The II International Youth Ecological Forum has started in Minsk, in which representatives of more than 14 Belarusian and Russian universities take part.

The event was organized by the Belarusian State Technological University in cooperation with the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Republic of Belarus "Russian House". The goals of the forum are further development and integration of educational and cultural cooperation between the universities of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, strengthening fraternal ties between Belarus and Russia. Other goals include education, historical, patriotic and environmental education of young students within the framework of the year 2023, that was declared by the President of the Republic of Belarus "The Year of Peace and Recreation" and within the frames of a "Decade of Science and Technology" announced by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation. The forum also seeks stimulation of the continuity of professional experience, knowledge, methods for solving urgent problems in the field of environmental protection, rational nature management by young people.

Representatives of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Standing Committee of the Union State, the CIS Executive Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection took part in the opening of the youth environmental forum.

Head of the Main Department of Vocational Education Sergei Pishchov delivered a welcoming speech from the Ministry of Education of Belarus, he stressed on one of the most important advantages of the youth forum - further practical development and strengthening of educational cooperation between the universities of the two countries.

In turn, the rector of BSTU Igor Voitov noted that the choice of the university as a venue for the forum was not random: “Over the course of its 90-year history, the university has occupied a leading position in the educational and scientific fields, being a recognized scientific and educational center of Belarus. The issues of educational, scientific and technical cooperation of the Union State with the CIS countries have always been and are important areas of activity of BSTU.”

Addressing the forum participants, Yury Makushin, head of the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in Belarus, stressed that youth projects and programs have become an important basis for developing and supporting relations between the fraternal countries of the Union State.

“The expansion of youth and educational cooperation, especially in the context of ecology, is one of the tasks of our work. You are an active, positive, creative young people striving for knowledge, who have the power to change the world around for the better!” Yuri Makushin noted.

Within the framework of the forum, practical classes will be held on the environmental educational and scientific activities of universities, the creation of objects of ecological tourism. A presentation of start-ups in the field of ecology and environmental protection and water resources, a round table of participants of the forum on promising areas of cooperation between the youth of Belarus and Russia "Forest and water resources - the basis of environmental security of Belarus” are scheduled as well.

The forum close on May 19.