Belarus

• © UNESCO
• Bialowieza Forest

Belarus joined UNESCO on 12 May, 1945. It is covered by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Moscow (Russian Federation).

Cooperation between Belarus and UNESCO is particularly strong in the areas of education and science.

UNESCO and Belarus have undertaken a series of projects linked to sustainable development in the Polessie region, water resources management and the country’s integration into the European Biosphere Reserves network. The forest of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, which straddles Belarus and Poland, is the first trans-border site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. The forest is also part of the Biosphere Reserves network.

UNESCO, Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine also work together on research concerning disaster prevention, using experience gained from the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986.

In 2005, the State University of Culture and Arts established a Center for Studying and Safeguarding the Intangible Heritage of Belarussians.