Kraljevo, 6 March 2008 - In the presence of the Mayor of the Municipality of Kraljevo Mr. Milos Babic and the Municipal Manager Mr. Zvonko Tufegdzic, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF and the World Health Organization WHO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to mutually collaborate and jointly implement the project of “Sustainable upgrading and inclusion of the Roma community living in the settlement Grdicka Kosa 2” in Kraljevo. The day concluded with a visit to the Roma settlement, hosted by representatives of the local Roma community, with the participation of high level Municipal Officials and the International Organizations’ Representatives.

The official ceremony has taken place in Kraljevo Municipality and was attended by the Head for UN-HABITAT in Serbia Ms. Ligia Ramirez, the Representative of UNICEF in Serbia Ms. Judita Reichenberg, and the Head of WHO in Serbia Ms. Dorit Nitzan, who illustrated the activities to be implemented through the joint programme targeting the local Roma community living in the Grdicka Kosa 2 settlement, and signed the interagency agreement of collaboration. Among the participants, the director of the Kraljevo PC Municipal Housing Agency “OSA” Mr. Zoran Djurovic, UNICEF local partners, members of the team for development of the Local Plan of Actions for Children and WHO local partners.

The three Organizations agreed to collaborate and implement joint activities, each within its own mandate, with an integrated and participatory approach, including i) technical assistance for the improvement of living conditions, including housing, water and sanitation and basic infrastructures, ii) trainings on community strengthening, participation, decision making targeting the local community, iii) programmes on parental practices and preschool education, iv) support the establishment of the community DEC, v) trainings and capacity building activities on health care related issues, vi) health promotion programmes, and others.

UN-HABITAT, within the framework of the Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme SIRP financed by the Government of Italy, together with the Municipality of Kraljevo and the Public Company “OSA” Municipal Housing Agency Kraljevo, are currently implementing the project “Sustainable improvement and regularization of the Roma settlement Grdicka Kosa 2 in Kraljevo”, being the general objective of the project to support the inclusion of the Roma community of the Grdicka Kosa 2 settlement into the Kraljevo city structure through the improvement of basic services and housing and the regularization of the settlement, as prioritized in the Municipal Housing Strategy adopted in March 2007.

UNICEF is presently assisting the Municipality of Kraljevo to develop the Local Plan of Action (LPA) for children, as part of the overall municipal strategy of sustainable development, in order to reduce discrimination, enhance equal opportunities, improve access and increase efficiency and quality of public services for all children in the field of health, education, social, legal and judicial protection, information, and culture. The LPA gives priority to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and individuals who are not properly covered or are totally excluded from social services, Roma being one of them. UNICEF supports the inclusion of Roma through Development Education Centers (DEC) i.e. by organizing specialized programs for early childhood development and primary school age children.

WHO is working with the Ministry of Health to highlight the need for improved access to health care for vulnerable groups. WHO will work through the local health authorities in this programme to develop sustainable responses and improvements. WHO has experience in working with Roma communities in Serbia and together with the health structures, will provide health promotion activities and a review of health accessibility for the development of improved uptake of services by the Roma community of the Grdicka Kosa 2 in Kraljevo.

The day concluded with a visit to the Roma settlement, which saw the participation of high level Municipal Officials and the International Organizations’ Representatives, and it was hosted by representatives of the local Roma community involved in the implementation of the project of “Sustainable improvement and regularization of the Roma settlement Grdicka Kosa 2 in Kraljevo” carried out by the PC Municipal Housing Agency “OSA” with the financial support and technical assistance of UN-HABITAT.

On January 15 and 16, 2008, the first city non-profit rental apartments, built within the SIRP Programme, were ceremonially delivered in Pancevo and Kragujevac. City owned apartments were built and will be managed by the City/Municipal Housing Agency. The ceremony of key-delivery for 76 apartments in Pancevo, in the settlement Streliste, was held in the presence of Vice President of Serbian Government, Mr. Bozidar Djelic; HE Ambassador of Italy, Mr. Alessandro Merola; UN-HABITAT Programme Coordinator, Mr. Jean-Yves Barcelo; UNHCR Representative in Serbia, Mr. Lennart Kotsalainen. Host of the event was Municipality of Pancevo, represented by the Mayor, Mr. Srdjan Mikovic, and Pancevo Municipal Housing Agency. In Kragujevac, 59 out of total number of 76 families settled in their new homes, the newly built apartments for social housing. In the presence of future owners, the apartments were ceremonially delivered by the Italian Ambassador, State Secretary Milan Miljevic, UN-HABITAT and UNHCR representatives, Mayor of Kragujevac, Mr. Veroljub Stevanovic and Director of City Housing Agency, Mr. Vladan Mihajilovic. Completion of construction and moving in the remaining 17 apartments is planned for March 2008.

Belgrade, 8 November 2007 - UN-HABITAT, UNICEF and UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) Offices in Serbia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, have jointly organised the Round Table “Facing Juvenile delinquency in Serbia – Open dialogue between central and local institutions”. The conference was organized within the UN week calendar of events, with social inclusion as the overall topic.

Representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Section for Prevention and Repression of Juvenile Delinquency, and representatives of the Police Departments of the cities of Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš, shared their experiences with UN-HABITAT SIRP partners from Valjevo, Cacak, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Nis and Pancevo, who have presented their ongoing activities and in particular the process of formulation of Municipal Urban Safety Strategies. Representatives of Municipal Safety Boards, Centres for Social Welfare, District Prosecution Offices, Courts of Law and the Valjevo Penitentiary Institution, took active part in the presentations and the following discussion, highlighting main issues and concerns at local level related to urban safety and security, with a focus on juvenile delinquency and substance abuse prevention.

