Towards the “Minsk Consensus”: Some personal reflections
This note is an attempt by a (co-)creator to explain what the “Minsk Consensus” is (or might be), and how it may be of broader use. It is intended as an instrument for further reflection and discussion at the Kastryčnicki Economic Forum; it does not claim to represent the views of UNDP, the United Nations, or its Member States.
Belarus is a country whose development aspirations are intimately connected with the challenges of simultaneously strengthening both state and market institutions, of using multilateralism to address unintended consequences of regionalism, and of doing so in ways that restore and deepen the human and natural capital upon which its future depends. Rather than laying claims to overarching development paradigms or one-size-fits-all solutions, Belarus’s experience points to the need for pragmatic combinations of private- and public-sector governance reforms that are consistent both with national specifics and with the principles of sustainability and inclusiveness that underpin the global Agenda 2030 for sustainable development; and which can help align otherwise competing regional integration processes with multilateral peace, security, and development logic. This is what the “Minsk Consensus” is (or could be) about.