On Declaring the Year 2011 the Year of Initiative

President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has taken a decision to declare the year 2011 the Year of Initiative. The respective Decree was signed by the Head of State on February 3rd.

This year is the start of the new five-year term, which is expected to give a new impetus to the development of the country. If the essential things at the previous stages of the development of the modern Belarusian society were mostly the preservation and building up of the nation's economic capacity, today's goals are more ambitious, namely to make a decisive breakthrough in all industries and areas of activity so as to reach the level of Europe's advanced nations.

The driving force behind the breakthrough is the spirit of initiative and enterprise. Today representatives of any profession are required not only to execute and perform their duties acting on some sort of work template, but to become the true masters of their lives, creative and energetic persons.

The declaration of the year 2011 the Year of Initiative highlights the important achievements of Belarus in creating an enabling environment for business growth and symbolizes the determination of the Belarusian State to work towards the future goals and support the people who show initiative.

The Year of Initiative will help create a new image of the Belarusian economy, stimulate business growth and initiative, contribute to the atmosphere of healthy competition, wil help create favourable conditions for implementing new technologies in all spheres and improving the welfare and the quality of life of Belarusian citizens.

Please see the Russian version of this site for the full text of the Decree.