PROGRAM I – ENVIRONMENAL PROTECTION
Program Objectives:
- Promoting principles and practices that contribute to the protection of the environment and sustainable development and the strengthening of knowledge and skills in this field;
- Developing and promoting the implementation of a responsible public environmental policy;
- Increasing information and public participation in issues related to environmental protection and implementation of the principles of sustainable development;
- Improving the general conditions for environmental protection and supporting the implementation of the National Strategy for the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Goods.
PROGRAM II – HUMAN RIGHTS
Program Objectives:
- Development and improvement of democratic processes, human rights, sensitisation of the society for inclusion of marginalised groups and advocacy for gender equality;
- Empowering of marginalised groups, improvement of their position in the labour market and poverty reduction;
- Promotion of respect, protection and promotion of human rights in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant international instruments in this field;
- Raising awareness of human rights and gender equality;
- Reducing gender-based violence;
- Improvement of the economic position of women and the achievement of gender equality through the promotion of employment and self-employment of women, the development of women’s entrepreneurship, the reduction of economic differences between the sexes;
- Increasing the representation of women in politics and decision-making places.
PROGRAM III – YOUNG PEOPLE
Program Objectives:
- Improving the position of young people and their involvement in decision-making processes, formal and non-formal education and development and promotion of civil society;
- Supporting youth activism as the basis of democratic processes;
- Affirmation of cosmopolitanism and friendship as permanent values;
- Prevention of violence of young people in school and development of mechanisms for controlling violent persons.
MORE OF PROGRAMS:
I ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Current situation:
The needs of preserving natural values and the right to a healthy environment, as one of the basic human rights, that is given insufficient attention. Although there are the increasing environmental degradation due to increased greenhouse gas emissions, inadequate waste management, high use of pesticides, pollution of water and air and similar problems that directly affect climate change, still it is not enough to increase the awareness of the population, and above all the youth, about the importance of environmental protection, the protection of natural values and resources that are abundantly used, and there is a danger of their exhaustion in the near future.
In the Republic of Serbia there is a fairly regulated legal framework related to environmental protection ( List of laws), but the implementation of legislation is not consistent in all areas. Serbia has ratified some of the key international declarations such as the Aarhus Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, but the activities have come to an end. The general public is not sufficiently familiar with the basic provisions of applicable legislation, nor does it know its rights in relation to a healthy environment.
Program Objectives:
- Promoting principles and practices that contribute to the protection of the environment and sustainable development and the strengthening of knowledge and skills in this field;
- Developing and promoting the implementation of a responsible public environmental policy;
- Increasing information and public participation in issues related to environmental protection and implementation of the principles of sustainable development;
- Improving the general conditions for environmental protection and supporting the implementation of the National Strategy for the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Goods.
The program is implemented through the following areas:
- EDUCATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Current situation:
Although most of the population are familiar with the concepts of environmental protection, ecology, energy efficiency and sustainable development, they are little familiar with the right to a healthy environment as basic human right and are not familiar with the importance of preserving and protecting the environment.
In the regular curricula of elementary and secondary schools, education on environmental protection and sustainable development is not, or very modest present, e.g. it appears in some schools as additional classes.
Also, there is no enough information in the media on this topic; there are no thematic broadcasts; and the need for preserving the environment, is discussed sporadically.
Program Objectives:
- Enhancing knowledge on environmental protection and the importance of proper management of municipal and EE waste, the importance of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, climate change and the right to a healthy environment;
- Conducting continuous education for the development of ecological awareness of school children and youth, students, private and public sector, rural and urban population of Nisava region;
- Create opportunities for young people to acquire environmental habits and apply them to their environment.
References:
- “Cooperation on Cross-border Development Project” (2007) in partnership with the “Cluster for Alternative and Social Efficiency – CALE Association” within the framework of the Neighborhood Cooperation Program Bulgaria-Serbia of European Commission
- “Improvement of capacities for the introduction of the ISO-14001 standard’ ‘(2009/2010) under the Neighborhood Cooperation Program Bulgaria-Serbia of European Commission
- “Promoting the Right to a Healthy Environment in Primary Schools” (2012) with the support of the Environmental Protection Fund of the Republic of Serbia
- “What do I know about recycling” (2014) with the support of the Civil Initiative for Employment
- “Change habits – support nature” (2016) with the support of the City of Niš
- SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT
Current situation:
Non-systematic and inadequate waste treatment is one of the biggest problems of environmental policy in Serbia. This situation is primarily the result of the company’s undeveloped attitude towards waste, the lack of understanding of the importance of adequate waste management and the lack of understanding of the positive effects of this process. In Serbia there is a concept by which different types of waste are collected together and the mixed waste is deposited at the landfill. In this way, not only the impossibility or substantial increase in the separation, ie the sorting and recycling (reuse), but also the disruption of material flow control at the landfills. By doing this, space is wasted, the environment is destroyed, threatened by existing natural resources: soil, water and air, and permanently loses the value of degraded substances that are decaying in the mixed mass of waste.
Program Objectives:
- Organising actions, advocacy and awareness raising to create conditions for sustainable waste management that respects the principles of recycling and waste reduction in the Nisava region;
- Improvement of the general conditions for environmental protection and support to the implementation of the Waste Management Strategy Template for the period 2010-2019.
References:
- “Holding a panel discussion and publishing a brochure on the topic” Solid Waste Management” (2005) with the support of the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, the Environmental Protection Administration.
- “Participation of citizens in the process of improvement of public utility hygiene on the territory of the city of Nis” (2006) with the support of the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, Environmental Protection Administration.
- “Be OK! A promotional campaign for the collection of old batteries in primary schools “(2010) with the support of the Environmental Protection Fund of the Republic of Serbia
- “Be OK! Properly postpone EE waste” (2011) with the support of the Ministry of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Serbia
- “Enhancing the environment through selective waste collection in elementary schools in the Nisava region” (2015) with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of the RS
- RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR ALL
Current situation:
In the last ten years, Serbia has begun to think and invest in renewable energy sources. Regardless of campaigns and education about the importance of renewable energy sources and more efficient energy consumption, a large part of citizens do not know, nor apply the principles of efficient energy consumption and energy saving.
The energy potential of renewable energy sources in Serbia is also significant according to experts’ estimates, they can replace almost half of the country’s annual energy requirement. A small part of this potential, however, has been exploited or not used at all when it comes to certain sources of energy such as wind or solar radiation. Coal is the dominant raw material in the production of electricity, and heating is mostly used gas and wood. In Serbia, only hydro-potential and biomass are used to a greater extent from renewable sources.
Program Objectives:
- Raising awareness and promoting the use of renewable energy sources and more efficient use of energy;
- Increasing the number of citizens and institutions using renewable energy technologies and applying the principles of more efficient use of energy.
Reference:
- “Promotion of the right to a healthy environment through water and electricity savings in primary schools” (2011) under the auspices of the City of Niš, the Directorate for Economy, Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection.
List of laws:
- Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste
- Law on Water
- Law on Air Protection
- Law on Environmental Protection
- Law on integrated prevention and control of environmental pollution
- Law on the Confirmation of an Amendment to Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Law on the Confirmation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
- Law on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- Law on the Confirmation of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context
- Law on the ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, with annexes
- Law on the Confirmation of the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment with the Convention on the Assessment in a Transboundary Context
- Law on Cessation of the Law on the Fund for Environmental Protection
- Law on Environmental Impact Assessment
- The Law on the Ratification of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution
- Law on Ratification of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer
- Law on Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment
- Law on Waste Management
- Law on Chemicals