Priorities of the Republic of Belarus as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council for 2024-2025

The Republic of Belarus is a sovereign middle-income country located in the center of Europe.

The most important transit flows of the entire continent pass through the Belarusian territory, including one of the main transport corridors of Eurasia from the southwest to the northeast.

Belarus is a landlocked country. However, the shortest transport routes pass through its territory, connecting two seas — the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.

The country ranks 53rd and is included in the group of countries with a very high level of human development index.

Historically, in peaceful times, Belarus has always been an important crossroads of trade routes and contacts between the Western and the Eastern civilizations. Being the scene of fierce battles during the years of military calamity, the country survived the hardships and sorrows of the two world wars resulted in countless civilian casualties and serious destruction of the national infrastructure.

For the contribution of the Belarusian people to the victory over fascism during World War II, Belarus was honoured to become one of the 50 founding states of the United Nations.

The ability to find a common ground, seek a compromise, value and maintain peace on our soil is in the genetic code of the Belarusian people.

The most important fundamental principles of the foreign policy of the Republic of Belarus are:
-absence of territorial claims to neighbouring states;
-multi-vector policy;
-observance of norms of international law;
-commitment to building a harmonious multipolar world order that ensures peace, security, stability and sustainable development for all states without exception.

Being an active participant of the multilateral cooperation, the Republic of Belarus considers the UN as a central universal international organization with the necessary potential to effectively resolve pressing global and regional problems.
The upper mentioned position is the basis of the unifying and constructive flagship Belarusian initiatives at the UN aimed at developing cooperation, strengthening trust and security. The Republic of Belarus is a recognized leader in following areas:
 — promoting of international cooperation in the field of combating human trafficking;
 — advancement of food and energy security;
 — supporting interests of middle-income countries.

The Republic of Belarus has made a significant contribution to the process of nuclear disarmament and reducing the threat of military conflict on the European continent by reducing conventional weapons, military equipment and personnel of its Armed Forces.

In 1998 at the 53rd session of the UN General Assembly the Republic of Belarus initiated the adoption of Resolution on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Republic of Belarus has become the ever first State in the world which voluntarily renounced the possession of nuclear weapons. As part of its obligations under the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Belarus has destroyed more than 3,000 conventional weapons and military equipment, and more than 3.4 million anti–personnel mines under the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines.

The Republic of Belarus initiated the creation of a “belt of good neighborhood” in the Eastern Europe region through the conclusion of bilateral agreements on additional confidence- and security-building measures in the military sphere with neighboring countries, provided practical assistance to a peaceful settlement at the regional level, as well as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Participation of the Republic of Belarus in peacekeeping activities

The Republic of Belarus participates in UN peacekeeping activities and improves its experience in this area. Since 2010, the national peacekeeping contingent has been represented in the mission of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, both in military and medical components. In addition, Belarusian servicemen work at the headquarters of the sector “West” of the Provisional Forces as part of the Italian contingent.

In 2015, Belarus joined the updated system of accounting for allocated national forces and funds for participation in UN missions, within which our country provides information on the possibilities of providing peacekeeping personnel to peacekeeping operations.

The Belarusian Party supports the development of cooperation in the field of peacekeeping not only in the UN, but also within the framework of the CSTO.

Fundamental principles of the policy of the Republic of Belarus as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council

The Republic of Belarus has never been a member of the UN Security Council in its sovereign capacity. The only case of the Belarusian membership in this body took place in 1974-1975, while Belarus being a part of the USSR.

In this regard, it is very important for the Belarusian Party, which has been recognized as a donor of stability and regional security, to gain invaluable experience in building an international security architecture within the framework of interaction with the UN Security Council member states, including the five permanent members of the Council.

In case of election to non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for 2024-2025, the Republic of Belarus, acting as a responsible participant of international relations, intends to:
 — strictly observe key provisions of Article 24 of the Charter of the United Nations, which defines the competence and functions of the UN Security Council;
 — to further strengthen the authority of the UN in maintaining peace and security in accordance with international law;
 — refrain from introducing initiatives with confrontational potential;
 — to interact constructively with other UN Security Council Member States;
 — to promote constructive proposals and consensus-based initiatives of the member countries of the Eastern European Regional Group as well as the State Parties of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Basic guidelines of the policy of the Republic of Belarus as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council

As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Belarus will concentrate its efforts on the following key areas.

International peace and security:
 — promoting the creation of conditions for launching a dialogue between global world players on international and regional security issues and strengthening confidence-building measures;
 — encouraging the creation and strengthening of existing mechanisms of interregional dialogue between military-political and economic unions as well as other integration associations;
 — supporting the peaceful settlement of armed conflicts and crisis situations;
 — participating in the processes of improving UN peacekeeping activities in the formulation of mandates for peacekeeping operations, which should be clear, realistic and not entail excessive financial costs for participating States.

Disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control issues:
 — supporting consensus initiatives aimed at taking new measures in the areas of disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control;
 — supporting the international architecture of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament through strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and facilitating the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty;
 — improving the effectiveness of global regimes for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction — the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).
 — promoting initiatives aimed at preventing the deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles on the European continent;
 — promoting the creation of conditions for the formation of awareness among the world's population of the need to demilitarize international relations.

Countering terrorist threats and international information security:
 — participating actively in the implementation of the UN counter-terrorism strategy and strengthening international cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations;
 — promoting the creation of international and regional mechanisms to strengthen security in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT), building national capacities and developing protection systems in order to minimize the risks of unfair use of ICT,
 — formatting a belt of “digital neighborhood” through the conclusion of bilateral and multilateral agreements to ensure international information security.

Improving the effectiveness of the UN Security Council:
 — promoting the maintenance of the central role of the UN Security Council in the preservation of peace and security;
 — improving the efficiency, transparency and effectiveness of decisions taken by the Council;
 — avoiding duplicative functions of the Council with other main UN bodies;
 — preventing politicization of the agenda of this body.

Reforming the UN Security Council
 — assisting in conducting a progressive and verified dialogue on the reform of the UN Security Council based on the principles of transparency, inclusiveness and multilateralism;
 — supporting compliance with consensus in decision-making on this reform;
 — promoting balanced and evolutionary approach with equal geographical representation.

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