By International Organizations

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is a multilateral development bank with an exclusively social mandate. It was founded on 16 April 1956 to address the problems of refugees, and subsequently expanded its scope of activities to the entire area of social development. The Republic of Serbia joined this international bank on 23 April 2004.

CEB provides concessionary (favourable) loans and consulting services for socially-oriented investment projects in the following areas:

•    Sustainable and Inclusive Growth;
•    Integration of refugees, displaced persons and migrants; and
•    Environmental Protection.

The cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and CEB is realized primarily through projects financed by favourable loans, such as: improving the educational and scientific infrastructure and provision of accommodation for young researchers, reconstruction of residential infrastructure (landslides), construction of housing units for families affected by the earthquake in Kraljevo, construction and equipping of the new prison facilities in Pančevo and Kragujevac, etc.

In addition to its own funds for lending, CEB also has funds which have been entrusted to it by other donors. In this sense and in response to the migrant crisis, the Migrant and Refugee Fund has been made available to the Republic of Serbia, through which the most urgent needs of migrant centres in Šid, Kanjiža, Preševo and other locations are being financed.

In addition, CEB also participates in the Western Balkans Investment Framework, and in this sense it is responsible for one part of grants granted to the Republic of Serbia from this instrument, and is also responsible for managing the Regional Housing Programme aimed at addressing the problem of refugee housing, whose largest beneficiary is the Republic of Serbia.

More information about the Council of Europe Development Bank can be found on the following link: www.coebank.org

The European Investment Bank (EIB), established by the Treaty of Rome (1957), is a financial institution of the European Union that has a significant role in financing long-term investment projects. The goals and policies of the European Union are realized through the funds of this bank, both inside and outside the borders of the European Union. Outside the borders of the European Union, the Bank supports projects which contribute to economic development in countries that have signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement or an Agreement on Cooperation with the European Union or with one of its Member States. The EIB provides support primarily through loans, but also through technical assistance, warranty schemes and microfinancing. Loans are granted to both the public and the private sector. The beneficiaries of loans, in broader sense, may be municipalities and cities, ministries, state-owned enterprises, but also private companies and large corporations.

In accordance with the mandate defined by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, in the Republic of Serbia, the EIB finances investments through loans (whereby the EIB may cover up to 50% of project costs), concluded directly with the project leader (individual loans) or indirectly, primarily through other banks (indirect loans). In practice, individual loans are approved for strategically relevant projects and programmes worth more than EUR 25 million, while indirect loans represent credit lines to banks and financial institutions intended for helping with financing small and medium-sized enterprises and local projects with justified investment programmes or projects worth up to EUR 25 million. Loans are approved for support to projects that are economically justified in the fields of transport, energy, environmental protection, industry and services, health and education, research and development, information and communication technologies.

Current projects in the Republic of Serbia financed by the EIB:

1. Construction of the highway Niš - Pristina

So far, with the support of the EIB, the Republic of Serbia has received around EUR 5 million in grants through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

2. Modernization of the railway line Niš - Dimitrovgrad

Owing to the EIB's support, EUR 44 million in grants was provided from WBIF, while another EUR 28 million was approved in December 2017 for the second stage of this project.

For more information, visit the following website: http://www.eib.org/

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been active in the Republic of Serbia since 2001. Over the previous period, the Bank has implemented over 200 projects, with a total value of around EUR 4.24 billion, whereof 62% was implemented in cooperation with the public sector, while 38% was implemented in cooperation with the private sector.

Activities that the EBRD is currently carrying out are in line with the Strategy for Serbia approved by the Board of Directors in April 2014, and are focused on three key areas:

1. Competitiveness of the private sector through providing financial and technical assistance, primarily to the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises.

In this area, support to the private sector is provided directly through the provision of financial support, most often in the form of investment loans or through the provision of working capital or indirectly through financial intermediaries (such as banks). Technical assistance is reflected in the provision of consulting services or advice from experienced consultants (usually executives in enterprises), or by developing local advisory capacities.

2. Stabilization of the financial sector through support to banking and non-banking institutions.  

In this area, the EBRD is focused on providing long-term financing of the banking sector and the development of special products which would enable the placement of special financial products, such as loans for energy efficiency and investments in renewable energy sources.

3. Development of sustainable public enterprises, including investments in energy, transport and utility infrastructure.

The Bank also provides support for the preparation and implementation of major infrastructure activities in the energy, environment and transport sectors, through lending or a combination of loans and grants - alone or in cooperation with other partners such as the EU.

For more information, visit the following website: http://www.ebrd.com/home

Activities of the World Bank, as a development partner in the Republic of Serbia, are defined in the document Country Partnership Framework for Serbia for the period 2016-2020, with the primary aim of supporting the process of accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union, creating a competitive and inclusive economy.

Priority areas of development in this document are:

• fiscal and macroeconomic stability;
• strengthening of governance and institutional capacities;
• reform of public enterprises;
• improvement of business climate;
• development of infrastructure; and
• labour market reform.

