Socially Integrated Services for the Most Vulnerable Groups Throughout Serbia Through 20 CSO projects

With the support of the Government of Switzerland in the total value of almost 275,000 euros, within the Programme "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature", the implementation of 20 projects of local civil society organizations has began.

The projects will respond to the needs of more than 6,000 citizens from vulnerable groups, with a focus on children and youth, persons with disabilities, Roma, elderly people and beneficiaries of social assistance. Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Marina Vidojević pointed out at the event held on the occasion of the start of the implementation of the projects that the care of the most vulnerable is the ministry's priority.

"Realizing rights and meeting needs, especially when it comes to children, persons with disabilities and members of the Roma national minority, and especially through intersectoral and intermunicipal cooperation, are a priority for the Ministry," Vidojević said.

Civil society organisations will implement projects in partnership with local self-governments, centers for social work, health centers, schools.

"Achieving greater social inclusion in our society requires significant synergy between national and local institutions and civil society organisations, as well as partnership with international organisations, and this programme enables exactly that," said Ivan Bošnjak, State Secretary in the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.

The specificity of the projects is that they combine social protection, education and health, said Melina Papageorgiou, Head of the Governance Domain at the Swiss Cooperation Office.

"Intersectoral teams will deal with significant social problems, from the prevention of violent forms of behavior among young people, prevention of drug abuse, to early marriages, mental health, developmental difficulties, as well as digital literacy of vulnerable social groups," said Papageorgiou.

The direct beneficiaries of the support will be the citizens of Babušnica, Bela Palanka, Bor, Bujanovac, Čajetina, Ćuprija, Dimitrovgrad, Ivanjica, Kragujevac, Kruševac, Leskovac, Niš, Novi Pazar, Pirot, Smederevo, Surdulica, Užice, Vladičin Han, Vlasotinac, Vranje and Zaječara.

The Programme also provides technical assistance to civil society organisations in strengthening their capacities for the licensing procedure for future providers of social protection services.

"Through mentoring support, the preparation of all the necessary conditions will be carried out, as well as the drafting of internal acts, so that the CSOs can provide services such as day care, help care, personal assistant", stated Nataša Ivanović, Programme Officer for Social Inclusion.

The event was attended by more than 40 representatives of civil society organisations and local institutions involved in projects implementation. More about the supported projects is available on the Public Call Results Factheet.

The program "PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature" is jointly implemented by the United Nations agencies in Serbia - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of Serbia and with the financial support of the Swiss Government.