ROADMAP. This week, the Office’s Education Team presented the Roadmap for the Democratization of Higher Education in Belarus. The document had been developed by the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in cooperation with the United Transitional Cabinet and a group of education experts and professionals. The Roadmap is a plan of action for the first 50, 100, and 500 days of the transition period, designed to effectively transform the higher education system after a democratic transition in the country. Read more about the priorities of the Roadmap at the link (available in Belarusian).
ALLIANCE “FOR A DEMOCRATIC BELARUS”. One of the most important outcomes of the Office’s parliamentary cooperation in 2023 was the consolidation of the parliamentary groups “For a Democratic Belarus” into an Alliance. Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Interparliamentary cooperation and Constitutional Reform, Anatoli Liabedzka, commented on the importance of the Alliance for Belarusians: “The Alliance represents not just a formal presence of friends of democratic Belarus in parliaments around the world. It offers a framework to facilitate tangible aid for Belarusians and exert pressure on the regime”.
YEAR-END REPORTS. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office team began summarizing the results of its work for the year. Senior Political Advisor to Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Dabravolski, recorded a video where he talked about the work of the Internal Policy Division in 2023, naming the development and public discussion of the New Belarus Transition Strategy the most significant achievement.
Advisor on Interparliamentary Cooperation and Constitutional Reform, Anatoli Liabedzka, reported that over the year, the number of groups “For a Democratic Belarus” increased from 13 to 23 countries worldwide. Additionally, in 2023, four draft laws were developed as part of the future constitutional reform, supplementing the vision of New Belarus.
REGIME ACCOUNTABILITY. On December 22, the Lukashenka regime adopted amendments to the Law on the President of the Republic of Belarus, giving Lukashenka a series of guarantees, including protection from criminal prosecution. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya released a statement: “Belarus’ democratic forces work every day to bring Lukashenka to account for all crimes against humanity and war crimes. Together, we will make sure that the dictator faces trial. The man who shattered the lives of thousands of Belarusians will face punishment under international law, and no immunity will protect him. It’s only a matter of time”.
EDUCATION. Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchytttova, participated in the conference “Reforming Education System Governance in Belarus: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges”, initiated by the United Transitional Cabinet. The conference aimed to train personnel for democratic transformations in Belarus. Ms. Shchyttsova and the participants discussed the Roadmap for the Democratization of Higher Education in Belarus.
ECONOMIC ISSUES. Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Economic Reforms and Vice-President of the Association of Belarusian Businesses Abroad (ABBA), Aleś Alachnovič, shared insights on Belarus’ increasing dependence on Russia in a Euroradio interview. “Our dependence on Russia is critical. Essentially, Russia has all the leverage to blackmail Belarus and Lukashenka today. In New Belarus, we could organize a creditors’ conference to seek assistance from other Western countries to help us repay Russian loans, but only those we are obligated to pay. Those taken by Lukashenka in recent years are illegitimate. Not all of them, though, and we will have to repay a portion of them”, noted Mr. Alachnovič.
OFFICE’S INTERNATIONAL WORK. Diplomatic Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski, talked about the work of the Foreign Policy Department of the Office. In the new video, he spoke on one of the most significant political events of 2023, the US–Belarus Strategic Dialogue, which took place in early December.
TALKS WITH BELARUSIANS. On December 22, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held her weekly personal conversations with Belarusians to discuss the issues faced by the people both in Belarus and beyond.
MEDIA. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gave interviews to Euroradio (Belarus), Radio Svaboda (1, 2) (Belarus), DW (International), BelSAT (Belarus), Knack magazine (Belgium), and IRI podcast “By the People”.