This cooperation is currently being conducted through the implementation of projects worth more than USD 1.8 billion in the following areas: transport, improving business climate, competitiveness and employment, healthcare, flood recovery and prevention, risk management, financial sector reform, improving public sector, improving public enterprises and preschool education. 

For more information, check the following link:

http://projects.worldbank.org/search?lang=en&searchTerm=&countrycode_exact=YF

The UN has been present in the Republic of Serbia (and the former Yugoslavia) since the beginning of the crisis in the Region in early nineties. The UN Country Team (UNCT) has been working with the Government of the Republic of Serbia since early 2000s.

UNCT in Serbia currently comprises 20 UN Agencies, Funds and Programs, both resident and non-resident who work together to advance national development priorities in line with the Agenda 2030 and 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Team is coordinated by the UN Resident Coordinator and operates under the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025) signed between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the UN Country Team. The Framework is a road map with three strategic priorities:

1.    Serbia harnesses the full potential of a green, sustainable and inclusive economy - Increasing opportunities for all, and reducing risks

2.    Wellbeing, social equity, and the human potential are at the heart of systems, policies and practices - Everyone has equal opportunities, throughout their life, to achieve their full potential

3.    Building trust and mutual accountability through the rule of law, rights and duties agenda - Fostering transparency, fairness and effectiveness.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia is Matilde Mordt. The UN presence in Serbia also includes the United Nations Office in Belgrade (UNOB). By agreement with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, UNOB conducts political reporting and liaison functions. UNOB is the main channel of communication between the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the diplomatic community in Belgrade on matters relating to the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). The Office facilitates the contacts of UNMIK, including those of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and provides assistance, when requested, to UNMIK and other international presences in Kosovo. UNOB reports to the United Nations Department for Peace Operations and UNMIK on all Kosovo-related issues. UNOB also monitors regional developments in the Western Balkans of relevance to the United Nations. It reports to the United Nations Department for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and UNMIK on all non-Kosovo-related regional issues. UNOB also works closely with the United Nations Country

Teams and other partners on these regional issues. 

For more information, please visit the website:
https://serbia.un.org/en/about/about-the-un 

In line with the current global reform of the UN development system, the UN Country Team in Serbia rationalizes its operational procedures according to the principles of "Delivering as One in the Development World".

"DELIVERING AS ONE" is a set of procedures which provide guidelines for all countries where the UN is implementing development activities on how to cooperate and ensure greater coherence and coordination in order to more efficiently achieve common results in the field of development.

The UN Country Team in Serbia seeks to achieve greater coherence and effectiveness by applying the following elements:

• One leader – the UN Permanent Coordinator;
• One programme – the Development Partnership Framework;
• Unique space – The UN House in Serbia has been operational since 2015;
• We operate as one – through the Joint Business Operations Strategy; and
• We communicate as one – through several common public events.

The Development Partnership Framework for 2016–2020 is being conducted together with partners within the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and its implementation is ensured by the Joint National Steering Committee chaired by the UN Permanent Coordinator, the Ministry of European Integration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Link for additional information: http://rs.one.un.org/content/unct/serbia/en/home/our-work.html

The Mission was established in Serbia on 11 January 2001. The Mission to Serbia is still an OSCE field operation based in Belgrade and continues to maintain two additional outlets – in Bujanovac, south Serbia and in Novi Pazar, southwest Serbia.

Its mandate sets out the Mission’s key areas of activity: “assisting the host country and Serbia’s society in promoting and strengthening democratic institutions, fostering the rule of law, reforming the police force into a police service and supporting the development of free media and professional journalism at the service of citizens.” Based on the ownership and engagement of the Serbian authorities and institutions, the Mission provides assistance and expertise to Serbia towards the country’s goal of further developing a fully functioning democratic system with solid accountability mechanisms, including an independent, free and responsible media. The common goals are a system governed by a well-harmonized set of rules, enforced by fair and equitable justice system, with no space for discrimination or privilege.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia divides its projects into two distinct categories – unified budget and extra-budgetary.

The first refers to projects funded from the OSCE’s own funds while and implemented on annual basis, the second refers to projects funded by contributions of individual OSCE participating States as well as development assistance partners of the Republic of Serbia and usually implemented on multi-annual basis.

All unified budget projects are further divided into four sub-categories, called programmes, which correspond to the areas of policy they support: 

1)    Security Co-Operation, targeting sustainable reform of law enforcement agencies as crucial to the rule of law in Serbia.

2)    Democratization, working to strengthen democratic practices and combat discrimination by partnering with national and local legislative and governmental institutions, national minority representatives, civil society organizations and independent institutions.

3)    Media, supporting the development of a regulatory framework and media environment where media outlets can inform citizens on issues of public importance in a timely and objective manner, promoting high ethical standards.

4)    Rule of Law and Human Rights, working to foster an independent and impartial judiciary, a human rights-based criminal justice system, an efficient civil justice system and align national legislation with international standards and norms.