Partnerships are at the core of everything we do to support Serbia on its path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP in Serbia is partnering with the Government of Serbia and local governments, development partners, UN agencies, private sector and civil society - to find, design and implement new and innovative solutions for complex national and global challenges. We are grateful to all our partners for their continued trust and support. 

THE GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA 

Together with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection we are helping Serbia to accelerate the green transformation of the economy and society, while improving the quality of the environment. Our focus is on improving legislation, decarbonising industry, introducing circular economy principles, improving waste management and reducing environmental pressures such as air pollution. In parallel, we are supporting GHG emission reduction and increasing energy efficiency. Also, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, we are helping Serbia address climate change vulnerabilities and adapt to the effects of climate change.  

Office for IT and eGovernment is our long-standing partner in the digital transformation of Serbian public administration and economy, from Open Data and IT retraining to the establishment of the Data Center, and improvement of public e-services so that they are inclusive and respond to the needs of the citizens and businesses. 

In partnership with the Ministry of Finance we are working on the public finance system reform. Our focus is on ensuring sustainable internal control within key public institutions, increasing transparency in the management of public funds at the local level, and improving cooperation between CSOs and local self-governments. With the Swedish government support, UNDP is also supporting  training of journalists to monitor and report on corruption and misuse of public finances.  

Together with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs we are designing new solutions to tackle one of the greatest challenges in Serbia and the region - depopulation. 

The Coordination Body for Gender Equality is our main government partner in developing a social and institutional environment that contributes to zero tolerance to- and elimination of violence against women in Serbia. 

UNDP & UN 

With support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) we are helping the social inclusion of young Roma women and men. Our joint program assists Roma Volunteers to gain new knowledge and skills, in order to find employment and engage in their local communities. 

We are working jointly with UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA to create an environment where women and girls enjoy equality and live without fear of violence. 

Together with UNFPA we are designing a new portfolio of solutions to help Serbia adapt to and manage demographic change. 

With valuable support of WHO and UNICEF, we assisted the Government of the Republic of Serbia to prepare and conduct a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS 

European Union  

With EU support we are helping Serbia to speed up the "green" transformation, mitigate the effects of climate change and build an economy and society resilient to changed climate conditions. UNDP is implementing the „EU for Green Agenda in Serbia” project, to contribute to the green transition and sustainable development in Serbia.  

Together with the EU, we also delivered necessary medical equipment to the country for immediate response to COVID-19 and continued to build the resilience of Serbian local communities to  shocks, such as natural and man-made disasters. We are also a trusted partner of the EU in strengthening democracy at the local level in Serbia, by empowering civil society and encouraging young people to actively take part in the decision-making.  

United Kingdom  

Thanks to the support of the United Kingdom UNDP is contributing to the digital transformation of Serbian government and economy, assisting the opening of public data for further reuse, and enabling the creation of new digital services tailored to the needs of citizens and businesses.   

USAID  

Together with USAID we continue to provide an efficient response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia in the area of health, social and environmental protection, by procuring necessary medical, communications and medical waste management equipment, and by supporting local innovators to develop new solutions to address the health aspect of this crisis quickly and efficiently.  

Sweden  

Thanks to our partnership with Sweden we are able to support  innovative solutions that contribute to reducing the generation and stimulate reuse of biodegradable waste in Serbia. The Government of Sweden is also supporting UNDP to enable women and girls, especially those from vulnerable groups, to live lives free from violence, be encouraged to report violence and ensure that they receive timely and effective protection. We are also working together on the reform of public finance management in Serbia and to develop an effective and professional civil service on national and local level.   

Switzerland 

With Switzerland’s support, we are assisting the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to strengthen its oversight function, transparency, and cross-party dialogue. We are also helping the National Assembly to exercise greater scrutiny over public expenditures, strengthen the legislative process' quality, and ensure citizens' participation. Within this initiative we also supported the establishment of women's parliamentary network, introduction of public hearings and mobile committee sessions, as well as use of digital tools in the work of National Assembly and many local assemblies in Serbia. 

Japan  

Thanks to the support of the Government of Japan we work together with the Government of Serbia to ensure that principles of just transition are defined and incorporated into the efforts for green transformation and decarbonization of the economy. Throughout this process, we are also engaging with key stakeholders in the preparation of a plan for implementation of Serbia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).  

Germany  

Thanks to the German Government, UNDP is able to come up with innovative solutions to complex development challenges, through the work of our Accelerator Lab that was among the first ones to be established, as part of the global network of 91 unique labs of this kind, launched by UNDP throughout the world. Germany also helped us support innovative Serbian companies to offer locally sourced solutions for responding to Covid-19 crisis.  

With the support of the German Government UNDP also contributes to improving the quality of police investigations in Serbia, in accordance with international standards. We are organizing trainings and providing equipment for crime scene investigations and forensic and ballistic examination.

Austria  

With support of the Austrian Government, we helped the Government of Serbia to successfully cope with the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative increased the capacities of Serbia’s healthcare sector to respond to the health emergency by producing much needed protective and treatment equipment, namely the mechanical ventilators.   

Slovakia   

Thanks to the Slovak Republic we are supporting the development of solutions for increasing energy efficiency and for using renewable energy sources at the local level in Serbia. In addition, we are also supporting the introduction of the Smart City concept to improve public services and quality of life for citizens in municipalities throughout Serbia. Finally, we supported 10 less developed local self-governments to design their local development plans and trained local staff on planning and evaluation.    

Romania  

With support of the Government of Romania, we are improving municipal capacities for climate smart planning and development. This primarily includes the review of local greenhouse gas inventories and data contained in the local Climate Smart Information System.  

Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) 

With the support of GEF and GCF, we are assisting the Government of Serbia to comply with the requirements of multilateral environmental agreements-MEAs (such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-UNFCCC, UN Convention on Biological Diversity-UNCBD and UN Convention to Combat Desertification-UNCCD). We are assisting the Government to plan policies, report on MEAs and implement them in practice. By blending GEF and GCF funds with Government financing, international finance institutions’ and commercial borrowings, we are able to identify, accelerate implementation and secure co-financing for innovative solutions for green transformation and decarbonization of the economy and society.   

PRIVATE AND CIVIL SECTOR  

UNDP in Serbia is partnering with the private sector to pilot, develop and scale-up innovative solutions that contribute to solving development challenges, such as eradicating hunger and poverty, increasing responsible use of resources, fostering circular economy, reducing pollution and harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.   

Through various initiatives we support the civil sector in Serbia to work closer with national and local authorities and provide necessary services to the citizens, especially those from vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities and women survivors of violence. In parallel, UNDP works with civil sector organizations to engage youth and create a circular and more sustainable future for Serbia.