The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia marked 17 October, International Day Against Poverty by organising a Roundtable titled “Young People and Poverty”. The host of the gathering was the Committee on Labour, Ex-Servicemen’s and Social Issues which has been observing this day for four years in cooperation with the United Nations.

The Members of Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Standing Conferences of Cities and Municipalities and representatives of over 40 non-government organisations dealing with youth issues were addressed by the host, Meho Omerovic, the Chairman of the Committee on Labour, Ex-Servicemen’s and Social Issues. He pointed out that, in Serbia, this day is dedicated to the issue of youth poverty aiming to reduce and eradicate it. More so, since one fifth of the world youth population lives on less than a dollar a day, and in Serbia the youth comprise half of the unemployed.

The participants of the Roundtable were also addressed by Lance Clark, UN Coordinator in Serbia, Snezana Samardzic-Markovic, Minister of Youth and Sports at the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Judita Reichenberg, UNICEF Director for Serbia and Croatia and Tinde Kovac-Cerovic, Counselor to the Vice-President of the Government of Serbia for Education and Social Issues. Actor Mihajlo Ladjevic read the joint message of the world action “Stand Up and Speak Out Against Poverty and Inequality”, read throughout the world as part of observing the International Day Against Poverty.

The participants of the Roundtable particularly stressed the biggest problems of young people in Serbia today. According to UNICEF data, about 300 children and young people in Serbia live in poverty. Economic development is important, but not sufficient, because only if it is accompanied by measures for poverty reduction can it give real results, it was stated in the debate.

Aiming to develop youth policies, the Ministry for Youth and Sports is preparing a National Youth Strategy comprising the issues of employment, informal education, health, safety, quality free time, protection of rights, social protection and other issues that will ensure better and more suitable conditions for youth development in Serbia.

The participants of the gathering agreed that only through the joint efforts of the government and non-government sector, economic elements, international organisations, the media and the inclusion of young people into the actual resolutions of the problems, can we ensure measures that will reduce youth poverty in the world. The participants of the Roundtable concluded that the young people in Serbia who are expected to carry out the transition, grew in the period of the biggest social crises which is why today we must focus on them and their problems so as to enable them to truly fulfill their role of carriers of change in the country.