GIZ Serbia

🌟 Launch Event: "Country Risk Analysis Serbia: Social and Environmental Risks in the Serbian Business Context" 🌟 On July 19, 2024, The GIZ project Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) had the pleasure of launching the Country Risk Analysis study at the Media Centre Beograd.   The German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains (SCDDA) requires large German companies to analyse social and environmental risks in their global operations. Given Serbia's strategic position and its role in the supply chains of many German corporations, the Country Risk Analysis Serbia aims to highlight relevant social and environmental risks and support the understanding of the SCDDA impact on business practice in Serbia. 🔍 Highlights: ·        Svetlana Damnjanovic from Combeo Consult unveiled the primary findings of the study, providing insights into the legal background of social and environmental risks, the high-risk groups, high-risk sectors and high-risk regions in Serbia. ·        Sonja Tošković, Director at the Belgrade Center for Human Rights, offered an in-depth overview of Serbia's business and human rights landscape. The factsheet and the study in English and Serbian can be found in the appendix to this article. The full video and picture of the launch event can be found on the website of the Media Center Belgrade HERE #BusinessEthics #Sustainability #HumanRights #Serbia #LkSG #HREDD

🌐 Smart Cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Stepping into a Digital Future 🌐 Sarajevo hosted the "Smart City Impact" conference, celebrating strides towards smart cities in BiH. This event marked the culmination of the "Smart Cities - Towards the Digital Transformation of Cities in BiH" project, uniting government representatives, local authorities, academia, digitization experts, and IT companies. Key speakers, including GIZ BiH Programme Manager Hannah Heil and Minister of Transport and Communications Edin Forto, highlighted the importance of digitization and the successful pilot projects in Prijedor, Zenica, Tešanj, Zvornik, and Pale. Pilot municipalities implemented real-case lighthouse projects: Prijedor, Zenica, and Tešanj received the GoParking smart application from LANACO, using modern technology for efficient parking management. Pale and Zvornik implemented the Citizen Patrol app from DVC Solutions, enhancing communication between institutions and citizens. Together, we are making significant strides towards a smarter, more connected future. 🚀✨ The financing of the measure was provided by the develoPPP program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). #SmartCities #DigitalTransformation #BosniaAndHerzegovina #Innovation #GIZ #SmartCityImpact

🌍 The study visit to Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and North Schleswig in Denmark showcased exemplary policies and practices in #minorityprotection, providing valuable insights for civil servants from the Republic of Serbia. 🇪🇺🇷🇸 🤝 This visit facilitated an exchange of experiences between the participants from various Serbian institutions and their counterparts from Germany🇩🇪 and Denmark🇩🇰, highlighting the region's approach to minority protection, including the #Danish, #Frisian, #Roma, and #Sinti communities in Schleswig-Holstein, and the #German minority in North Schleswig. Key highlights included: 👉 Visits to the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) 👉 Meetings at the Sydslesvigsk Forening e. V. (the headquarters of the Danish national minority in Germany) and the Consulate of Denmark in Flensburg 👉 Engagements with the State Office and the Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein 👉 Discussions with the Association of Roma and Sinti in Kiel 👉 Tours of the German national minority headquarters in Aabenraa and the German Museum of North Schleswig in Sønderborg, Denmark Representatives from various Serbian ministries, including Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Culture, Information and Telecommunications, Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Education, as well as the Provincial Secretariat for Education, Regulations, Administration, and National Minorities - National Communities, participated in this enriching experience. The initiative was part of the “Facility Supporting Strengthening Rule of Law in Serbia," co-funded by the EU and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) in cooperation with the project "Minority Protection for EU Accession (MPA)" implemented by ECMI in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. #StrongerTogether #MinorityProtection #EUAccession #GIZ #RuleOfLaw #DerEchteNorden #MoinMoin

🎯 Would you like to know where Serbia stands in terms of achieving the SDGs❓ Check out the new statistical SDG Progress Report❗ 🎯 The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, as the only state institution that measures and monitors progress made towards the achievement of SDGs, has published its fourth Progress report on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 in the Republic of Serbia, 2023, with the support of the governments of Germany and Switzerland within the Public Finance Reform – 2030 Agenda project, and the United Nations in Serbia. 🎯 This progress report is based on the official data of the Statistical Office of Serbia - October 2023 database, posted on their SDG portal. Out of 248 global indicators, the 2023 report includes 135 indicators within 17 SDGs monitored for the Republic of Serbia, which is 12 indicators more compared to the previous year. The report also reveals that 49,7 percent of the monitored indicators show a positive trend towards meeting the SDGs.   🌐 Monitoring progress towards the SDGs is an important aspect of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A solid and reliable factual basis is crucial for planning, decision-making and further improvement of policies that lead to the realization of these global goals 🌐

Enhancing Plant health examinations of Fruit & Vegetables Crops Across CEFTA Parties In May and June, we conducted a series of national and bi-national capacity-building trainings for phytosanitary inspectors across 6 CEFTA Parties to further strengthen their capacities for inspection procedures of fruit and vegetables crops. This action will be finalized in August, through the implementation of the last training in Moldova. The trainings included theoretical sessions and practical field visits, and aimed at providing guidance to the inspectors on how to reliably and effectively carry out physical examination of fruit and vegetable crops, recognizing the symptoms or any other signs of relevant pests and diseases.   Overall, with support of EU and German Government, more than 150 inspectors will be trained in a harmonized way on crop inspections, which represents 30-40% of CEFTA's total number of phytosanitary inspectors. This will ensure adherence to the plant health regulations and contribute to safer consumption and trade of fruit and vegetables within CEFTA and with EU. #CEFTA #Agriculture #CapacityBuilding #PhytosanitaryInspectors