During 2006 and 2007, the Municipalities of Valjevo, Cacak, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Nis and Pancevo, with the technical support of UN-HABITAT and the Safer Cities Global Programme, have formulated the Local Safety Appraisals, documents which represent the instrument to determine the extent of crime in the city, its manifestations, causes, impact on society and the public perceptions. This document is the basis for the formulation of the Municipal Urban Safety Strategies, currently being drafted.

The Round Table represented a good opportunity for constructive dialogue on the relevant theme of juvenile delinquency, substance abuse prevention, and safety and security in our cities and living environments. During the final session participants jointly identified and defined recommendations for further steps to undertake and strengthen collaboration, in the effort to make our communities better and safer. The objective of the Round Table was fully achieved, opening the space for new collaborations and joint initiatives.

Nis, 8 November 2007 - UN-HABITAT has been awarded two prizes at the 16th edition of the Serbian Salon of Urbanism.

Together with the Municipalities of Cacak, Kraljevo, Nis, Valjevo and Kragujevac, UN-HABITAT has received the First Prize for the realization of Municipal Territorial Information Systems Pilot Projects in the category of “Application of Information Technologies to Planning”. UN-HABITAT, within the framework of the SIRP Programme, is supporting the five Municipalities to develop and upgrade their Municipal Territorial Information Systems as tools to support the planning process and manage the development of the territory. Each Municipality has presented the work in progress up to now and the achievements reached in terms of development of integrated geodatabases, quality and innovation of information and integrated data, restitution through graphic aid such as integrated and interactive maps and graphs. The award was collected by representatives of all the Departments and Public agencies represented in each Municipal Working Group.

The other award was jointly received by the Mayor of the City of Nis and the Head of UN-HABITAT Office in Belgrade for the formulation process of the Nis Development Strategy, in the category “Research and Studies”. The City of Nis Development Strategy has been recently approved by the City Development Council and is undergoing procedures for adoption by the City Assembly. The document, in compliance with most recent EU experiences, has been formulated during a six months participated process, with the Technical Assistance of UN-HABITAT and the full involvement of the City of Nis, its administration and its community.

The Salon of Urbanism in Serbia is traditionally held on the World Day of Urbanism, the 8th of November, gathering town planners and urbanism enthusiasts from Serbia and from the Region. Since 1991, when the First Salon of Urbanism was opened in Nis, until the 16th International Salon of Urbanism held this year, Nis was selected by the Serbian Town Planners Association as traditional host and organizer of this important regional event of town planners. The Salon is the event where visions are being reflected, the place where the impacts of innovative approaches to urban and territorial planning are being verified. This year gathering, which main theme was ''Urban challenges”, presented to the widest public the recent achievements in the sphere of urban and spatial planning, as well as innovations in the sphere of local and regional development strategic planning.

Belgrade, 5 October 2007 – UN-HABITAT, in collaboration with the Department for Planning and Management of the Territory of the Province of Prato in Italy, has organized a one day national workshop to present the work in progress of Territorial Info Sys Working Groups from the Municipalities of Cacak, Kraljevo, Valjevo, Kragujevac and Nis.

In the presence of the Director of the Italian Cooperation in Belgrade, the Ministry for Public Administration and Local Self Government and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia, and the valuable participation of Carla Chiodini and Daniele Mazzotta from the Province of Prato, municipal working groups identified steps forward in the implementation of Municipal Territorial Information Systems and towards the sustainability of the enthusiastic and quality work developed so far.

The collaboration between UN-HABITAT and the Province of Prato in Italy, has been consolidated by the signature of a Framework of Cooperation by the President of the Province Massimo Logli and the Head of UN-HABITAT Belgrade Office, on the occasion of the manifestation Pratosophia held in Prato last January 2007.

Read more on UN-HABITAT – Province of Prato collaboration

Read more on Territorial Information Systems and UN-HABITAT approach

27 September-4 October 2007 – The ten days celebrations of the World Habitat Day A Safe City is a Just City in Serbia have seen wide participation and enthusiasm from the side of all UN-HABITAT local partners, including Municipal Authorities, Local Safety Boards, Police Departments, Housing Agencies, as well as schools, headmasters, teachers and students, and the local communities in Valjevo, Cacak and Kraljevo.

The city of Nis is getting ready to celebrate the WHD 07 with the organization of a round table to promote local safety and to raise the awareness of the many aspects of safety on the local level: economic security, poverty, health and environment protection, personal and political safety. Each citizen as an individual and/or professional is responsible to active improvement of local safety.

Valjevo celebrated WHD first in a primary school on Thursday, September 27th. Traffic Police Officers made a practical exercise in the school yard for pupils (1st grade) on traffic regulations and codes (how to cross the street, how to act on the way from the home to the school and vice-versa, etc). Celebration was continued in the Secondary School of Economics with presence of approximately 240 pupils. Police Officers made a presentation on the harm that can be caused by drug abuse and they have also presented a short movie (half hour).

Čačak celebrated WHD on Sunday, September 30th and organised celebration within the “Stop drugs – Čačak Safer City” pilot initiative activities. They have organised the Sports Tournament – Football game “We are all winners” and extreme sports exhibition. You can find more pictures and info about this event on the following internet site http://www.srbijasport.com/ which supported Čačak Pilot initiative as official internet media partner (or just follow the link on the right side “BACI KOSKU”).

