Partnerships are at the core of everything we do to support Serbia on its path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP in Serbia is partnering with the Government of Serbia and local governments, development partners, UN agencies, private sector and civil society - to find, design and implement new and innovative solutions for complex national and global challenges. We are grateful to all our partners for their continued trust and support. 

THE GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA 

Together with the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection we are helping Serbia to accelerate the green transformation of the economy and society, while improving the quality of the environment. Our focus is on improving legislation, decarbonising industry, introducing circular economy principles, improving waste management and reducing environmental pressures such as air pollution. In parallel, we are supporting GHG emission reduction and increasing energy efficiency. Also, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, we are helping Serbia address climate change vulnerabilities and adapt to the effects of climate change.  

Office for IT and eGovernment is our long-standing partner in the digital transformation of Serbian public administration and economy, from Open Data and IT retraining to the establishment of the Data Center, and improvement of public e-services so that they are inclusive and respond to the needs of the citizens and businesses. 

In partnership with the Ministry of Finance we are working on the public finance system reform. Our focus is on ensuring sustainable internal control within key public institutions, increasing transparency in the management of public funds at the local level, and improving cooperation between CSOs and local self-governments. 

Together with the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs we are designing new solutions to tackle one of the greatest challenges in Serbia and the region - depopulation. 

UNDP & UN 

With support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) we are helping the social inclusion of young Roma women and men. Our joint program assists Roma Volunteers to gain new knowledge and skills, in order to find employment and engage in their local communities. 

We are working jointly with UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA to create an environment where women and girls enjoy equality and live without fear of violence. 

Together with UNFPA we are designing a new portfolio of solutions to help Serbia adapt to and manage demographic change. 

With valuable support of WHO and UNICEF, we assisted the Government of the Republic of Serbia to prepare and conduct a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS 

European Union  

The European Union (EU) has been a major partner and supporter of UNDP since 2004, working to boost resilience and recovery from crises in 140 countries worldwide. In Serbia, since early 2000s, UNDP has been combining international expertise with efficient and transparent service provision, supporting various aspects of the country’s development, always guided by the national needs and priorities. Our strong partnership with the EU assisted the Serbian people and institutions during some of the most difficult times, from floods and migration crisis to COVID-19 pandemic. Together we ensured that the country not just recovers but also becomes better equipped and more resilient for the future, ready to embark on the path of Green and Digital transformation, towards sustainable development. In 2024, EU allocated approximately $10,529,746.34 million to support UNDP-led initiatives in Serbia. 

Find out more here. 

United Kingdom  

The United Kingdom has been a long-standing partner of UNDP in supporting the digital transformation of the Serbian government and economy, and in promoting accountability, reconciliation and peace in the Western Balkans following the conflicts of the 1990s.
Thanks to UK support, in 2015, even before digitalization became the government's top priority, UNDP led the National Open Data Initiative. Together, we promoted the opening of public data for re-use and enabled the creation of new digital services tailored to the needs of citizens and businesses.
Building on these achievements, UK provided USD 2,4M for the UNDP initiative “Serbia at your Fingertips - Digital Transformation for Development”, which ran from 2018 to 2021. It proved crucial for a comprehensive digital transformation of the Serbian government and economy, as it was followed by large investments from the Government of Serbia in this field. As a result, UK and UNDP contributed to development of the first eGovernment Development Programme, the establishment of the Government Data Centre, the development of the digital platform for vaccine management during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to the implementation of the text-to-speech tool for the e-government portal and the government website. Since 2019, the UK's support was also critical to the UNDP-led regional and national initiatives to strengthen criminal accountability for war crimes, promote the search for missing persons and the reconciliation process in the region.

Find out more here. 

USAID  

Together with USAID we provided an efficient response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia in the area of health, social and environmental protection, by procuring necessary medical, communications and medical waste management equipment, and by supporting local innovators to develop new solutions to address the health aspect of this crisis quickly and efficiently.  

Sweden  

The partnership between Sweden and UNDP has significantly advanced sustainable development in Serbia by addressing climate resilience, environmental protection, gender-based violence, governance, and migration. Swedish support facilitated innovative efforts to restore wetlands, preserve biodiversity, improve water quality, and mitigate climate impacts like droughts and floods. In parallel, joint initiatives helped women and girls in Serbia to report domestic violence and receive timely and effective protection, developed a professional civil service, and promoted circular migration to counteract depopulation. These efforts underscore a shared commitment to an inclusive and resilient future for Serbia.

Find out more here.

