes to ecology. “It is obvious 23.04.2018 ABOUT 190 COMPANIES TO TAKE PART IN ITALY-BELARUS FORUM ON GREEN ECONOMY

About 190 companies will take part in The forum is aimed at The forum is organized by the second Italy-Belarus Business Forum strengthening and ex- the Italian embassy in on Green Economy which is due to take panding bilateral eco- Belarus in cooperation place in Minsk on 23 April, BelTA learned nomic cooperation be- with Confindustria Belarus from the Italian embassy in Belarus. tween Italian and Bela- and the Belarusian Cham- Attending the event will be almost 50 Italian rusian companies. ber of Commerce and and 140 Belarusian enterprises. Among the Confindustria Belarus Industry. invitees are Belarus' major governmental insti- (the Association of Ital- The forum makes part of tutions, specialized associations and representa- ian Entrepreneurs in the program of cultural tive offices of joint Italian-Belarusian compa- Belarus) and the free and economic events of nies. economic zones of Go- the Italian embassy in The goal of the event is to advance the mel and Brest are ex- Minsk “Vivere all'Italiana” latest achievements of the Italian industry in pected to sign a protocol on cooperation during to promote culture, language and economic green economy with the focus on waste man- the forum. A number of contracts will also be sector of Italy in Belarus. agement, renewable resources (solar and wind concluded between Italian and Belarusian com- power plants), energy efficiency in civil and panies. BELTA, industrial construction, agriculture, smart cities. 20.04.2018 ENERGY MINISTRY: NPP WILL CONTRIBUTE TO GREEN ECONOMY IN BELARUS The Belarusian nuclear power plant will maintenance organizations are expected to ment of the turbine,” Mikhail Mikhadyuk clari- contribute to green economy, Belarusian create around 2,400 new jobs. fied. Deputy Energy Minister Mikhail Mikhadyuk According to the deputy minister, safety is a Staffing is another crucial point. “Specialists noted as the participants of the interna- top priority for Belarus in the BelNPP construc- for the nuclear power plant are trained under a tional forum “Trade unions and green jobs” tion. First of all, close attention is paid to the general contract for the BelNPP construction visited the NPP, BelTA learned from the quality of design documentation which is care- and a government program to train staff for the Energy Ministry's press service. fully examined by the customer's specialists. nuclear energy industry. To date, we have virtu- The event has brought together around 150 The quality of equipment is under careful ally prepared all specialists for the first power- representatives of trade unions and scientific monitoring at the stage of manufacturing and generating unit in all the main fields,” the offi- communities from 41 countries. They have delivery to the construction site. The quality of cial added. visited an exhibition of the BelNPP information works is strictly supervised, too. “Before the The Belarusian nuclear power plant is being center and the construction site, and learned installment of heavy equipment, we make an built using the Russian standard Generation more about the construction progress. additional check of the construction structures III+ design AES-2006 near Ostrovets, Grodno “The Belarusian nuclear power plant is an and foundations. For instance, before the in- Oblast. The first power-generating unit is sched- important green economy project. Once com- stallment of a turbine at the second power- uled for commissioning in 2019, with the second missioned, the NPP will make a great contribu- generating unit, we examined the foundation of one to go online in 2020. tion to the environmental protection efforts. It the turbine with the help of experts. The repre- will help the country reduce greenhouse gas sentatives of a special organization confirmed BELTA, emissions by 7 to 10 million tons a year,” Mi- that the foundation was ready for the install- 20.04.2018 khail Mikhadyuk said. The BelNPP and the MINSK TO HOST INTERNATIONAL FORUM “TRADE UNIONS AND GREEN JOBS” Representatives of the trade unions and scientific communi- Environmental issues are especially relevant today. So is the concept ties from 41 countries will take part in the 2nd international fo- of a green economy and effective use of available resources. The im- rum “Trade unions and green jobs” in Minsk on 19-20 April, the portant areas of its application are the arrangement and development of press service of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus told green jobs in eco-efficient industries. The forum will focus on the green BelTA. initiative of the International Labor Organization (ILO) which is aimed at The forum will be attended by delegates from Tajikistan, Austria, ensuring decent work during the transition towards the environmentally Cyprus, Great Britain, Poland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, sustainable path of development and at promoting partnership participa- France and Serbia. tion of government, employers and trade unions in the process. The forum is set to examine the issues of creating green jobs in dif- The Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus will host the opening cere- ferent economic sectors, to discuss the social security of workers in the mony of the forum.

context of the transition towards a green economy and the ways of improvement of approaches to education and vocational training. BELTA, 18.04.2018 NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS P. 4 PLANS TO UNVEIL UPDATED BELARUSIAN ELECTRIC CAR BY 2018 YEAR-END

