ABSTRACT
Located in north-eastern Europe, the Republic of Belarus is a landlocked state bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Belarus's current economic growth is predicated on favourable internal and external conditions. Domestically, major state enterprises have a near monopoly over their respective markets, ensuring a stable growth trajectory. Despite the government's policies and rhetoric concerning sustainable enterprise, there is limited private-sector development and a lack of implementation in state-owned industry. Moreover, the size of its private sector lags behind other post-socialist states. In 2004, the Belarusian government approved the National Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Republic of Belarus, which aligns government policy until 2020 with the voluntary principles established by "Agenda 21". The main objective of the strategy is to develop a socially oriented market economy system, with a highly efficient economy based on private enterprise and a market infrastructure.