Switzerland 

The long-standing and strong partnership between Switzerland and UNDP in Serbia has contributed to the parliamentary reform, migration management, and acceleration of the green transition in the country. In the early days of cooperation, Switzerland's support has helped improve the Serbian National Assembly's oversight function, transparency, and cross-party dialogue, while enhancing the quality of the legislative process and citizen participation. Later on, Swiss support to the Global Programme on Making Migration Work for Sustainable Development (2019 to 2023), brought insights on the capacity, motivation and readiness of the private sector in Serbia to participate in migration management processes and explore the possibilities of employing foreign workers, as well as to help establish a Diaspora Business Council. In recent years, Switzerland is one of the key partners to UNDP in advancing a sustainable green transformation in Serbia, within the framework of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

Find out more here.

Japan  

The partnership between Japan and UNDP in Serbia is characterised by strong and committed support to people and local communities affected by crises and economic hardship. Following the devastating floods in 2014, Japan provided USD 3.64 million to improve resilience and disaster preparedness in the 27 most affected municipalities in Serbia. Thanks to this support, UNDP was able to improve public utility infrastructure damaged by the floods, repair and improve water supply systems, wastewater treatment and disposal, and rehabilitate landslides. Together, we helped improve safety for 1.3 million people in these communities. Later, in response to the 2015 migrant crisis, Japan provided USD 1.1 million to support municipal coordination and service delivery in local communities that experienced a large influx of migrants and refugees. Thanks to this support, UNDP helped strengthen local institutions and service delivery and maintain community cohesion. For example, local roads and public buildings such as schools and primary health care facilities have been renovated to ensure that both the local and incoming population benefit from improved healthcare services at the local level. In recent years, Japan has been one of UNDP's key partners in promoting a just green transition in Serbia, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Find out more here.

Germany  

Thanks to the German Government, UNDP is able to come up with innovative solutions to complex development challenges, through the work of our Accelerator Lab that was among the first ones to be established, as part of the global network of 91 unique labs of this kind, launched by UNDP throughout the world. Germany also helped us support innovative Serbian companies to offer locally sourced solutions for responding to Covid-19 crisis.  

With the support of the German Government UNDP also contributes to improving the quality of police investigations in Serbia, in accordance with international standards. We are organizing trainings and providing equipment for crime scene investigations and forensic and ballistic examination.

Austria  

With support of the Austrian Government, we helped the Government of Serbia to successfully cope with the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic. This initiative increased the capacities of Serbia’s healthcare sector to respond to the health emergency by producing much needed protective and treatment equipment, namely the mechanical ventilators.   

Slovakia   

The partnership between the Slovak Republic and UNDP in Serbia focuses on sustainable local development, increasing the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. With Slovak support, UNDP helped 15 municipalities in Serbia to adopt local development plans that are in line with national strategies and SDG targets. We have also piloted a new model for inter-municipal cooperation in the joint management of shared natural resources. Thanks to Slovak regional funding, UNDP developed studies to help 13 local self-governments that applied for technical support, to improve biowaste management by conducting economic, environmental and social assessments of the potential for biogas production from biowaste. Additionally, we provided technical and economic analysis of the biomass supply chain for heat and power generation at the wastewater treatment cogeneration plant, for a municipality that plans to construct a local wastewater treatment facility. In the area of energy efficiency, following the request of national authorities, and with Slovak funding, UNDP developed studies for reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions in public buildings. For example, a feasibility study for 53 outdated school buildings proposed investment measures that would reduce energy consumption by about 68%. With the support of the Slovak Republic, UNDP is also exploring the potential for the use of geothermal energy in public buildings in Serbia.

Find out more here.    

Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) 

With the support of GEF and GCF, we are assisting the Government of Serbia to comply with the requirements of multilateral environmental agreements-MEAs (such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change-UNFCCC, UN Convention on Biological Diversity-UNCBD and UN Convention to Combat Desertification-UNCCD). We are assisting the Government to plan policies, report on MEAs and implement them in practice. By blending GEF and GCF funds with Government financing, international finance institutions’ and commercial borrowings, we are able to identify, accelerate implementation and secure co-financing for innovative solutions for green transformation and decarbonization of the economy and society.   

PRIVATE AND CIVIL SECTOR  

UNDP in Serbia is partnering with the private sector to pilot, develop and scale-up innovative solutions that contribute to solving development challenges, such as eradicating hunger and poverty, increasing responsible use of resources, fostering circular economy, reducing pollution and harmful emissions of greenhouse gases.   

Through various initiatives we support the civil sector in Serbia to work closer with national and local authorities and provide necessary services to the citizens, especially those from vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities and women survivors of violence. In parallel, UNDP works with civil sector organizations to engage youth and create a circular and more sustainable future for Serbia.