The updated Belarus-made electric car “We have not abandoned the idea of an The NASB General Meeting has brought will be demonstrated by the end of 2018, electric car. We are still working on it and have together around 500 academicians, representa- Chairman of the Presidium of the National been making headway,” he summarized. tives of universities and sectoral specialists, and Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) Vladimir Gusakov named some promising also young scientists. The meeting participants Vladimir Gusakov noted at the discuss prospects for the develop- NASB General Meeting on 26 ment of the NASB and science in April, BelTA informs. 2018 in view of the tasks set by the GREEN BELARUS “Last year, a prototype was Belarus president at the Second shown. Now we are busy working Congress of Scientists. on a completely Belarusian elec- As of 1 January 2018, the National tric car. This is about a very com- Academy of Scientists had 88 acad- , 2018 plicated production mechanism. emicians, 130 corresponding mem- We are testing different system. bers, 4 honorary and 16 foreign We plan to roll out electric cars of members. In 2017, the total volume APRIL

different types: luxury vehicles, of work carried out by all the organ- medium cars, and cars affordable izations affiliated with the NASB for the general public. They must reached Br625.6 million (118.3% be comfortable and have an af- versus 2016). The exports of goods fordable price,” the NASB Presidi- and services of the NASB-affiliated um chairman said. organizations grew by a third in № 4 ( 55 ), Today Belarusian scientists 2017 to $47.7 million. demonstrate a lineup of electric An additional $2.2 million was raised scooters, bikes, and mopeds. in grant funding. In 2017, the NASB “These are Belarusian vehicles. continued it turn into the largest The accumulators are also made R&D corporation in Belarus and in Belarus,” Vladimir Gusakov underlined. tasks for 2018: the production of brand new speed up the introduction of scientific develop- medicines and “smart materials” for different ments intro the manufacturing process. Around The serial production of electric cars may be economic sectors (mechanical engineering, launched at a new company or at an existing 90 manufacturing facilities have been set up at construction, and road building). Scientists will the NASB R&D organizations. one, BelGee, for instance. “This matter is yet to be working on new types of plant and competi- be discussed. First, we have to develop it and tive agricultural vehicles. prove its efficiency and advantages. If our electric car is on par with the foreign analogues, we “The NASB is working in the contest of the BELTA,

will consider producing it. Now we seek to make international science. We set ambitious tasks in 26.04.2018 it competitive,” Vladimir Gusakov remarked. all fields,” the official stressed. MINSK WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ESTIMATED AT €300M

“The situation with waste management is the most critical in Minsk due to the great amount of waste and insufficient landfill sites. We plan to handle this problem by setting up a waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes to produce thermal energy and electricity. The project is expected to attract €300 million in investment. In addition, the investor must have background in the construction and operation of such facilities,” Nadezhda Tatarintseva remarked. The Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, the Ministry of Natu- ral Resources and Environmental Protection, the Energy Ministry, and the Minsk City Hall are now working on the documentation and the project terms and conditions. “The main matters under consideration are the technical standards of waste incineration and emissions as there are no similar facilities in Belarus for the time being. Another important matter is the way the energy produced at the plant will be used,” Nadezhda Tatarintseva said. In her words, the construction site for the future waste incineration plant is yet to be selected.

The construction of a waste incineration plant will cost around €300 million, Nadezhda Tatarintseva, deputy director of the state- BELTA, run company Operator of Secondary Material Resources, told a 4.04.2018 press conference on 4 April, BelTA has learned. MINSK TO HOST BELARUSIAN ENERGY AND ECOLOGY FORUM, EXPO, CONGRESS ON 9-12 OCTOBER The 23rd Belarusian Energy and Ecology ergy complex, encourage broader coop- Forum, an expo and the congress Energy. Ecol- eration and the exchange of cutting- ogy. Energy Saving. Electro will take place in edge R&D products and projects. Minsk on 9-12 October, BelTA learned from the Since 1995 the expo has attracted lead- Belarusian government's website. ing Belarusian and foreign producers Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov has and vendors of equipment, technologies, signed an executive order to set up the committee and materials for power engineering, in charge of organizing the forum. The committee ecology, energy saving, and electric will be led by Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Vla- technology. Over 300 organizations dimir Semashko. from 17 countries took part in the event The forum is supposed to present modern equip- in 2017.

ment and technologies for generating and distrib- uting electric and heat energy, automated systems, BELTA, energy- and resource-saving technologies. The forum is supposed to 8.04.2018 assist with the innovation-driven development of Belarus' fuel and en- NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS

PLANS TO INTRODUCE

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

IN BELARUS SUPPLEMENT “NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS” Belarus plans to introduce the certifi- of cancer cells and boost the immunity. Organic TO THE DIGEST cation of organic products and organic diet reduces the chance of allergies and gastro- GREEN BELARUS farming, noted Sergei Litvin, a member of intestinal diseases,” the MP clarified. “GREEN BELARUS”. the Standing Commission on Agricultural When commenting on the benefits of or- http://ecoinfo.bas-net.by/ecology- Policy at the House of Representatives, ganic farming in general, he stressed that this is

