AI regulation in Belarus: laws & policy (2026)

Legal framework

No AI-specific law in force; AI bill formally queued for 2026 legislative drafting; CIS Model Law on Artificial Intelligence Technologies (adopted April 2025, drafted by Belarus's United Institute of Informatics Problems) serves as the intended basis

Key points: artificial intelligence in Belarus

1. 01AI Bill Queued for 2026

   In August 2025 Belarus announced it would begin drafting an AI technology law in 2026. Documentation was prepared and submitted to the National Center of Legal Information to ensure inclusion in the 2026 legislative plan; a 42-specialist cross-ministerial working group was formed to lead the drafting.

   belarus.by eng.belta.by

2. 02CIS Model Law as Template

   The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly adopted the Model Law 'On Artificial Intelligence Technologies' on 24 April 2025, drafted by Belarus's own United Institute of Informatics Problems (National Academy of Sciences). Belarus's future national legislation is explicitly to be based on this model law, which defines AI and calls for unified CIS-wide regulatory approaches.

   iacis.ru uiip.bas-net.by

3. 03National Academy of Sciences as Regulator

   The Strategic Projects Council (chaired by the NAS president) and the Legal and Judicial Policy Council jointly endorsed the National Academy of Sciences as the designated sectoral regulator for AI, though the mandate's scope is still being defined ahead of formal legislation.

   eng.belta.by eng.belta.by

4. 04National AI Standards Programme

   A national technical committee on digitalization and AI is being established under the Ministry of Communications and Informatization. Approximately eight AI standards covering terms, definitions, and application guidance are planned, with several UNDP-supported standards expected for approval by end of 2025.

   eng.belta.by undp.org

5. 05Digital Development Strategy 2026-2030

   The forthcoming Digital Development Strategy of the Republic of Belarus for 2026-2030 is intended to serve as the policy foundation for AI and big data regulatory initiatives and will embed AI as a priority investment sector alongside wider digitalization of public administration.

   undp.org eng.belta.by

6. 06High-Tech Park Sector Inclusion

   Residents of the Belarus High-Tech Park (HTP) were granted the legal right to operate in AI-related fields under expanded HTP legislation, providing a de facto sectoral sandbox for AI companies in absence of broader AI law.

   economy.gov.by en.wikipedia.org

Timeline of decisions

1. 1 Jan 2026Decision · official
   Belarus Formally Commits to Drafting Standalone AI Law in 2026

   The documentation package for a dedicated AI technologies bill was submitted to the National Center of Legal Information for inclusion in the 2026 legislative agenda; the National Center (in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences and the Operational-Analytical Center under the President) is designated lead developer. This is Belarus's first formal step toward a standalone AI statute.

   Belarus.by — Official Web Portal of the Republic of Belarus

2. 1 Nov 2025Guidance
   State Committee for Standardization Launches National AI Standards Programme

   The Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization announced at a national scientific-practical conference that Belarus will develop the country's first dedicated national standards in AI, covering management systems and AI terminology. Standards are expected to be approved by end-2025 with UNDP expert support.

   BELTA — Belarusian State News Agency

3. 7 Oct 2025Guidance · official
   AI4Development Forum: UNDP and Ministry of Communications Sign Joint AI Statement

   At the two-day 'AI4Development: Solutions for Belarus' international forum in Minsk (250+ participants from government, business, and academia), UNDP Belarus and the Ministry of Communications and Informatization adopted a Joint Statement calling for a balanced legal framework, human-capital investment, and equitable AI access. The forum produced formal policy recommendations for a national AI ecosystem.

   UNDP Belarus

4. 9 Jul 2025Guidance · official
   Ministry of Education Publishes First AI Methodological Guidelines for Schools

   The National Institute of Education (under the Ministry of Education) issued official methodological recommendations for incorporating AI tools into school curricula and pedagogical practice. This is the first sector-specific AI guidance issued by a Belarusian ministry, signalling state-managed AI deployment in the public sector.

   National Institute of Education of the Republic of Belarus (adu.by)

5. 1 May 2025Guidance · official
   TIBO 2025: AI Standardization Roundtable Launches Conceptual Standards Work

   UNDP Belarus's Accelerator Lab, the State Committee for Standardization, and leading academic institutions held an 'AI Standardization' roundtable at Belarus's premier Digital Expo (TIBO), benchmarking ISO, Chinese, Russian, and EAEU standards to identify approaches adaptable to Belarusian realities. The event marked the formal launch of work toward the country's first national AI standards.