Kraljevo had a four-day celebration starting from October 1st, where first three days were dedicated to the dialog between pupils from Kraljevo primary schools and citizens with Police Department and Officers – “Safe together – open space for dialogue between the community and police”. During first day, Police Department organised the exhibition on the City Square and invited pupils from all primary schools. It was open event for all citizens of Kraljevo Municipality. One primary school and its pupils prepared drawings and paper works with the subject “My friend – Police Officer” and invited Police Officers to be their guests. Best drawing and paper work were awarded with appropriate gifts. Third day, pupils from Kraljevo primary schools had the opportunity to visit Kraljevo Police Department, see short movie on their work and visit Officers in their working environment. Award Ceremony and Exhibition of projects of the Open Urbanistic and Architectural competition for the Upgrading of the Roma Settlement “Grdicka Kosa 2” in Kraljevo was organised yesterday by the Municipality of Kraljevo and Municipal Housing Agency. Ceremony was opened by Mr. Nenad Mitrović, representative of the Roma settlement and in the presence of Municipal Manager, MHA Director, members of the working team and UN-HABITAT SIRP representatives.

You can also follow the link to the PHOTOGALLERY to view some of the images of the events.

Belgrade, 12 September 2007 - Results of the Urbanistic and Architectural competition for Upgrading of the Roma Settlement “Grdicka Kosa 2” in Kraljevo have been announced on the National Newspaper Politika on September 4th and reported herewith.

The exhibition of all entries will be organized in Kraljevo as one of the events that will mark the celebration of the World Habitat Day in Serbia this year.

1st prize winner
Authors: Tamara Petrovic Komlenic and Milos Komlenic, architect, Author’s code: 122333,

2nd prize winner
Authors: Tijana Aksentijevic-Adamovic, Sladjana Saric and Marica Mijajlovic, Author’s code: 681236

3rd prize winner
Authors: Miroslav Krstonosic, Sofija Petakovic, Vladimir Savcic, Author’s code: 696969

Belgrade, 11 September 2007 – UN-HABITAT SIRP Programme and its partners will be organizing a series of events to mark this year World Habitat Day on October 1st.

Every year, the first Monday of October has been designated by the United Nations as the World Habitat Day, to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. This year, the theme of the occasion is A safe city is a just city, focusing on the mounting threats to urban safety and social justice, particularly urban crime and violence, forced eviction and insecurity of tenure, as well as natural and human-made disasters.

Main focus of this year celebrations in Serbia will be on Urban Safety and Security of Tenure, raising awareness on significant themes for the youth, the most vulnerable and our communities in general.

From Holland to Mexico, from India to Israel, many cities in countries across the world will be celebrating World Habitat Day. A list of countries and partner activities is available on www.unhabitat.org

Celebrating World Habitat Day 2007 in Serbia

Program

Belgrade, 2 August 2007 - Awarded projects of the Urbanistic and Architectural Competition for the Upgrading of the Roma Settlement “Grdicka Kosa 2” in Kraljevo will be announced in four weeks.

Nis, 19 July 2007 – The City of Nis has organized a public presentation of the draft document of the City of Nis Development Strategy. The draft strategic document is the result of a six month long process which saw the engagement of the citizens of the City of Nis, including the Mayor and his office, representatives of the City Assembly, the Development Council, city administration and public companies, chamber of commerce, finance and bank sector, SMEs, NGOs, trade unions, minority associations, students’ parliament, experts, professionals and practitioners, academicians and religious leaders.

The process of formulation of the City of Nis Development Strategy has been carried out with the support of UN-HABITAT SIRP Programme, and the technical assistance of Ervet the specialized development agency of the Emilia Romagna Region in Italy.

In the presence of the Head of Italian Cooperation Office in Belgrade, Ms. Anna Zambrano, the event has been chaired by the Mayor of Nis Mr. Smiljko Kostic who made an introductory presentation of the strategic document, highlighting the importance of such a strategic document and expressing his appreciation to all citizens, regardless of their occupation, political affiliation, age group ,etc, who participated to the formulation process contributing to the definition of the vision of the future development of the City of Nis: a “crossroad and meeting point for people, ideas, culture and tradition; regional economy, university, sport and tourism leader; center of sustainable development where high quality of life for all citizens in achieved”.

Following the presentations of the main steps of the formulation process by UN-HABITAT SIRP, and the applied methodology by Ervet, the team of local experts engaged for the project by the City of Nis, presented the contents of the Draft Strategic Document.

The Head of the Department for Economy, Sustainable development and Environmental Protection explained the procedures for the adoption of the Strategy and that comments to document will be collected by the City of Nis who will finalize the Strategy for the adoption by the City Assembly

The Draft Document in Serbian language of the City of Nis Development Strategy can be downloaded from the City of Nis official web site www.nis.org.yu.

During the presentation of the draft Document, the second issue of the Newsletter of the Nis Development Strategy was distributed.

More info on the City of Nis Development Strategy

Nis, 5-6-7 June 2007 - Three-day workshop held in Nis on June 5- 7th resulted in formulation of the City’s Integrated Vision and elaboration of the Development Strategy Framework with the lists of General and Specific Objectives and related Lines of Action

Nis, June 5-7th - A crucial milestone in formulation of the City of Nis Development Strategy has been passed on a three-day workshop organized and held in Nis on June 5th-7th, when the Nis Development Council, the Nis Working Group and the Nis Expert Team, supported by the UN-HABITAT/SIRP Task Force team and the 6-member strong experts’ team from Italy’s Emilia Romagna ERVET Development Agency, have formulated the City of Nis Integrated Vision and have elaborated the Development Strategy Framework containing the list of General and Specific Objectives and the list of respective Action lines.

The three-day workshop sessions begun on June the 5th with the Technical Session held in Nis Regional Training Centre, with local participation of the Nis Development Council and the Nis Working Group members, and with the aim of producing the draft lists of General and Specific Objectives.