, 2018 belarus/ BelTA has learned. one of the ways to reduce the negative environ- ecology_news_in_Belarus.html The MPs passed the first reading of the bill mental and health effect of chemically synthe- at the spring session on 2 April. “The draft law is sized fertilizers, plant protection products, re-

APRIL The supplement was established in designed to introduce the certification of organic tardants, veterinary products, and other harmful 2013 as an informational and educa- products and organic farming. Organic products substances. tional resource that can be freely will be certified Today organic for compliance accessed by all users interested in farming is devel- with the national oping in most

№ 4 ( 55 ), ecology and environmental problems. standards and countries which organic farming It is a digest of the most important adopt relevant requirements national laws and news and events. stipulated in tech- certification sys- nical codes,” tem. Natural foods

Sergei Litvin said. are produced in The accredited Published once a month. 179 states. There certification bod- are over 700,000 ies will be in organic food man- charge of this ufacturers in the task. A certificate world nowadays. of conformity will As of today, or- be granted to the SUPPLEMENT "NEWS & EVENTS IN BELARUS" ganic products account for 7% to 10% of the applicant that meets the necessary require- world's agricultural output. TO THE DIGEST “GREEN BELARUS” ments. The certified products will be labeled As for regulations, 87 countries have their “organic”. The labeling procedure is to be de- own laws, 17 countries are drafting them, and fined by the Belarusian State Standardization another 20 have relevant standards. For in- Committee. ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION stance, a draft law on bio-organic farming has CENTER "ECO-INFO" “The adoption of the bill will improve Bela- been submitted to Russia's State Duma. A simi- rus' international reputation of a country with CENTRAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY NAS BELARUS lar document had earlier been in effect at the high-level receptiveness to innovations seeking regional level. Similar laws have been adopted in HTTP://ECOINFO.BAS–NET.BY achievements in economy, science, and culture. Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and This law will map out development of natural Ukraine. In 2014, the CIS Interparliamentary № 4 (55), and economic environment for organic farming Assembly passed a model law on eco-friendly in Belarus,” the MP believes. agricultural production. APRIL, 2018 Organic farming is in the focus of Belarus' The concept of a bill on the production social and economic development program for and circulation of organic products has been REPRINT WITH REFERENCE TO GB 2016-2020. “The development of this sector will designed in Belarus and then approved by the ensure the country's food security and open up president. The draft law is a brainchild of a new opportunities for trade in organic products working group of representatives of several LEAVES IN ENGLISH with other countries,” Sergei Litvin underlined. government bodies. They have summarized the The transition to organic farming is not international organic farming practices, explored immediate, he added. A transition period of at the background in the CIS, non-CIS countries, INTERNET-BULLETIN least three years is required for soil purification and the EU. The document is based on the most HTTP://ECOINFO.BAS-NET.BY/ECOLOGY- and modernization of manufacturing facilities. successful approaches to and mechanisms of BELARUS/ECOLOGY_NEWS_IN_BELARUS.HTML “As a result, we will start producing food prod- organic food production.

ucts that are very safe for human health, which

is especially important as they slow the growth BELTA, The room contains materials prepared by 3.04.2018 the news agency correspondents : BELTA, Belarus-Magazine , The Minsk Times. BELARUSIAN STUDENTS WORKED ON THE PRODUCTION OF: LAPITSKAYA G.I. VICTORIOUS AT GOLDEN CLIMATE TARASEVICH A.A. ENVIRONMENTAL OLYMPIAD

DESIGN AND LAYOUT: IN NAIROBI Belarusian students were among the The annual Golden Climate International TARASEVICH A.A. winners of the Golden Climate Internation- Environmental Project Olympiad is the largest al Environmental Project Olympiad held in international competition of scientific projects Nairobi (Kenya) on 5-10 April, the press among students of general secondary education service of the Education Ministry told Bel- institutions. It is aimed at promoting global "Eco-Info" CSL NASB TA. understanding of environmental problems Address for correspondence: Surganova, 15, of. 501 Belarus participated with the project among young people, teaching students skills 220072 Minsk, Belarus “Improving the efficiency of organic and con- and knowledge necessary for their future pro- fessions. More than 200 projects were present- e-mail: [email protected] ventional farming through biotechnological Website: http://ecoinfo.bas-net.by/ methods”. The authors of the project were the ed at the 2018 edition of th econtest. Young Twitter: https://twitter.com/Green_Belarus students of the national center of ecology and representatives of 25 countries including the Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CSL.by USA, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil and African coun- Tel.: +375 (17) 284 14 96 local studies:Timofei Fedorov (Minsk city school No. 130 named after Ruth Waller) and Dmitry tries took part in six sections of the Olympiad.

Kharitonov (Minsk gymnasium No. 13). The Belarusian students won the gold medals and BELTA, special certificates. 10.04.2018