Posted on : 5/24/2016

The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia, Ms Irena Vojackova Sollorano, and the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS), Mr. Marko Čadež, in the premises of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce on 27 April 2016 signed the Memorandum of Understanding related to cooperation between the two organizations in different fields of common interest. The need for formalizing this cooperation has become evident since in view of the shared missions and objectives between the two organizations, in order to improve the efficiency and coordination of their development activities.

This Memorandum is aimed at defining the framework for cooperation and bringing together the efforts of the two organizations to work together on addressing the key development issues in Serbia, such as inclusive and sustainable development and including the development of small and medium enterprises by raising production capacities which create new jobs and ensure the livelihoods of the employed, eradication of poverty, environmental protection; mitigation and adaptation to climate change, risk reduction, prevention and resilience of communities against natural and other disasters; promoting responsible governance and building capacities at all levels. This cooperation will also include promoting regional cooperation and economic integrations and launching joint initiatives in order to pool resources of the PKS and the UNDP so as to make more efficient use of resources available in facing challenges in the energy and other sectors of the Serbian economy.

In this respect the cooperation will especially include, without being limited to, the following areas: the energy sector (especially energy efficiency and renewable energy sources), agriculture, water management, forestry, services, trade and entrepreneurship, environmental protection and information and telecommunication technologies.

President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Marko Čadež underlined in his introductory remarks that the past cooperation on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources projects clearly demonstrated that the new approach to energy use and improving energy efficiency is of essential importance for the strengthening of competitiveness, growth and survival of the Serbian economy. It is hoped that the successful cooperation between the PKS and the UNDP shall continue also in sectors of agriculture, services, technology, environment, strengthening entrepreneurship, development of SME’s. Such activities shall include promotion of regional cooperation and economic integrations, and launching of joint initiatives and projects.

In addressing those who attended, Mr. Irena Vojackova Sollorano stressed the past successful cooperation between the two organizations and the Ministry of Mining and Energy in implementing two UNDP projects in the energy sector which are funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). Mrs. Sollorano also expressed hopes that this successful cooperation will continue throughout the duration of these projects and that this successful model shall be replicated through new projects which will be initiated jointly by the PKS and the UNDP, both in the energy sector and in other sectors.