Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia has been implementing the project “Support to Improve Social Inclusion in the Republic of Serbia” since 2009. The implementation of the third phase of this project was started in January 2018, with the support of the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The goal of the third phase of the project “Support to Improve Social Inclusion in the Republic of Serbia” is to contribute to enhanced social inclusion of vulnerable groups and active participation of all relevant stakeholders to ensure a better quality of life for all.

The activities implemented under the project should contribute to the following:

• Relevant national and local institutions are more effective in applying selected principles of good governance (with focus on participation, equality and non-discrimination) in addressing social inclusion priorities in accordance with international standards, in addressing social inclusion priorities (social welfare, education, healthcare, employment and housing);
• Local level institutions better respond to the needs of poor and socially excluded citizens;
• People experiencing social exclusion (particularly women, youth, Roma, migrants and persons with disabilities, especially in rural and extremely poor areas) are empowered through community support to benefit from quality, integrated and inclusive social welfare, education, employment, healthcare, and housing services.

The project ”From Education to Employment – E2E”, second phase, is part of the program launched by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in April 2015 with the overall goal to increase decent youth employability in Serbia in a socially inclusive and sustainable way.

The project is being implemented by the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia in partnership with key line ministries in charge of the implementation of the youth employment and employability policies in Serbia – Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development. The second phase of the project is until December 2021.

The E2E have two outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Relevant national and local key stakeholders apply effective and evidence-based policies on youth employment and employability through increased performance capacities and diversified funding portfolio.
• Outcome 2: Young jobseekers are better able to position themselves on the labour market through employment promotion measures and non-formal training offers required by the private sector in selected regions of Serbia.

Click here to learn more about the project.

The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the support of the German Organization for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, is implementing the project “Strengthening Civil Society Organizations response during COVID-19 pandemic”. This project is part of a broader project of German-Serbian Development Cooperation “Social protection services for vulnerable groups”, implemented by GIZ.

The project aims to empower civil society organizations (CSOs) in responding to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be implemented in cooperation with 15 CSOs, that are functioning as grass root organizations on the local level and providing services to persons with disabilities providing as well as necessary support to women who have suffered by domestic violence, children and youth, elderly persons (especially those living in rural areas).

Project activities, that will be conducted in 15 local self-governments (Arilje, Kosjerić, Priboj, Sjenica, Prijepolje, Užice, Lajkovac, Krupanj, Pećinci, Ruma, Šid, Plandište, Sremska Mitrovica, Loznica and Mionica) consist of:

1. Collection and creation of a database on the needs of vulnerable groups;
2. Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations in the field of providing support to vulnerable groups;
3. Providing support to civil society organizations in adapting their services to the conditions of social distancing;
4. Providing support in formulating measures that regulate the role of local governments in the crisis period;
5. Provision of equipment (personal protective equipment, IT equipment or equipment intended for other needs) to civil society organizations, necessary for the smooth provision of services to vulnerable groups.

Through these activities, 15 civil society organizations will be empowered to respond to the needs and rights of vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and in post-crises period.