Monitoring Serbia’s OSCE Chairmanship
In accordance with its program orientation and commitment to contribute actively to promotion and advancement of human security of the citizens of Serbia, the Public Policy Research Centre has started monitoring of Serbian OSCE Chairmanship, primarily in the area of its commitment related to human dimension.
The human dimension refers to the broad understanding of security within the OSCE which includes protection and promotion of human rights, as well as democracy norms.
The CENTRE was among 5 NGOS who were selected for the participation in the recently held OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference 2014, when the main human dimension issues in Serbia were presented. Discrimination, protection of human rights defenders, peculiarly defenders of LGBT rights, national minorities, freedom of media, and freedom of speech have been especially emphasized.
Memorandum of Understanding with the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, YUCOM, Humanitarian Law Centre and Forum for Ethnic Relations is signed to outline joint actions during the Serbian OSCE Chairmanship; as well as reporting on the selected areas for self-assessment of observance of OSCE recommendations in Serbia. Members of the coalition have committed to monitor thoroughly and permanently situation and to advocate for improvement in key areas during 2015. CENTRE will especially track freedom of expression and the problems of Roma.
The goal of this NGO coalition is to work with the Serbian Chairmanship and OSCE institutions to address OSCE-wide human dimension issues identified as priorities by the incoming Serbian Chairmanship and to use the occasion of the Serbian leadership of the organization to improve implementation of human dimension commitments inside Serbia. The coalition hopes that Serbian NGOs will be able to contribute to the process of self-assessment of Serbia’s implementation of its human dimension commitments currently prepared by the incoming Serbian Chairmanship.
CENTRE’s President Svetlana Djurdjevic-Lukic had spoken about freedom of expression during the Parallel Conference. The Conference was organized at the beginning of December 2014 by the Civic Solidarity Platform and with the support of the Swiss Peace Foundation.
Additionally, the CENTRE took part in activities related to the youth, as one of the OSCE priorities in 2014 and 2015. Within the project of the National Youth Council and in cooperation with the Social Responsibility Initiative, the CENTRE has been included in the organization of workshops ‘OSCE, Serbia, and security’ in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Likewise, the CENTRE’s researcher, Marina Tadic participated in the study visit to Vienna, when she attended the session of the OSCE Permanent Council and visited the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the OSCE and other international organizations.
Activities:
Centre's first press conference on its activities during Serbian OSCE Chairmanship16.04.2015.
Centre’s Director at ‘’Novinarenje’’ talk show, Radio Belgrade about self-assessment of implementation of human dimension commitments in Serbia at OSCE human dimension implementation meeting
Summary of "The Status of Roma in Light of the OSCE Human Dimension Commitments and OSCE Chairmanship"
Centre's Director at "Novinarenje" talk show, Radio Belgrade about Parallel Civil Society Conference
Parallel Civil Society Conference held on 1.-2.12.2015.
