29.11.2012.
Cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the United Nations Development Programme
State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Aleksandar Nikolic met with the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia William Infante. During the meeting, they discussed the current programming and opportunities for cooperation and support of the Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia to the Ministry of Defence in the implementation of projects: "CASM Programme", "Women in the Military" and "Building Integrity".Speaking about the importance of today's meeting, State Secretary Aleksandar Nikolic said that high quality cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the United Nations and its specialized agencies and bodies has great importance for the continuation of the reform process to which the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia is genuinely devoted, which is particularly important for the progress our country towards full EU membership.
Nikolic specially thanked to the Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia for their support on the project “Capacity Development Programme for Conventional Ammunition stockpile management for the Republic of Serbia (CASM)”. Through CASM Project whose total value is estimated at over $ 11 million, the Republic of Serbia wishes to show that in the field of disarmament and arms control it adheres to the standards, criteria and procedures of the UN and the OSCE, as well as to making the whole process more transparent and open.In the forthcoming period, the cooperation with UNDP/SEESAC will be continued on carrying out activities in implementation of the project "Support to gender mainstreaming in the security sector reform in the Western Balkans", in order to build the capacity of the Ministry of Defence for the integration of gender equality in SSR. Cooperation with the UN Agency for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women) is performed for the purpose of providing support to the Ministry of Defence to implement the National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 – Women, Peace and Security in the Republic of Serbia (2010-2015).
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia Infante said that he was pleased with the cooperation with the Ministry of Defence so far, also stressing that Serbia is considered a leader in the region for the realization of projects and programmes organized by the UNDP and other UN agencies. These activities highlight the importance of cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and other countries in the region in terms of improving mutual understanding, achieving effective regional cooperation, and the empowerment of women in the regional security sectors.