The work has continued the next day with the Creative Session in the Nis Cultural Centre, where the groups, joined by scores of stakeholders, including those who have participated in the recent round tables organized at the Regional Chamber of Commerce and at the University of Nis, worked with extreme concentration and enthusiasm and, in an extraordinary atmosphere of creativeness and cooperation, where the power of collective thinking and the real sense of the word participation were tangible, produced at the end of the day,  the City of Nis Integrated Vision.

The Creative Session  was followed also by  junior experts from Cooperazione Italiana, who, at the end of the working day, weren’t shy to express their commends and satisfaction both with the proceedings and the results of the whole workday.

The Third Day, apart from being a technical session, dedicated to the fine tuning of the results from the previous two working days, had a special treat: the Head of UN-HABITAT Office in Belgrade presented and delivered appropriate prizes to the three winning stories, selected by the groups out of the 120 collected, and to the three awarded children, who participated at the “My Desired Future City” open drawing competition, held in Nis on May the 30th. The awardees, their stories and their drawings were greeted with laud and long applauses by all of the working-day participants. The three drawing competition winners were chosen among the dozens of other children, who participated in the competition, during a voting session held on the second day workshop, on June the 6th.  

On May the 30th, parallel to the children competition in drawing, UN-HABITAT was reaching out to the citizens of Nis, explaining them what was going on in Nis in the recent months and how much a development strategy is important to the City, and asking them to participate in the process by providing them with the opportunity to answer to the questionnaire “What is Nis when it is at its best?”.  The citizens have showed an overwhelming interest in participating in the process and over 120 questionnaires were collected within just a few hours. The three awarded answerers to the questionnaire will also get a chance to see their stories being published in the next Nis Development Strategy Newsletter, and on the website.

more information on City of Nis Development Strategy

see photogallery [coming soon]

Nis, 30 May 2007 - On Wednesday and Thursday, 30th and 31st May, the City of Nis, Children cultural and educational center and Regional Center for talents, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT SIRP, is organizing the “Our Nis – a day for glancing into the city’s future”, a special day with a series of open events in the City Centre dedicated to the citizens and children of Nis, to gather and share views and ideas on the desired future of our City and disseminate information to citizens on the ongoing process of formulation of the City of Nis Development Strategy.

Scheduled events:
Children Drawing Competition “My desired future city”
Open to children of Nis; stationeries will be provided; ice cream for all participants
Time: from 18:00                       
Venue: Trg Kralja Milana, plateau in front oh the Hotel Ambassador

Street stall
Open space for gathering and sharing ides and visions for the desirable city future and information stand on the process of formulating the City of Nis Development Strategy
Time: from 17:00                       
Venue: Trg Kralja Milana, pedestrian zone

Help plan the future of our city
A day to share your ideas and vision of the desirable future of Nis

The events are organized as part of the process of formulation of the City of Nis Development Strategy that the City of Nis is implementing with the support of UN-HABITAT Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme SIRP financed by the government of Italy, and ERVET the specialized development agency of the Emilia Romagna Region in Italy.
The process of formulation of the City Development Strategy has started in January 2007, with the establishment of the Development Council, headed by the Mayor and formed by representatives of the City Assembly, the 5 Municipalities of Nis and local NGOs.
The planning process sees the involvement and participation of a wide group of stakeholders, including public companies, SMEs and banks, trade unions and professional associations, minority associations, NGOs, cultural and sports clubs, community groups and associations, individuals, intellectuals, and religious leaders.
Defining a shared vision of the future development of the City is the main step of the planning process to which the entire community is called to participate.

28 May 2007 – The Municipal Housing Agency of Kraljevo, in cooperation with Association of Architects of Serbia, within the framework of the "Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme" SIRP implemented by UN-HABITAT, in coordination with the Ministry of Infrastructure and financed by Government of Italy announces the Open Urbanistic and Architectural Competition for the Upgrading of the Roma Settlement “Grdicka Kosa 2” in Kraljevo.

The general objective of the competition is to provide a project that will be used, in part or as a whole, for the preparation and adoption of the inclusive and integrated Programme for the Plan and the Detailed Regulation Plan of the “Grdicka Kosa 2” Roma Settlement in Kraljevo.

Specific objectives of the competition are:

• to define the land use and other urban elements of the Roma settlement's surrounding aiming to its inclusion and integration into the wider socio-economic and spatial system of the city;

• to define the urban plan of the ‘Grdicka kosa 2’ Roma settlement, contributing to the integrated improvement and development of the settlement, in the definition of land use definition - housing areas, public areas and other - regularization of traffic and infrastructure network;

• to define architectural models of house+yard improvement and by that contribute to better housing conditions with respect of environmental and cultural conditions.

The Competition aims to promote innovation in urban and architectural projects and solutions for the integrated Upgrading of the Roma Settlement “Grdicka Kosa 2”, which will introduce and include participatory methods and processes to ensure quality and sustainability of concrete interventions and their implementation.

The competition is announced in accordance with the Regulations of Association of Architects on Open Competition in the field of Architecture and Urbanism. All legal entities and individuals with appropriate professional qualifications and students of architecture from the territory of Serbia who had officially obtained the original competition documentation are entitled to participate in the competition.

Upon presenting evidence of payment of 1.050,00 RSD to the account of Association of Architects of Belgrade, number 355-1015085-91 , with an indication “competition for Roma settlement in Kraljevo”, competition applicants may obtain competition documentation in the offices of Municipal Housing Agency Kraljevo, Cara Lazara 84a, office 13, every working day from 8.00 to 14.00, and in the offices of Association of Architects of Serbia, Kneza Milosa 7/3, Belgrade, every working day from 9.00 to 14.00.

