Distinguished members of the board, valued partners,

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in this expanded session of the board. 

According to the 2025 UN Global Report on the achievement of the SDGs, only 18% of the SDG targets are on track to be met by 2030. In many areas, progress has stalled; in others, we have even seen regression. 

Belarus ranks 32nd out of 167 countries in the global SDG achievement ranking. The National Sustainable Development Strategy and state programs approved in 2025 set new priorities for Belarus. 

Reliable and timely data are the foundation of effective decision-making and are essential for assessing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Globally, UNDP's work in data and statistics is guided by three key principles:   

First, strengthening national systems for data collection and analysis.

Second, innovating to improve the quality and accessibility of data.

Third, supporting monitoring of SDG achievement.

The year 2025 was one of highly productive collaboration between UNDP and Belstat. With our support:

•    Digital statistical platforms were modernized. 

•    International methodological approaches were adapted. 

•    Best practices in the field of statistics were disseminated. 

In partnership with UNDP, key tools of the digital statistical infrastructure were updated: 

1.   The national and regional SDG reporting platforms were modernized. 

2.    The “Geostatistics” information and analytical system was enhanced. 

In addition, statistical service specialists received training in the R programming language, which is now the global standard for analytics and big data. 

Another area of our collaboration is adapting international methodologies to the national context.

In 2024, with UNDP’s support, Belstat calculated the National Multidimensional Poverty Index. 

This index, which uses UNDP's international methodology, was validated last year by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative — the very institution that developed it. 

The results confirmed that the level of multidimensional poverty in Belarus remains one of the lowest in the region, at less than 3%.

We also supported the development of a framework for a National Well-Being Index.

We proposed groups of indicators — economic, social, environmental, and others — and a logic for combining them into a single index.

We also continue to cooperate in the field of environmental statistics. 

With UNDP's support, a draft methodology has been developed for a functional account of environmental protection expenditures, taxes, and subsidies. 

It enables quantitative assessments and comparisons in the area of environmental financing. 

In 2025, with the support of UNDP Belarusian best practices in statistics and SDG monitoring were showcased at seven international conferences and forums. 

The participation of Belarusian experts in international events allows them to exchange practical solutions and learn from global best practices and standards. 

This year, our partnership with Belstat will continue with a focus on innovation in data collection and processing.

Our plans include:

• Developing proposals to integrate artificial intelligence into the SDG reporting platforms and to leverage mobile positioning data for statistical analysis.
• Creating a methodology to calculate unemployment rates using small area estimation, which will generate disaggregated data at the district and city level. Belarus could become one of the first countries in the region to implement this advanced approach.
• Continuing to showcase Belarus's best practices in SDG statistics at international forums.

Joint efforts rooted in engagement, partnership, long-term planning, and innovation help enhance the quality of statistical data and for accurately assess the Republic of Belarus's progress towards the SDGs.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that statistics is not just about numbers in tables. It is an essential tool for informed decision-making. Behind every data point, there is a human story, and the more accurate our data, the clearer our understanding of the world becomes.

UNDP has been, and will continue to be, a steadfast partner to Belarus and Belstat, supporting your work in innovation, digitalization, and international cooperation.

Thank you.