On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the creation of the UN, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić, Director of the UN Office in Belgrade, Simona-Mirela Miculescu, and Resident Coordinator of Team UN in Serbia, Irena Vojáčková-Sollorano, jointly hosted a reception at the Palace of Serbia on 25th October, at which they pledged to exert joint efforts in order to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The UN is still necessary, almost as much as it was during the times when it was formed, and its relevance cannot be called into question,” said Dačić.
“Serbia is a leader among the countries of the Western Balkans in terms of the number of military and police forces that contribute to UN peacekeeping missions,” said Simona-Mirela Miculescu.
Marking UN Week, the UN Country Team and the Government of Serbia convened a special brief on the refugee and migration situation in Serbia. The Team of UN agencies reaffirmed its commitments to strongly promote and support additional humanitarian, developmental, budgetary, coordination and political support to allow the Government of Serbia to implement its Response Plan as well as the commitments of the recently adopted New York Declaration.
“The UN Country Team in Serbia stands ready to further increase this support to enhance a sustained lawful and protection-sensitive management of the refugee and migration situation, and challenges of irregular migration, to help in addressing forthcoming winter needs, including contingency planning in Serbia. The team will also continue advocating for strong support to Serbia by other donors, including those who are able to provide direct budgetary support to the Government, which UN Agencies are not allowed to furnish” said Irena Sollorano, UN Resident Coordinator to Serbia.
photos: Zoran Petrović/UNCT Serbia / Aleksandra Stamenković / Anđela Grozdanić