On May 12, the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research hosted an expert meeting of BISR think tankers and representatives of the Headquarters of the Patriotic Forces of Belarus. The meeting is themed "Current requests and expectations of citizens regarding socio-economic development of the Republic of Belarus in the next five years."
The event was held as part of the implementation of cooperation between the BISR and the Headquarters of the Patriotic Forces on the basis of a signed memorandum. According to Oleg Makarov, Director of the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research, the purpose of the expert dialogue is to study the dynamics of public opinion, the factors shaping citizens' expectations, and possible scenarios for their transformation in the medium term:
"We are moving forward, we have given a new impetus to the theme of the "People's Five-year Plan". The result of this project is very important to us for work organization. We are ready to continue the discussion with the Headquarters of the Patriotic forces and would like to make such meetings regular.”
Olga Shpilevskaya, a representative of the Headquarters of the Patriotic Forces of Belarus, chairman of the Belarusian Women's Union , noted in a conversation with journalists:
"The work implemented by the BISR together with public organizations is very important: when planning any large-scale projects, feeling the pulse of society and understanding its needs is important. Our joint work allows to do this and understand which areas should be included in the program documents. This is the very interaction between government and society that we talk about so much. I am sure that this work will yield results and all reasonable wishes will be reflected in the preparation of the program documents."
In the course of the expert meeting, there was a presentation of the results of sociological research on current demands and expectations of society regarding socio-economic development in the next five-year plan, a presentation of the results of the online platform "People's Five-year Plan", a discussion of the work results and plans for this online platform development. As well as defining the main directions for further cooperation between the BISR and the Headquarters of the Patriotic Forces.
The results of the study were presented by BISR analyst, Doctor of Political Sciences Svetlana Aleinikova:
"If we generalize as much as possible, then the expectations of citizens for the five-year plan are as follows. First. The planning horizon of citizens generally coincides with the five-year plan: people live more in the present and their planning horizon is no more than 5 years.
Second. The future of the country in the proposals of citizens is much broader than in the priorities of development. In other words, citizens complement their vision of development priorities with their specific proposals.
As for the image of the future and present of Belarus, the most important thing is that it is a country of peace and harmony. These are the key and absolute values of the Belarusian society. As well as sovereignty and independence. All the rest goes into the development of these main foundations."
The BISR analyst also mentioned the priority values:
"These are prosperity, well-being, family, comfort (in the broadest sense of the word — the comfort of life, workplace, family, etc.), self-realization and pride in the country, understanding its status in the international arena."
The specific results of the study have been submitted to the customer, the Council of Ministers, and their publication will become the prerogative of the Government, the BISR noted.
Recall, the study of the results of the online platform "People's Five-Year Plan" is implemented on an ongoing basis by the same-named Center for Civic Initiatives Analysis established on the basis of the BISR. Any active citizen present in the territory of the Republic of Belarus can share his opinion anonymously and in free form by clicking on the appropriate QR code or link to the «Меркаванне.бел» website.