Belarus to make proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after 2012 in Bonn

MINSK, 17 May (BelTA) - Belarus will present a scientifically sound proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country after 2012. The report will be presented during the meetings of subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Bonn, Germany, on 14-25 May, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Andrei Savinykh said.

International experts are working on the draft decisions for the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 8th meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, in November-December this year.

Belarus’ delegation includes experts of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Foreign Ministry. They take an active part in the discussion of harmonization of the format and parameters of a new global climate agreement, which is expected to enter into force after 2020.

In addition, the delegation of Belarus is participating in another international event: a meeting to review the implementation of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management. It is held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on 14-23 May.

The Belarusian delegation is led by First Deputy Emergencies Minister Valentin Karpitsky. Belarus presented its national report at the plenary meeting. The presentation was attended by representatives of the Department for Nuclear and Radiation Security of the Emergencies Ministry of Belarus, the Directorate of the Construction of the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, the United Institute of Power and Nuclear Research Sosny of the National Academy of Sciences, and Belarus’ Permanent Representative Office in the international organizations in Vienna.

“The report presents the results of the activity of the Belarusian ministries and departments over the past three years. Special attention is paid to measures securing safety of spent fuel and radioactive waste, adoption of new legal and regulating acts in the area. The taken measures are directly connected with the NPP construction project in Belarus,” Andrei Savinykh said.