The works submitted will be examined by the Jury composed by:

• Miodrag Ralevic, Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia

• Ljuan Koka , Secretariat for National Strategy for Roma, Department for Human and Minority

• Natasa Danilovic Hristic, Association of Architects of Serbia

• Nenad Mitrovic, member of the settlement ‘Grdicka kosa 2', Kraljevo

• Mirko Miladinovic, Kraljevo Municipality

• Zoran Djurovic , Municipal Housing Agency ‘Kraljevo'

• Ligia Ramirez , UN-HABITAT, SIRP

The Jury will establish a rank order for the three works, awarded prize are:

Awarded candidates will be invited to participate in the process of preparation of the Programme for the Plan and the Detailed Regulation Plan.

Awarded projects will be compiled and published by UN-HABITAT. The competition starts on Monday, 28 May 2007 and ends by submission of works at Tuesday, 17 July 2007 until 14:00 . On Friday, 8 June 2007 a visit to the settlement will be organized for interested competition participants. For all additional information, call 036/232 200 and 011/344 92 00.

Full list of documents that can be downloaded

Prato – Modena, 25-31 January 2007

A delegation from Serbian Municipalities and Cities, partners of the SIRP Programme, has been visiting the Department of Planning and Territorial Management of the Italian Province of Prato and the Department for Information Systems of the Municipality of Modena.
Members of the Municipal working groups which will implement a TIS Pilot Project in Kragujevac, Nis, Pancevo, Valjevo, Kraljevo and Cacak, enthusiastically participated to the study tour on Territorial Information Systems TIS organized by SIRP, as part of the programme capacity building activities carried out through the transfer of know-hows and good practices from the European context.

Technicians and municipal officers and councilors from Serbia took the opportunity to exchange experiences and gain useful technical and methodological know-hows from their Italian colleagues.
The program of the study tour included the participation to the manifestation “Pratosophia 07: geographic information, valorization of resources and management of the territory” organized by the Province of Prato from 25 to 27 January.

During the three-day conference, several experiences and pilot projects from Italian Provinces have been presented and confronted, animating round tables and debates on future perspectives for the development of the territory and the use of information systems as a tool for territorial strategic, participatory and sectoral planning.

The collaboration between the Serbian and the Italian local administrations and their technical offices and departments will be actively supported by the Programme SIRP throughout follow up activities related to the implementation of Municipal TIS Pilot projects.

Serbian Municipal participants have now the important role of bridging with their colleagues in each municipality and tailoring the acquired knowledge to the local context in the first steps of development of their Municipal Territorial Information Systems. They are called to be pioneers in Serbia.

Prato, 25 January 2007

UN-HABITAT and the Province of Prato in Italy signed a Framework of Cooperation to consolidate their collaboration in supporting SIRP Municipal partners to upgrade their Territorial Information Systems through the development of pilot TIS Projects in each Municipality. The Province of Prato will provide technical assistance to municipal working groups bringing its experience and transferring know-hows on methodological and technical aspects of the developmnt of Municipal Info Sys.
The signature of the Framework of Cooperation marked the opening of the manifestation “Pratosophia 07: geographic information, valorization of resources and management of the territory” organized by the Province of Prato from 25 to 27 January.

On the first day of the three-day conference, the President of the Province of Prato, Mr. Massimo Logli, the Provincial councilor for the government of the territory, Ms. Nadia Baronti, the Head of the Italian Cooperation Local Technical Unit in Belgrade, Ms. Anna Zambrano, and SIRP Programme Chief Technical Advisor, Ms. Ligia Ramirez, intervened during the round table emphasizing the importance of decentralized cooperation, networking and building partnerships between Italian and Serbian local authorities.

Zaragoza, 2-4 November 2006

UN-HABITAT SIRP Safer Cities team has traveled to Zaragoza, Spain, to participate in the International Conference entitled “Security, Democracy and Cities”, organized by the European Forum for Urban Security (FESU) and the City of Zaragoza from November 2 to November 4, 2006.
More than 1000 participants, coming from more than 300 cities, that is, from 40 countries, took part in this conference.
The delegation from Serbia consisted of Mr. Radomir Stevanović, Advisor to the Mayor of Valjevo; Ms. Evica Erac, Social Worker in Kraljevo; Mr. Zoran Albijanić, Director of the Social Welfare Center in Pančevo; Ms. Svetlana Tanasijević, Local Self-Governance Kragujevac; Mr. Mirko Levajac, President of the Security Council in Čačak.

During the three-day conference, participants had the opportunity to hear presentations of professionals working in the area of Urban Security in countries worldwide. Topics covered included: Youth Facing Violence, Public Spaces, Urban Planning and Security, Police and Communities, Public-Private Partnership, Trafficking and Organized Crime etc. SIRP Safer Cities Team members also used this opportunity to establish cooperation with several cities like Antwerp, Belgium. This will be of great importance for all team members, allowing them to see and possibly use some of the examples of good practice.
SIRP Safer Cities team also met with Laura Patrella, Coordinator and Cecilia Andersson, both from the Safer Cities Programme. They spent time consulting and understanding the global meaning of the Safer Cities, becoming more familiar with its activities worldwide and discussing planned and future activities in Serbia.

The conference was concluded with the adoption of the Zaragoza Manifesto on Urban Security, a document aimed to serve as a set of guidelines for the EU and other interested countries in the development of local strategies and action plans for addressing urban security and safety and crime prevention issues.

Novi Sad, 8 November 2006

During the 15th edition of the Salon of Urbanism in Serbia, held in Novi Sad, SIRP has been awarded the 1st prize in the category “Competitions” for the series of “Competitions for Concept Architectural Design for Social Housing” organized by Municipal Housing Agencies and relevant Municipal Departments in Čačak, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Niš, Pančevo, Stara Pazova and Valjevo.

