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The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia (SIPRU) has presented the second online Social Inclusion Course, developed with the expert support of SeConS Development Initiative Group. The online Social Inclusion Course was designed under the project “Support for the Improvement of Social Inclusion in the Republic of Serbia”, implemented by the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia with support from the Government of Switzerland.

“This online course was developed with the intent to provide all interested parties with the opportunity to solidify existing and acquire new knowledge in this field, better understand important concepts, and open some key issues regarding this important topic for our society”, said Dragana Jovanović Arijas, Manager of the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. She noted that this course should allow us to see the interdependence of social inclusion and poverty reduction and other relevant areas for improving the status of citizens, particularly those from vulnerable groups.

The Almanack “Young people in Serbia and security risks” has been published, based on the data gathered as part of the project “Establishing information system for peer violence prevention – Phase 3”. Funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia, the project is implemented by the Association of Citizens “Centre for Support to Women”.

“Progress in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 in Serbia” is the topic of the 15th professional platform MONS – Monitoring social situation in Serbia. In this issue, the experts will explain the sustainable development goals, their significance for the countries and the entire global population, how does, if at all, Serbia fit in the planned goals it committed to, and how are other countries doing.

The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the expert support of SeConS Development Initiative Group, has prepared the second online Social Inclusion Course, intended for the representatives of state institutions at the national and local level, civil society organizations, the private sector, the academic community, students, and all interested citizens.

According to the latest data from the Statistical Office of Serbia, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Serbia in 2020 was 21.7%, which is 1.5 percentage points lower than in 2019. Serbia remained in the group of the poorest countries in Europe, along with other Balkan countries. In 2020, the ones most exposed to the risk of poverty were children (under 18 years old) and the unemployed.The Rreport “COVID crisis and poverty: Monitoring poverty in Serbia 2021” showed that income support measures implemented since the outbreak of the pandemic* were inadequate to have an impact on the financial situation of social groups that were most at risk of poverty and that needed help most. Prepared by the SeConS Development Initiative Group with the support of the Open Society Foundation and in accordance with the methodology developed by the European Anti-Poverty Network for advocacy at the national and European levels, this report also showed that the informally employed and the Roma were among the most vulnerable.

Young people in Serbia and security risks is the topic of the new issue of MONS (Monitoring of Social Situation in Serbia), which will also feature articles resulting from the research conducted as part of the project “Establishing information system for peer violence prevention – Phase 3”. Funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia, the project is implemented by the Association of Citizens “Center for Support to Women”.

A study was started as a part of the regional project “Strengthening the resilience of older persons and persons with disabilities during COVID-19 and future crises” implemented by the Red Cross of Serbia together with partners from the region and the European Union, and its findings will serve to formulate recommendations for advancing public policies in this area.One of the Project components deals with long-term care systems, their coordination, funding models, accessibility of services, especially having in mind the experience with the Covid-19 crisis and the functioning of these systems in emergency conditions. In order to implement this component, the SeConS Development Initiative Group and the research agency Smart Plus Research are conducting quantitative research with the beneficiaries of long-term care services.

SeConS, in collaboration with the Centre for Records and Implementation (Australia), has successfully completed the evaluation of UNICEF’s five models: Family Associate, Occasional Foster Care, School Drop Prevention, Diversionary Measures for Youth in Justice and Social Welfare, and Early Childhood Intervention.The evaluation is based on a comprehensive analysis of programme and planning documentation, joint work with UNICEF teams, qualitative interviews with more than 50 national and local stakeholders (representatives of ministries and government authorities, partner non-governmental organizations, research groups and local partners), and a survey in local communities has also been done.

Women in rural areas of Serbia – (in)visible success – is the topic of the second Forum for Gender Policies, which is jointly organized by the Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, on 15 July from 12h to 18h.The keynote speakers at the forum will be Prof. Dr. Marija Babović (Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia/SECONS), Ljiljana Gusić (Breathe Life), Jasmina Kostić (Association of Rural Women of Čajetina), Marija Luković Sredić (ethno village Gostoljublje), Marija Blagojević (Women’s Cooperative Kosjerka). The forum will be moderated by Svetlana Stefanović (Women’s Platform for the Development of Serbia/ BFPE).

As part of the realization of the project “Evaluation as a basis for making informed public policies in Serbia”, funded by Eval Partners, the Informal Network of Evaluators of Serbia (INES) and SeConS Development Initiative Group organized a round table on 17 June entitled “Making informed public policies in Serbia – current situation and perspectives“.