Organic agriculture holds enormous economic, environmental and health potential for the Republic of Belarus, participants have heard at a major conference taking place as the country prepares legislation on the topic.

The Fourth International Conference on Development of Organic Agriculture served as an important stock-taking event in collecting information and finding common ground for future elaboration of the Republic of Belarus’ organic law, ‘On the production and handling of organic products’.

The green light to draft the legislation was recently approved by the President of the Republic of Belarus and is being supported by UN Environment through the EU-funded "Greening Economies in the EU's Eastern Neighborhood countries" project.

Taking place on 24 November at the country’s State Academy for Agriculture in the town of Gorky, the meeting provided a timely opportunity to review the economic and environmental case for promoting organic agriculture in Belarus. Local farmers as well as policy makers underlined the tremendous opportunities offered by the growing global organic market.

It was concluded that the human health and environmental benefits resulting from organic production, without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, also outweigh possible reductions in yield compared to conventional agriculture.

Belarus already boasts 11 large producers of organic food and six large-scale exporters. The fact that a large proportion of Belarussian agriculture has been handled without synthetic inputs for decades underlines that the country’s presence on international organic markets has yet to reach its full potential if more local farmers gain access to reputable organic labels.

During the meeting, Belarussian stakeholders learned a number of important lessons of how to align their organic criteria and evaluation methods with those of neighbouring Russian and European neighbours’ legislation.

Organic agriculture already features as a major component of Belarus’ national sustainable development strategy for 2030 and plays a pivotal role in Belarus’ broader transition towards a Green Economy.

UN Environment supports the development of Belarus' National Green Economy Action Plan in the frame of the EU-funded project. In October, UN Environment participated in the second inter-ministerial and stakeholders meeting to discuss the rationale, specific actions and indicators to be included in the country’s draft Action Plan. The plan will be finalized and submitted for government review in December 2016.

For more information please write to rie.tsutsumi@unep.org

Austria, Germany and Switzerland have signed a declaration of intent with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on an innovative form of sustainable chemicals management.

The declaration, signed in Vienna on 21 November on the occasion of UNIDO’s 50th anniversary, calls for chemicals leasing to be scaled-up among countries and industries. Under the practice, rather than chemicals being sold by volume, the producer sells functions performed by them instead and thus makes them as efficient as possible.

Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, who attended the UNIDO events, called the declaration “a valuable step towards more sustainable management, in line with parties’ obligations to minimize waste, and a practice which we foresee becoming more and more the norm as we transition to a greener economy”.

Leasing has worked successfully in sectors such as the automotive, textile and manufacturing industries and leads to a more efficient use of chemicals with lower water, raw material and energy consumption, in addition of course to lower chemical usage – in line with sustainable development. This is how IKEA sources colouring for its textiles produced in India for example.

“There is no doubt that chemical leasing is continuing to revolutionize the way we do business with chemicals,” said UNIDO Director General Li Yong. “The circular economy can be an economic success and chemicals leasing makes this obvious,” underlined Austrian Environment Minister Andrä Rupprechter.

To read the declaration please click here. To read a blog on chemicals leasing by the Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Rolph Payet click here and for more information get in touch with charles.avis@brsmeas.org

A crowd of students shuffled into a presentation room, for what was surely about to be yet another recital about science. Lost track of how many PowerPoints they had seen over the years and already looking at the clock, they must have been shocked by its start.

“Persistent Organic Pollutants, AKA POPs. Hazardous pollution like PCB and DTT” a rap began by Karen Quinto, a scientist/musician/artist from Canada, capturing everyone’s attention.

Ms Quinto previously wrote the song for Environment Canada's ‘Take Our Kids to Work Day,’ the country’s annual initiative to bring high school students to their parent or guardian's workplace.

“I think rap also has a way of communicating quite plainly and honestly about any topic,” Ms Quinto said in an interview with Charlie Avis, Public Information Officer for the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions.

Her composition addresses the importance of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, a UN global treaty, based in Geneva, to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that remain intact in the environment for long periods.

Quinto’s dynamic rhythm and flow combines art and science, captivating audiences who might otherwise not be aware of environmental issues. Simple lyrics, such as, “we didn’t know they would persist, never breaking down. In the water, in the air, everywhere in the world now,” make the complex issue clear and understandable.

The skill in Quinto’s rap is her ability to appeal to all age groups, making it unique and powerful. In the interview, Avis stated the UN’s admiration for the song, “I and many of my colleagues enjoyed your rap about persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. Congratulations!”

The rap, ‘Persistent Organic Pollutants - Kizzle the Science’, is available on SoundCloud and the full interview can be found on the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention’s website.

For more information please write to charles.avis@brsmeas.org or vanessa.burrows@unep.org.

The Global Goals and Paris Agreement on climate change are not just rhetoric and Kazakhstan can in many ways lead their translation into national action, the Director of UN Environment’s Europe Office has said in a speech to Kazakh parliamentarians.

In May 2013, Kazakhstan adopted a new policy for transitioning to a Green Economy, with the aims of creating 500,000 jobs and increasing GDP by 3%, while at the same time cutting emissions 40% by 2050.

The policy’s dual aims capture the spirit of the Paris Agreement and the Global Goals, which do not treat the environment as a stand-alone issue, and show how economic and social progress and greening our economies go hand-in-hand, Mr Dusik told deputies in the country’s lower House of Parliament - the Mazhilis – on 3 November.

However, the 2030 development agenda “is not just rhetoric or about ticking the boxes of reports presented in New York,” he underlined. “When we talk about Global Goal 13 on climate action, we mean adapting to climate change for the farmers who are struggling to have enough water to give to their crops” for example, Mr Dusik stressed.

Given the role of parliamentarians in debating, challenging government and monitoring progress towards the country’s ambition aims, you are now key to steering the transition to a Green Economy, he told the Mazhilis. Government departments must also work together and make sustainable decisions – such as on replacing harmful pesticides – and UN Environment is there to help, the organization’s Regional Director for Europe told parliamentarians.

Kazakhstan has frequently suffered from drought, hampering crop production. However, the country now aims to slash its water consumption in half by 2030, including by using drip irrigation techniques for agriculture, while at the same time raising farm productivity 50% by 2020.

It also holds high potential for renewable energy – the amount of wind energy that could be generated in the country for example is ten times greater than its current energy consumption.

“By aiming to be a champion on Green Economy, you have said no to a drastic temperature rise. You have said no to mass desertification. And you have said no to the toxic dust storms that threaten people across this country,” Mr Dusik stressed.

“All this can go a long way in contributing to global efforts while bringing widespread benefits to society”. Yet “we face the last call for action on climate and the environment,” Mr Dusik warned, calling for specific policies to walk the talk.

To read Mr Dusik’s full speech please click here. For more information write to mark.grassi@unep.org