In the course of 2005 and 2006, Municipal Housing Agencies in Čačak, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Niš, Pančevo, Stara Pazova and Valjevo, in cooperation with the Association of Architects of Serbia, carried out competitions for architectural and urban design for social housing. The competitions were realized within the Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme – SIRP, implemented by UN-HABITAT in cooperation with the Ministry for Capital Investments, and financed by the Government of Italy. 130 works were submitted for the competitions and six first prizes, eight second prizes, eight third prizes and four special prizes were awarded in seven cities/municipalities.

The overall aim of the competition was to promote innovative and diverse approaches to the design and construction of social housing solutions, based on European best practice. Social housing, as defined in the draft Social Housing Law, is housing provided through the support of the state for households that are unable to afford an apartment under market conditions for social, economic or other reasons.

Even though the sites are all different in size, surroundings and capacities, special attention was paid to the arrangement and disposition of open spaces in each municipality. The formation of common spaces, areas for children to play and for different generations to gather, piazzettas and small green areas, intended for future residents, which will at the same time contribute to the social cohesion of new and old residents, was treated as one of the special priorities in evaluating the entries. 

Belgrade, 6 October

In Serbia, UN-HABITAT SIRP Programme, together with its local partners, has organized a series of events to mark the World Habitat Day 2006. The month-long activities began on 15 September and ended on 10 October.

The activities included children's drawing competitions organized by UN-HABITAT and its partners during the month of September on the theme “My neighborhood, in my eyes, under my feet and in my dreams” in Belgrade, Kraljevo, Cacak, Pancevo, Nis and Valjevo, together with Local Authorities, Municipal Housing Agencies, Local Elementary Schools and the Belgrade Association of Architects. Children participating in the drawing competitions were called to think about their neighbourhood, what they like about it, what they would like to see in it, and to think about their new neighbours, future tenants of the housing units which will be delivered in each municipality by the SIRP Programme, financed by the Government of Italy. Through their drawings, children expressed their welcome to their new friends, as a first step towards successful integration in their new community.

UN-HABITAT, the Faculty of Architecture of Belgrade and the Belgrade Association of Architects organized architecture workshops and city walks with secondary school children and students of architecture focused on the theme “Belgrade, a city magnet of hope”, in which students were called to develop multimedia projects on their own city and living environment.

During the first week of October, UN-HABITAT Belgrade and the Association of Architects of Belgrade planned a one-week-long programme of activities including a series of talks stimulating active debate on social housing and territorial development of cities in Serbia, which saw the participation of professionals and practitioners in the field of urban planning and architecture, social housing experts, professors and students, representatives of the central government and local authorities.

The programme saw its conclusion on Friday October 6th. In the evening, the exhibition “World Habitat Day 2006 in Serbian Cities, magnets of hope”, organized jointly by UN-HABITAT and the Belgrade Association of Architects, was opened by the Minister for Capital Investments, Mr. Velimir Ilic, the Counselor of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade, Mr. Lo Cascio and the Head of UN-HABITAT in Belgrade, Ms. Ligia Ramirez.
The participation of all award winning students, their families and school teachers from SIRP Municipalities, namely Valjevo, Kraljevo, Nis, Cacak and Pancevo, and from Belgrade, was enthusiastic and the presence of the mayors of selected Local Self-governments, representatives of Municipal Housing Agencies, professors of the Belgrade Faculty of Architecture, professionals in the field of architecture, urban planning and development demonstrated appreciation and support to the young people who are active players in shaping the future of their cities and neighborhoods.

The exhibition displayed the works that had been selected and awarded the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of children's drawing competitions organized by UN-HABITAT and its partners during the month of September.
A special multimedia section was dedicated to the works produced by the students of the III Gymnasium of Belgrade during a two-day workshop held by UN-HABITAT and professors of the Faculty of Architecture on the topic of “Belgrade – a city magnet of hope”.

A specially appointed jury formed by the Minister for Capital Investments, Mr. Ilic, the Counselor of the Italian Embassy in Belgrade, Mr. Lo Cascio, Head of LTU Cooperazione Italiana, Ms. Anna Zambrano, the President of the Belgrade Association of Architects, Ms. Jelena Jovanovic-Vojvodic, and representatives from each Municipality, awarded the special first prize “best among the best drawings” to  Maja Vranjkovic from Pancevo Elementary School and the first prize “best among the best multimedia works” to Irena Ristic and Bojana Ristic from the III Belgrade Gymnasium.

Download full PROGRAMME of WHD activities held in September and October:

PROGRAMME of WHD in English [110KB]

PROGRAMME of WHD in Serbian [130KB]


Download LEAFLET with Poster and Programme:

LEAFLET in English [4.4MB]

LEAFLET in Serbian [4.3MB]

[ Go to the ‘WORLD HABITAT DAY 2006 in Serbia’ PHOTOGALLERY ]

[ Download the VIDEO CLIP on the Drawing Competitions in Valjevo, Cacak, Pancevo, Kraljevo, Nis ]
(coming soon)

2 October 2006

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

The theme of this year’s World Habitat Day on Monday 2 October 2006 is Cities, magnets of hope. This theme, chosen by the United Nations, is to remind all of us that the world is witnessing the greatest migration in its history of people into towns and cities.

UN-HABITAT has announced that the Italian city of Naples has been designated to spearhead the 2006 global celebration of the World Habitat Day, which will further cement the growing relationship the agency has enjoyed with Italy over the years.
The latest contribution of the Italian Government as UN-HABITAT’s donor is an 8.5 million USD allocation for the Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme in Serbia SIRP. The funds are the second allocation of a total of 15 million euros Italy is disbursing for the programme.

