The Gender Equality Index is a unique measuring instrument important for monitoring the progress of gender equality in various areas of society, not only in the EU but also among the Western Balkans and Turkey. It facilitates a comparison at the regional level among EU member states, candidate countries, and potential candidates.
Prof. Marija Babović, PhD, director of the SeConS programme, spoke on the topic of “Gender equality in Serbia: concepts, situation, and policies” and the executive director of SeConS Olivera Vuković gave a presentation on “Programmes of social and economic support for rural women”.
How was a system of taxes and social benefits created on the foundations of neoliberal ideology in the early 2000s, leading to a significant deterioration in the relative position of the lower classes? What is the current state of poverty and social exclusion according to the most recent SILC data? What characterizes intergenerational mobility in Serbia, and how could inheritance and gift tax reform encourage this mobility? Is there a need for a thorough reform of labor taxation?
On the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, SeConS Executive Director Olivera Vuković attended the “Celebrating Life” conference in Sarajevo, where she addressed Access to long-term care services in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Today we presented final evaluation findings of the fifth phase of the OSCE Mission to Serbia project “Consolidating the democratization process in the security sector in Serbia” (DEMSEC project). In line with the OECD-DAC standard evaluation criteria and in line with recently adopted OSCE Evaluation policy, the evaluation assessed the relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project.
SeConS Development Initiative Group actively participates in the “Sunny Schools in the Western Balkans” Initiative, which aims to create a blueprint for involving key social actors – such as state schools, local self-government units, and local communities – in the energy transition process by enhancing their capacities to manage the production of clean/renewable, in this case, solar energy, through photovoltaic technology. By deploying this technology and installing solar panels on school rooftops, enough electricity can be produced to make the schools climate-resistant and energy-neutral. The money saved on electricity bills can be used to finance various school necessities.
On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labor, observed on June 12th, the results of the 2021 Survey on Child Labor Abuse in Serbia, conducted by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, and the results of the research “Rapid Assessment of the Abuse of Child Labor on the Streets in Serbia”, conducted by the SeConS Development Initiative Group, were presented at the Media Center Belgrade.
The main findings of the study entitled “Women’s Entrepreneurship – Ten Years Later” were presented as part of the Conference on Women’s Entrepreneurship – Overview of the Current Situation and Opportunities for Empowerment, organized within the German-Serbian Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment and UN Women, with the support of the EU project “Key steps towards gender equality”.
The results of the research in Albania show that 31.6% of people aged 65 and over have a need for long-term care due to difficulties in functioning, while among people with disabilities aged 18-64, as many as 98% of those who need long-term care services need it due to great difficulties in performing daily life activities. The study showed that in Albania, on the one hand, there is not a sufficient number of nursing homes for older persons, and on the other hand, they are expensive for older persons and their families. Additionally there is no foster care for older persons in Albania.
As part of the project entitled “Strengthening resilience of older persons and persons with disabilities during COVID-19 and future disasters”, the study “Access to long-term care in North Macedonia” was presented in the premises of the Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia. The gathering was opened by the Secretary General of the Red Cross of RNM, Dr. Sait Saiti, Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Jovanka Trenčevska, Minister of Health, Dr. Fatmir Medžiti, as well as representatives of the Red Cross of Serbia, the Association Humanost and SeCons Development Initiative Group that developed this study.
SeConS – SeConS Development Initiative Group