   UNDP Belarus

6. 1 Apr 2025Law · official
   Presidential Decree No. 135 Designates AI a National R&D Priority for 2026-2030

   President Lukashenko signed Decree No. 135 approving national priority avenues of scientific, technical, and innovative activity for 2026-2030, with 'digital technologies and artificial intelligence' listed as the lead priority category. All state scientific programmes and the 2026-2030 State Innovation Development Programme must align with these priorities, formally channelling public R&D funding toward AI.

   Official Internet Portal of the President of the Republic of Belarus

7. 1 Apr 2025Law · official
   CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Adopts Model AI Law Drafted by Belarus NAS

   The Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS member states adopted a Model Law on Artificial Intelligence Technologies, developed by the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (which had won an open CIS competition). The model law establishes unified definitions, governance principles, and investment-promotion provisions intended to serve as a template for national AI legislation across the post-Soviet space.

   Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS (iacis.ru)

8. 15 Nov 2024Guidance · official
   First National Digital and AI Readiness Assessment Presented, Belarus a Global Pioneer

   UNDP, the Ministry of Communications and Informatization, and Giprosvyaz presented a national Digital Readiness Assessment covering connectivity, governance, regulation, economy, and digital public infrastructure. Belarus became the first country worldwide to embed a dedicated AI-readiness evaluation into its DRA, establishing the evidence baseline for subsequent AI policy, standards, and regulatory work.

   UNDP Belarus

9. 1 Nov 2024Decision · official
   Presidential Advisory Council Formally Recommends Enacting a Dedicated AI Law

   The Council on Legal and Judicial Policy under the President (chaired by the Chairman of the Constitutional Court) formally recognised the need to develop a law on AI technologies and recommended the National Center of Legal Information as lead developer, in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences and the Operational-Analytical Center. This advisory resolution triggered the legislative process expected to produce a bill in 2026.

   National Legal Internet Portal of the Republic of Belarus (pravo.by)

10. 1 May 2023Decision
    CIS IPA Launches Competition for Model AI Law; Belarus NAS Selected as Drafter

    The CIS Interparliamentary Assembly announced an open competition to produce a model law on AI technologies for the entire post-Soviet region. The United Institute of Informatics Problems at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus won the competition, giving Belarus a dominant role in shaping regional AI governance norms that would later directly inform its own planned national statute.

    BELTA — Belarusian State News Agency

11. 2 Feb 2021Law · official
    State Programme 'Digital Development of Belarus' (2021-2025) Approved, AI Infrastructure Goals Set

    Council of Ministers Resolution No. 66 approved the national five-year Digital Development Programme, embedding AI-enabled infrastructure modernisation, digital innovation across economic sectors, and smart-city technologies as explicit goals. The programme became the primary public-sector vehicle for AI adoption in government and established the institutional context for subsequent AI-specific regulation.

    Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus

12. 21 Dec 2017Law
    Presidential Decree No. 8 on Digital Economy, First Statutory Recognition of AI in Belarus

    President Lukashenko signed Decree No. 8 expanding the Hi-Tech Park (HTP) regime to explicitly authorise AI development, machine-learning systems based on artificial neural networks, autonomous vehicles, and blockchain as licensed HTP activities, with the preferential legal and tax regime extended to 2049. This decree, the world's first to legalise smart contracts, was the foundational act that placed AI at the centre of Belarus's digital economy and remains the primary legal vehicle for the country's AI industry.

    Library of Congress Global Legal Monitor

Sources

1. 1.belarus.by/en/government/events/belarus-plans-to-start-drawing-up-ai-bill-in-202
2. 2.eng.belta.by/society/view/belarus-plans-to-start-drawing-up-ai-bill-in-2026-170504
3. 3.eng.belta.by/society/view/belarus-to-develop-national-ai-standards-173541-2025/
4. 4.eng.belta.by/society/view/belarus-to-draft-ai-development-concept-170362-2025/
5. 5.eng.belta.by/economics/view/belarus-to-implement-ai-in-nearly-all-sectors-of-econo
6. 6.iacis.ru/News/Partners/Communications_Professionals_Informed_About_Model_Law_o
7. 7.uiip.bas-net.by/eng/news/218/
8. 8.undp.org/belarus/stories/ai-belarus-navigating-challenges-and-seizing-opportun
9. 9.undp.org/belarus/news/how-belarus-improving-quality-ai-services
10. 10.economy.gov.by/en/pvt-en/
11. 11.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_High_Technologies_Park