This year, UN-HABITAT Serbia calls on all partners in central government, local governments and civil society to take part in organizing activities to raise awareness and stimulate debate on the important theme of Cities, magnets of hope.

Raise awareness in your city – organize a World Habitat Day 2006 event

The World Habitat Day provides an excellent opportunity to highlight key human settlements issues, raising awareness and stimulating debate on the theme of Cities, magnets of hope.

Here are some of the activities that YOU can help organize in partnership and/or with the support of UN-HABITAT Serbia:

• panel programmes and conferences
• essay and drawing competitions
• press conferences
• workshops and seminars
• city walks
• exhibitions
• other public events

UN-HABITAT calls on all its partners to take part in organizing activities to raise awareness and stimulate debate on the following themes relevant to the current process of formulation of national housing policies and the development of Cities and Municipalities in Serbia:

• social housing
• housing for refugees
• urban environment
• healthy urban housing
• child-friendly cities
• socioeconomic integration of vulnerable groups
• community participation
• cities marketing and branding
• slum upgrading and prevention
• access to water and sanitation

Valjevo, 20 September 2006

The official ceremony for the opening of the building site for the construction of social housing units was held in Naselje Sreten Dudić in Valjevo, on Wednesday September 20th, in the presence of H.E. Velimir Ilić, Minister for Capital Investments, representatives of the Italian Government, Ms. Ligia Ramirez Head of UN-HABITAT in Serbia, Mr. Zoran Ilic, Deputy Mayor, and Ms. Zorica Peric, Director of the Municipal Housing Agency, established within the framework of SIRP Programme.
The sites, located in Novo Naselje and Naselje Sreten Dudić in Valjevo will be interested by the construction of the first 35 social housing units of a total of 76, for which the Italian Government is contributing with about 1.2 M Euro, with the contribution of the Municipality of Valjevo in land and infrastructures, projects and permits, equivalent to approximately 30% of total costs.
This is the fourth ground breaking ceremony held in the last several months within the SIRP Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme in Serbia. It is envisioned that another three building sites will be inaugurated in SIRP beneficiary municipalities by November 2006.

The construction of these apartments represents a step in the development of the social housing system, carried on at republic and municipal level with support of the SIRP Programme. The Ministry for Capital Investments is promoting reforms in the housing sector and introducing the social housing system through the draft Social Housing Law.
The Valjevo Municipal Housing Agency is strongly engaged in other activities within the SIRP Programme. The main result achieved during the last several months is the development of the draft Housing Profile as a part of the ongoing process of the formulation of the Municipal Housing Strategy.

NO CALL FOR PROPOSALS ACTIVE AT THE MOMENT

September 15, 2006 – October 9, 2006

In the framework of the Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme in Serbia (SIRP), UN-HABITAT is launching a Call for Proposals for Pilot Initiatives in the Municipality of Čačak, City of Kragujevac, Municipality of Kraljevo, City of Niš, Municipality of Pančevo and Municipality of Valjevo. The overall goal of the Pilot Initiatives is to contribute to the social, economic and civic integration of low-income refugees and other vulnerable households through innovative and self-sustainable approaches towards putting into practice the PRSP for Serbia and strategic documents for local development [link to SIRP LIBRARY].

This Call for proposals is open for all legal entities with non-profit status and fully operational in Serbia. The grant component for each pilot initiative will range from a minimum of US$60,000 to a maximum of US$120,000. Maximal amount to be approved in each municipality is US$120,000. UN-HABITAT solicits applicants for cost-sharing to cover at least 10% of the total value of each pilot initiative.

This Call for Proposals is open starting as of September 15, 2006 and will be open till 5PM on October 9, 2006. Full Call for Proposals Documentation is available at UN-HABITAT web site, and can also be obtained at UN-HABITAT Office in Belgrade (Makenzijeva 57, Office 303, tel: +381 11 3449 200 and 3404 162). Proposals are to be developed as explained in Chapter 3 of the Guidelines, in English language and using the annexed Application Form. Proposals are to be sent in a separate sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery to the following address:

UN-HABITAT
Makenzijeva 57
Office 303
Belgrade

UN-HABITAT will contact only successful applicants, two weeks after the closure of this Call for Proposals.

Download Full Call for Proposals Documentation:

Guidelines for Call for Proposals [199KB]

Annex A: Glossary of Terms [197KB]

Annex B: Concept Note Format [187KB]

Annex C: Grant Application Form [223KB]

Annex D: Budget Plan and Payment Schedule [223KB]

Annex E: Action Plan [223KB]

Annex F: List of Supporting Documents to be submitted [223KB]

Nis, 10 August 2006

On August 09 2006, the City of Niš has celebrated a ceremony of the opening of a building site for social housing units within the SIRP Programme. H.E. Mr. Velimir Ilić, Minister of Capital Investments in the Government of Serbia officially inaugurated the building site. The host of this event was the City of Nis represented by the Mayor Mr. Smiljko Kostic and Nis City Housing Agency.

Through SIRP Programme, the City of Nis will receive a total of 75 housing units aimed for social housing. This building site is located in Block 8, “Pasi Poljana” and it will evolve in the first 45 social housing units planned for Nis. It is expected that the housing beneficiaries will be moving in these 45 units sometime in March 2007.

For this first phase of construction the Italian Government is contributing with about 1.2 M euro, while the City of Niš provides its contribution in land and infrastructure.

The City Housing Agency of Niš, established within SIRP Programme, is strongly engaged in other activities within UN-HABITAT Programme in Serbia. The main result achieved during the last several months is the development of the draft Housing Profile as a part of the ongoing process of the formulation of the City Housing Strategy.