🌟 Podržite osnivanje KUD u Nišu 🌟 Na platformi Dobri Dabar 🦫 aktivna je još jedna kampanja nastala uz podršku GIZ Serbia! Kampanja “Romi bez KUD-a nemaju kuda!” ima za cilj prikupljanje sredstava za osnivanje Kulturno-umetničkog društva (KUD) za mlade Rome u Nišu. Ova inicijativa predstavlja prvu samostalno pokrenutu kampanju jedne romske organizacije u Srbiji. Niš 🏙️, koji je dom za 15.000 Roma, nema institucije posvećene očuvanju njihovog jezika, tradicije i kulture kroz igru, muziku i pesmu. Novi KUD će pomoći mladim Romima da se povežu sa svojim #nasleđem, tradicionalnom romskom #muzikom 🎶, #folklorom i #običajima. Niš se ponosi bogatom istorijom kulturno-umetničkog delovanja, posebno kroz društvo "Rom," koje je bilo aktivno 30 godina pre nego što je prestalo sa radom pre 25 godina. Niški KUD "Rom" je bio ključni organizator kulturnih događaja koji su prikazivali dostignuća Roma širom bivše Jugoslavije. “Romi bez KUD-a nemaju kuda!” je jedna od sedam najboljih ideja i projekata organizacija civilnog društva iz cele Srbije, koje su uspešno završile edukacioni program Loud Crowd Association , uz podršku Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. 🔗 Podržite kampanju ---> https://bit.ly/4bpMihA   🌟 Support the Establishment of a Cultural Centre for Youth 🌟 We are thrilled to share the launch of a new crowdfunding campaign on the Dobri Dabar 🦫 platform. The campaign aims to #raisefunds for establishing a Cultural Centre (KUD) for young Roma in Niš. This initiative marks a Roma organisation's first independently launched campaign in Serbia. Niš 🏙️, home to 15,000 Roma, lacks institutions that preserve their language, traditions, and culture through dance, music, and song. The new KUD will help connect young Roma with their #heritage, traditional Roma #music 🎶, #folklore, and #customs. Niš boasts a rich history of cultural-artistic endeavours, notably through the society "Rom," which was active for 30 years before ceasing operations 25 years ago. The Niš KUD "Rom" was a key organizer of cultural events showcasing Roma's achievements across former Yugoslavia. "Romi bez KUD-a nemaju kuda!" is one of the top seven ideas and projects from #civilsociety organizations across Serbia, having successfully completed the Loud Crowd Association 's education program, supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.   🔗 Support the campaign ---> https://bit.ly/4bpMihA

🎯 Engaging with the Serbian Diaspora to Unlock Potential in Science, Innovation, and Technological Development A scientific #diaspora meet-up was convened in Stuttgart on June 17th as part of the four-day study visit organized by the global program Shaping development-oriented migration and the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbien) of Commerce with participation of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation, Science and Technology Parks Belgrade and Niš and the Serbian Academic Network Nikola Tesla. Delegation of the Republic of Serbia had a chance to strengthen ties with the scientific community in the diaspora, understand their needs and interests, and enhance their awareness of existing opportunities for cooperation, knowledge exchange, and technology transfer in Serbia. These opportunities were presented by Vukašin Grozdić, State Secretary, and Nenad Paunović, on behalf of the Bio4 initiative. With a view to establish a regular platform for the Serbian-Bavarian exchange, the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation met with several institutions in Bavaria, including: 📢 Technical University of Munich (TUM) 📢 Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) 📢 FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

📢 Calling on the Serbian diaspora in Germany! Hosted by the global programme “Shaping development-oriented migration” (MEG), the Serbian diaspora will next week hold two pivotal networking events in Munich and Stuttgart offering a unique opportunity for members of the diaspora to share their innovative ideas and thoughtful suggestions on how to contribute to the sustainable development of Serbia. Both events aim to foster connections, facilitate the exchange of insights, and showcase MEG´s initiatives in key areas such as: ✅ #Digitalisation ✅ #Healthcare ✅ #ClimateChange ✅ #GenderEquality Do not miss out on these events that are crucial to understand the needs of the diaspora and to explore ways to strengthen the ties between the Serbian diaspora and Serbia. 📌 Munich, Church of St. John Vladimir, Putzbrunner Str. 49, 81739 Munich (supported by the Church Municipality of Munich) 📅 Friday, 28th June 2024, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm 📌 Stuttgart, Gerokstrastr. 15, 70184 Stuttgart (supported by the Association Serbian Academic Network - Nikola Tesla) 📅 Saturday, 29th June 2024, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm To confirm your participation, please RSVP by 26th June 2024. You can send your confirmations via email to [email protected] or by phone at 381 63 22 06 77 (available on Viber and WhatsApp). Feel free to share this invitation with other interested parties. #Serbia #Diaspora #Networking Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH