Sitemap

Michel Saint-Lot, UNICEF Representative in Serbia

Building a Better World

CorD Recommends

Miloš Đuričanin, Director of Strategy and Development at the Nordeus Foundation

The School of the Future is a School of Opportunities

Our vision is to provide children and...

Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum

We Can Still Create Miracles

In a world rife with polarisation, fragile...

H.E. Maria Levanti, Ambassadorof Greece to Serbia

Finding Ways to Boost Bilateral Ties

Greece’s stance regarding the status of Kosovo...

Aleksandar Vlahović, President of the Serbian Association of Economists

Much Better Institutions Needed

It is my sincere hope that Serbia’s...

Scholz Champions Western Balkans’ Path to Membership

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in Slovenia, advocated for quickening the EU accession for the Western Balkans, underlining the importance...

Wiener Städtische Insurance company is the winner of Dobročinitelj (Benefactor) award

The company Wiener Städtische Insurance received the Dobročinitelj (Benefactor) award for socially responsible activities implemented during 2021, 2022 and...

CEB Grants €1.3 Billion Loans to Boost Social Sectors in 11 Countries

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has sanctioned loans totaling €1.3 billion for 11 member countries, including Serbia...

Serbia Advances in Renewable Energy with Pupin Wind Park Financing

In a significant stride towards renewable energy adoption, Serbia has finalized the financial arrangements for the Pupin Wind Park,...

Đedović Handanović: Nuclear Energy in Serbia by 2039 at the Earliest

Nuclear energy in Serbia could become a reality by 2039 at the earliest, should work on the project commence...

On 11th December 2016, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will mark its 70th year of helping to build a better world for every child. UNICEF was created in 1946 in an effort to secure the fate of Europe’s children

In the last seven decades, UNICEF has continued to assist children affected by war and crisis. It has also taken on a much broader and evolving role in international development, working to provide integrated services to children and advocate for the full spectrum of their rights. Interestingly, in August 1947, the Former Yugoslavia was the first country in the world to receive UNICEF’s emergency shipment for children. In 1991, the UNICEF Belgrade Office was established to respond to the emerging Yugoslav crisis, with the aim of reaching war-affected children with supplies and assistance.

This year will see UNICEF mark its 70th anniversary. How do you see that jubilee?

This year’s anniversary provides an opportunity for UNICEF to celebrate its previous achievements, examine its present work, and strengthen the pursuit of a future where every child has a fair chance in life.

We cooperate with all countries and governments; build strategic partnerships with the corporate sector and the media; and cooperate with local communities, civil society organisations, and independent institutions, in order to provide systematic support to children.

If you were to describe the role of UNICEF today, what would you say?

In recent years, a renewed emphasis on equity for children has become a cornerstone of the organisation’s programme, policy and advocacy work.

In everything UNICEF does, the most vulnerable children and families are given the highest priority. Children in the poorest and most marginalised populations bear a disproportionate burden of disease, undernutrition, illiteracy and exploitation. 

Progress in nationally averaged indicators of well-being can conceal major and widening inequities for marginalised children, and an equity-focused approach helps simultaneously reduce disparities and accelerate progress towards the newly developed Sustainable Development Goals.

Therefore, UNICEF’s role is to ensure that children who are still growing up in poverty and isolation, and who are discriminated against, get a fair chance to be healthy, educated and protected, and to reach their full potential.

The world is changing fast, and we are adapting with the times. The innovation lies at the heart of our approaches to improving the lives of children. Actually, the idea of UNICEF itself was an innovation – a global organisation supporting local children with critical services in emergencies. Building on this long history, UNICEF uses innovation to create solutions that strengthen our work.

What do you see as the most challenging issues that UNICEF is dealing with today?

Like most things that are worthwhile, adopting equity-focused approaches is challenging. This presents interesting and striking implications for national policies and programmes in many developing countries, and for the work of UN country teams, donors, multilateral agencies and civil society partners.

For UNICEF, the equity agenda is pushing us to blend our strengths of data collection and analysis, technical expertise, policy acumen and programming, and apply it more judiciously and effectively to fulfil our mandate and to tangibly improve the lives of children still left behind.

The world is faced with the largest refugee crisis of our time. Children suffer a lot on their route from the Middle East to Europe. How is UNICEF handling the crisis so far?

Hundreds of thousands of refugee and migrant children have made their way to Europe and many are still on the move right now. The journey is taking an enormous physical and psychosocial toll on children, who are exhausted, scared and psychologically distressed. Every one of these children is in need of protection and is entitled to the rights guaranteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every country has a duty to protect them.

UNICEF works with governments and partners to improve standards, child protection systems, policies and practices. We are all faced with an unprecedented challenge to provide support because refugees and migrants want to proceed as rapidly as possible to their destination.

Here in Serbia, thanks to generous donations from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO) and the Government of Japan, UNICEF has set up child-friendly spaces and mother-and-baby corners. In these safe places, children can rest, play and receive psychosocial support from qualified professionals who can best understand and respond to their needs, while women can breastfeed their babies in privacy and, if needed, prepare and provide age-appropriate food for their children.

We have also been providing children with appropriate clothing, while hygiene items are made available to mothers. UNICEF also supports the overall strengthening of the capacities of the social welfare system in Serbia to respond to the protection needs of children and families on the move.

According to the press reports, many children come to Europe with no parents or relatives in their company. How worried are you about their future and do you think they need special care and attention?

Unaccompanied and separated children must be prioritised at every step of the way – they need to be identified and interviewed by trained humanitarian protection professionals in order to examine their best interests. Effective guardianship programmes need to be in place for unaccompanied adolescents while their asylum claims are being processed.

This year’s anniversary provides an opportunity for UNICEF to celebrate its previous achievements, examine its present work, and strengthen the pursuit of a future where every child has a fair chance in life

In Serbia, fostering has proven to be a successful approach during the response to the refugee and migrant crisis – social services have been providing protection and placement in foster families for unaccompanied refugee and migrant children. This is better for children than placing them in an institution or detention centre.

What could you say about your cooperation with the government of Serbia when it comes to dealing with refugees travelling through our country? Are you satisfied with the attention and care provided for child refugees in Serbia?

It is thanks to the Government of Serbia – which has authorised UNICEF’s presence in refugee centres and in other sites – that we have been able to respond to the refugee/migrant crisis in the country and assist children and families who are most at risk.

The Government of Serbia, local authorities and the citizens of Serbia have shown great humanity, and have acted in a responsible manner by providing assistance to the refugees in transit.

What is UNICEF’s overall area of work in Serbia? What are the most important programmes UNICEF is implementing?

This year, UNICEF entered a new five-year programme of cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, which sets out specific areas of work. The programme of cooperation has a strong focus on early childhood development and social inclusion of the most vulnerable/marginalised children, and prevention of violence against and amongst children.

Specifically, we work in the areas of health, quality and inclusive education, child protection, monitoring child rights and public advocacy, communication and social mobilisation for child rights.

UNICEF is the only UN agency that is funded from voluntary contributions? You engage individuals and business to support your work? What is the situation in Serbia?

Yes, we are funded from voluntary contributions from governments, government agencies, foundations, the corporate sector and individuals. The role of the private sector in sustainable development is becoming an important dimension of our country programmes.

Our partnerships with Telenor, the Electric Power Industry of Serbia and Nordeus represent good models of how the corporate sector can make important contributions to children and families. We also have alliances with private foundations, such as the Novak Đoković Foundation which is our valuable partner in Serbia.

 

UNICEF has a long tradition of collaboration with celebrities. Several prominent Serbian athletes – Novak Đoković, Saša Đorđević and Ana Ivanović – have been named Ambassadors of UNICEF. How would you estimate their contribution to the mission of the organisation?

It was UNICEF that established the institution of the Goodwill Ambassador back in 1953. The Ambassadors are well-known personalities willing to do their utmost to mobilise support for children among the general public and within their industry.

UNICEF’s role is to ensure that children who are still growing up in poverty and isolation, and who are discriminated against, get a fair chance to be healthy, educated and protected, and to reach their full potential

Ana Ivanović and Aleksandar ‘Saša’ Đorđević are the National Ambassadors for UNICEF in Serbia. They are both excellent advocates for the rights of children, and they selflessly support our work in the country. Novak Đoković has become a Global Ambassador for UNICEF and is now promoting the rights of children around the world, whilst also continuing to support UNICEF in Serbia.

You come from Haiti, a country that has bitter experience of dealing with conflicts and natural disasters. Does that personal background help you better understand the problems UNICEF is dealing with?

My experience in emergency response, and more importantly in disaster risk reduction, goes way back. I have supported UNICEF’s response to emergencies in several countries and continents, including after the earthquakes in Colombia and Haiti, the tsunami in India, droughts and floods in Sub-Saharan Africa, and armed conflicts in several countries. This diverse emergency experience facilitated the UNICEF in Serbia Country Team response to the 2014 floods and the current refugee and migrant crisis. We have extended our expertise to Serbian institutions with whom we are improving the Standard Operating Procedures in several areas in order to strengthen Serbia’s emergency response system.

How do you feel about comments suggesting that the UN and its agencies, including UNICEF, have lost their voice and importance in preventing or solving conflicts?

The United Nations is a platform where the member states interact. It was created for exactly that purpose – to provide a space for all the member states to discuss issues and make decisions. The UN Bureaucracy does not make decisions, but only facilitates the work of member states.
Many conflicts can be prevented or ended if there is a strong willingness of all parties involved. The UN and its Secretary-General facilitate peace agreement processes, promote and encourage dialogue between parties, but at the end of the day, the decision is taken by the Security Council member states. And even when the UN secures a peace agreement, it is up to the signatories to abide by it.

What do you think should be UNICEF’s priorities in the years to come?

Last year, the nations of the world entered a new phase of development underpinned by the Sustainable Development Goals. Not all of them reference children, but all are relevant to children’s lives and give us an opportunity to advance the rights and wellbeing of every child, especially the most disadvantaged.

Related Articles

Finland Tops Global Happiness Index, Serbia Sees Significant Rise

Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with its Nordic neighbors Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden also...

The EU and UNDP allocated 580,000 euros for civil society

The European Union and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have allocated funds for the implementation of 12 initiatives of civil society organizations (CSOs)...

Françoise Jacob, United Nations Resident Coordinator - Serbia

Placing Peace at the Centre

Peace is our most precious possession. As we start 2024, we must recommit to the pursuit of peace in all circumstances ~ Françoise Jacob Just...

Global Unemployment Expected to Rise by Two Million in 2024

The International Labour Organization (ILO), as reported by Reuters, forecasts a rise in global unemployment in 2024, with the rate expected to reach approximately...

Slovenia Becomes Non-Permanent Member of UN Security Council for the Second Time

Starting 1st January Slovenia has become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the second time.  Joining Slovenia among the five...

Historic Climate Pact Signals End of Fossil Fuel Era at COP28

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) concluded with an agreement signalling what's described as the "beginning of the end" of the fossil fuel...

UN Forms Advisory Body to Oversee Artificial Intelligence Management

United Nations General Secretary, Antonio Guterres, has announced the establishment of a 39-member advisory board to address issues surrounding the global governance of Artificial...

United Nations Day Commemorated in Belgrade

United Nations Day, celebrating the ratification of the UN Charter on 24th October 1945, was marked globally. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a poignant...