Serbia

Millenium Development Goals in Serbia

At the Millennium Summit held in New York in September 2000, the Republic of Serbia, together with 189 other signatory countries, adopted a Millennium Declaration which specifies basic values on which international relations in the 21st century should be based: liberty, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature and the division of responsibility. The promoted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), arising from the Declaration, include (1) the fight against poverty, (2) ensuring universal primary education, (3) the promotion of gender equality, (4) the reduction of child mortality, (5) the improvement of maternal health, (6) the fight against serious diseases, (7) environmental protection, as well as (8) the building of global partnerships for development.

On the basis of official documents, available strategies, databases, analyses, projects, experts’ experiences and assessments, the national MDG Task Force members, led at that time by National MDG Coordinator appointed from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, have drafted a Review of the Implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals in the Republic of Serbia. The Government of Serbia adopted the Review on May 19, 2005. In September, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations, the UN Secretary General presented this document as a part of the UN Millennium Development Goals Progress Report for 2000-2005. The Review sought to inform the public and to ensure social mobilization, and at the same time to have a role in identifying and linking national, regional and local goals. 

Having in mind that the MDGs needed to be adjusted to specific citizens’ needs and problems, both at a national and at a local level, and that next MDG report to UN Secretary General is due in 2010, the governmental MDG Task Force, supported by the UNDP, started during 2006 preparation of the MDG Monitoring Framework, whereby global targets and indicators, progress against which was assessed in 2005 report, were tailored to the Serbian context and aligned with national priorities and strategies. The Monitoring Framework was adopted by the Serbian Government in March 2007, becoming the official MDG monitoring and evaluation tool for Serbia. It offers a set of goal specific targets and indicators that are to be achieved in Serbia by 2015. UNDP supported the whole process including publishing of the MDG report in both English and Serbian languages.

Following the establishment of the new Government of Serbia in January 2007, the role of the National MDG Coordinator was assumed by the Deputy Prime Minister's (DPM) Office. On the basis of excellent past cooperation, UNDP was asked to continue supporting national MDG agenda, focusing on monitoring and reporting issues, so as to help the Government of Serbia in preparing the 2010 MDG report.