Stara Pazova, 28 July

The Municipality of Stara Pazova, on July 28, opened the building site for the construction of 38 social housing units to be built within the SIRP Programme.

This is the first phase of construction, which includes 38 apartments out of a total of 76 apartments for which the Italian Government is contributing with about 1.2 M euro, with the contribution of the Municipality of Stara Pazova in land and infrastructures.

The ground breaking ceremony took place in the presence of Mr. Srdjo Komazec, President of the Municipality, Mr. Miodrag Ralevic, Assistant Minister for Capital Investments, Ms. Elena Manunta Sardi de Letto, Director of Cooperazione Italiana, Ms. Ligia Ramirez, Head of UN-HABITAT Office Belgrade, Mr. Koncarevic, Acting Director of the Public Company for Housing “Gea Plan”, as well as representatives of other municipal and city housing agencies established within the SIRP Programme.

Implementation of the SIRP Programme - Settlement and Integration of Refugees Programme directly resulted from the Memorandum signed between UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka and the Government of Italy in September 2002. This 15 million euro programme is implemented both on central level, with the Ministry for Capital Investments, and on local level in seven selected municipalities/cities.

On March 1st, the ceremony for the first building site opened within the SIRP Programme took place in the City of Kragujevac.

Belgrade, 1 July 2006

The Ministry for Capital Investments of the Republic of Serbia, with the support of UN-HABITAT and the Government of Italy, is organizing a National Housing Conference in Belgrade on July 6th and 7th at the Sava Center.

Representatives of all municipalities, relevant ministries, international organizations, Universities, experts and practitioners will be present and participate in the plenary sessions and following discussions to give impetus for the formulation of the national housing policy of Serbia.

Apart from the technical and organizational support, UN-HABITAT SIRP is contributing to the conference with four concept papers and relative recommendations on four strategic themes that arose from the formulation of Municipal Housing Strategies in selected Serbian municipalities:

1. Affordable rental housing
2. Condominium management and maintenance
3. Regularization and upgrading of informal settlements
4. Inclusion of Roma population through improvement of settlements and housing

The publication of the four concept papers will be distributed at the conference and available for download.

Nis, 30 June 2006

The City of Nis, with the support of the SIRP Programme, UN-HABITAT, the Government of Italy and in collaboration with the Ministry for Capital Investments, has organized a conference „Towards integrated local development of Nis“, intended to stimulate participation and open debate of all development actors operating in the territory of Nis around key development themes, representing the commitment of the City towards the development of its territory and its resources, fostering integration and coordination amongst all local stakeholders and local actions.

SIRP Programme is supporting the City of Nis in its efforts towards coordination and integration of local actors and actions, and contributing to the process of planning the integrated local development of its territory. One of the activities foreseen by the Programme is in fact supporting beneficiary Municipalities/Cities in establishing and strengthening local development networks.
SIRP is contributing to the integrated local development planning through the mapping of municipal resources and potentialities structured around five substantial themes, Environment, Economy, Livelihood, Governance and Information and Communication Technologies. The main aim is to restitute a comprehensive picture of the current state of development of the City and value potential sectors for improving the development of the whole area and improve the quality of life in Nis.
A team of national consultants, with the technical assistance of SIRP team, has elaborated the research „A contribution to the integrated local development planning process in Nis. Mapping resources and potentialities“, presented and distributed at the conference. All relevant institutional bodies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, local authority and departments, and other development actors have been involved in the process through consultations, contributing by sharing valuable information which has both informed and enriched the work.
The presentation and dissemination of the research aimed to contribute and stimulate debate and confrontation, by sharing knowledge and thus allowing recognition of collective interest in territorial development, improve the usefullness and positive impact of the conference and its outcomes in reinforcing existing networks and partnerships.

Agenda

 ‘’Towards Integrated Local Development Policy of Nis’’
NIS, 24 Nikole Pasica Str., 30th June, 11, 00 

Belgrade, 26 June 2006

The latest issue of the SIRP Newsletter published in Serbian and English languages in June 2006 and presented during the World Urban Forum in Vancouver is now available for download.

Inside this issue:

• National Seminar on planning and instruments for integrated development
• Integrated approach to Municipal Development Strategies in VALJEVO
• SIRP SAFER CITIES – Civic Integration and Crime Prevention
• Integrated Information Systems, a tool for managing the territory
• World Urban Forum III
• SIRP Second Steering Committee
• New Municipal Housing Agency in Pancevo
• Municipal Housing Strategies
• SIRP Programme at the Belgrade Week of Architecture
• National Housing Conference: Towards a New National Housing Policy for Serbia
• Construction begins in Kragujevac
• Stara Pazova, Valjevo and Nis ready to start construction
• Selection of housing beneficiaries
• Results of the competitions for architectural concept designs for social housing in Cacak and Pancevo
• Coming up
  

Belgrade, 26 June 2006

The expert juries composed of representatives of the Ministry for Capital Investments, the Municipalities, the Municipal Housing Agencies, UN-HABITAT SIRP, and the National Association of Architects, have examined all submitted works and selected the award winning projects for social housing to be implemented in Cacak and Pancevo.

Awarded works in Cacak
First prize – Bojan Stojanovic, Vladan Nikolic
Third prize – Danica Jankovic
Special prize – Vasilije Bralovic and Ivana Vasojevic

Awarded works in Pancevo
First prize - Bojan Stojanovic
Second prize – Milorad Obradovic
Third prize – Natasa Milojevic

The works are on display in each city hall, and a permanent exhibition of the winning entries is on display at the UN-HABITAT Belgrade office to disseminate the award-winning ideas as widely as possible among the public, students and professionals.