Bozidar Delic, Meho Omerovic, Snezana Sedlar Kening and Dr Nikola Krpic, members of the Children’s Rights Working Group, headed by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Nikola Novakovic, visited the local self-government of Pirot as part of the Working Group’s activities. The visit was realised in cooperation with UNICEF with whom the National Assembly had signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at contributing to a more significant and better role of the Parliament in improving the position of children in Serbia. The officials visited the Municipality of Pirot in view of the fact that the local self-government of Pirot has adopted and is successfully implementing a Local Action Plan for Children.

The deputies and representatives of UNICEF and UNDP met at the Pirot Municipal building with the President of the Municipality of Pirot, Vladan Vasic, coordinator of the Team for the Local Activity Plan for Children, Slavica Stanisavljevic, her associates and children - LAP team members.

Welcoming all present, Deputy Speaker Novakovic read the message of the National Assembly Speaker and Chairperson of the Working Group, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, stressing that the task of the Working Group is to incorporate children’s rights into the all basic functions of the Assembly – legislative, supervisory and representative. The opening address emphasised that cooperation with national institutions and bodies, local self-government, international organisations and civil society organisations, represents an important aspect, all with the goal of promoting children’s rights.

Vladan Vasic reminded all present that the LAP was based on six key principles containing the basic components of the National Action Plan for Children, adopted by the Serbian Government in February 2004, which have been adapted to local needs and priorities. Vasic stressed that it particularly focuses on Roma and special needs children and that its basic principles are reduction of poverty in children, quality education and better health for all children, improving the position and rights of children with developmental difficulties, protecting children without parental care and protecting children against mistreatment, neglect, abuse and violence. Vasic briefed the guests on the projects launched by Pirot Municipality and its future plans. He stated that Pirot Municipality provides couples without children with financial aid for an in-vitro fertilisation process, and that it successfully cooperates with pre-school and school institutions, as well as the health centre which receives a device necessary for treatment of children by the Municipality every year.

In the continuation of the visit, the guests talked to a team of young people gathered in the group Beam which participates in the implementation of the LAP. In the conversation, the children hosts asked the guests questions and pointed out the problems that young people face. The whole conversation was marked by their motto “The young are the present, not a distant future … We initiate change.”

The Working Group members also visited the Development Education Centre in Pirot which shelters and assists children living in poverty. Education Centre Pralipe in cooperation with UNICEF, organises various educational and other programmes aiding children’s educational and cultural development and health protection.