Deputy Minister A. Dapkiunas delivers a statement at the 52nd CPD session
01.04.2019The 52nd session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD) was opened at the UN headquarters in New York. Belarus is a member of the CPD.
This year’s session of the CPD is devoted to review and appraisal of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and its contribution to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Belarusian delegation at the session is headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Andrei Dapkiunas.
In his statement at the general discussion, the Deputy Head of the Foreign Ministry briefed the session’s participants on the main demographic trends in Belarus, including declining birth rates and population aging and outlined key areas of national policy and programs to address these issues.
In particular, A. Dapkiunas noted the tremendous efforts that are being made in the country to motivate families to have children, including substantial monetary assistance at birth and allowances for their upbringing, as well as three years of social leave for childcare.
The Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus noted the direct dependence of the effectiveness of national strategies and programs in the field of sustainable development on topical information on the size and characteristics of the population, the main and reliable source of which are official population censuses. A.Dapkiunas informed the session participants about the next population census scheduled for October, this year in Belarus.
The Deputy Minister stressed that the sustainable development of any state is impossible without addressing global problems associated with demographic changes. A. Dapkiunas noted the special importance of new and emerging technologies in solving modern demographic problems, which is reflected in the 2030 Agenda, in which advanced technologies are fairly recognized as a catalyst for achieving the SDGs.
The CPD session will continue its work at the UN Headquarters in New York until April 5, this year.
