Committee Chairman Nebojsa Stefanovic informed the UNICEF delegation about the Committee and National Assembly’s legislative and regulatory activities as regards the protection and improvement of the position and rights of children in Serbia. The fact that the National Assembly Speaker is also the Chairman of the Committee on the Rights of the Child which counts among its members the National Assembly Deputy Speakers and one representative of each Parliamentary Group, testifies to the importance the National Assembly attributes to children’s rights issues in Serbia, stressed Stefanovic.
The head of the UNICEF Executive Board delegation, Jarmo Viinanen deemed it very important that the National Assembly has a Committee dealing exclusively with the position and rights of children in Serbia, adding that UNICEF would continue to be the National Assembly’s partner in these efforts.
In the course of the meeting, it was noted that the National Assembly and UNICEF enjoy excellent cooperation which had contributed to the improvement of the work of the National Assembly and the Committee on the Rights of the Child as regards promoting the position of children. The Committee members emphasised that the Committee pays special attention to investing into pre-school education and the inclusion of children with developmental difficulties.
The meeting was also attended by the UNICEF Serbia Office Director Judita Reichenberg who stressed that the goal of the UNICEF Executive Board delegation’s four-day visit was to learn more about the position of children and their families in Serbia, with a special focus on promoting children’s rights and social inclusion.
Besides the Chairman of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, MA Nebojsa Stefanovic, the meeting was also attended by Committee members Vesna Kovac, Gordana Comic, Dr Nenad Popovic, Milica Vojic Markovic, Ljiljana Lucic, Olena Papuga, Vesna Rakonjac, Milorad Stosic, Dubravka Filipovski and Mirko Cikiriz.