Successfully Completed Support Program for Informal Waste Pickers in 12 Local Self-Governments

Beneficiaries from Apatin, Ub, Bač, Valjevo, Kula, Loznica, Obrenovac, Odžaci, Prijepolje, Ruma, Sremska Mitrovica and Šid underwent training that boosted their employability and helped them integrate into formal work and income streams

The Standing Conference of Roma Citizen Associations – SKRUG Roma League organized a formal event today to present the results of the intervention titled "Provision of Services for the Protection of Livelihoods of Informal Waste Pickers in Serbia" across 12 local self-governments. This activity was organized under the joint UN Programme "PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature," implemented by United Nations agencies – UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP – in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with financial support from the Government of Switzerland.

Speaking on behalf of the PRO program, Nataša Ivanović from the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) emphasized the importance of the sustainability of the solutions that this local-level intervention has brought to informal waste pickers and their families.

"The program provided priority support to 61 families, encompassing 311 household members, but the assistance also reached a wider circle of informal waste pickers. Although our primary objective was the economic empowerment of families through various employment and income-generating support measures, the PRO program also addressed other aspects. These included improving access to public services, particularly in social protection and healthcare, providing educational support for children, and assisting with the issuance of personal documents. Perhaps most importantly, we worked on systemic solutions within specific local communities to ensure that essential changes are truly viable through the cooperation of various stakeholders," Ivanović stated.

In his introductory remarks, the President of SKRUG – Roma League, Osman Balić, pointed out that improving the status of informal waste pickers requires the development of systemic solutions that link social inclusion, employment, and social entrepreneurship.

"Social and recycling cooperatives represent a sustainable model that enables the formalization of work, increased income, and greater economic security for beneficiaries, while also contributing to the development of local communities and the enhancement of waste management systems," Balić emphasized.

The second part of the event featured two panel discussions on "On-the-Job Training" and "Models of Recycling Cooperatives." During these sessions, training participants and employers from Obrenovac, alongside representatives from the Connect Clean Roma Group recycling cooperative, shared the practical experiences they gained during the project's implementation. The panelists highlighted examples of best practices in employment and social inclusion, the development of recycling cooperative models, and provided recommendations for improving public policies in waste management, employment, and the circular economy.

Presenting the results of the intervention, Sandra Abramović, Head of the Professional Service at SKRUG – Roma League and Project Coordinator, noted that the project proved that sustainable solutions for employment and economic inclusion of informal waste pickers can be created through on-the-job training, mentorship support, cooperation with employers, and the development of recycling cooperatives. She stressed that partnerships between local self-governments, companies, institutions, and civil society organizations were among the key success factors, laying the groundwork for scaling up and applying this model in other local communities, as well as contributing to the improvement of public policies in circular economy and social inclusion.

"The greatest value of this project lies in the established partnerships, developed cooperation models, and concrete opportunities created for the employment and economic inclusion of informal waste pickers. These results provide an important foundation for the further advancement of public policies in the fields of waste management, the circular economy, and social inclusion," Abramović concluded.