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UNDP in Montenegro - Archive
New York, 29 November 2012 UNDP opens data on over 6,000 projects in transparency drive
Geneva, 28 November 2012 More top footballers to join UNDP's 10th annual Match Against Poverty The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today announced the addition of more world-renowned footballers – including Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon, Djalma Feitosa Dia of Brazil, Fernando Hierro of Spain and Fernando Couto of Portugal – to the already star-studded team which will play in UNDP’s 10th Annual Match Against Poverty. These international footballers will join UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors and football legends Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane in a friendly football match on December 19 to raise awareness of global poverty. The match will raise funds through ticket sales, sponsorship and broadcast rights to support projects to help reduce poverty in Brazil and Africa. Nearly 35,000 tickets have already been sold for the popular event, which will take place on 19 December 2012 at the Gremio Arena in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Tickets can be purchased here.
Podgorica, 28 November 2012 What? I can’t hear you!?
The environmental noise is perceived as a major environmental problem in the European Union and EEA studies are discussing the impact of noise exposure and potential health effects to people. Only in the European Union around 20% of its population, which is close to 80 million people, suffer from noise levels that scientists and health experts consider to be unacceptable.
Podgorica, 28 November 2012 Air quality egg
I am an environmental monitoring geek, so this is one of the questions that keep me amused: how can we harness modern technology in order to let people know about the air quality right where they are located, about the noise levels, or about sea water cleanliness when they go on vacation? For example, can you imagine yourself dipping your smartphone in the water at your favorite beach to double check whether the PH levels are just right?
Podgorica, 24 November - 10 December 2012 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence in Montenegro: Speak louder than silence. Stop family violence.
As part of this year's campaign, the organizers will initiate the formation of the Political club for the fight against domestic violence, which will monitor and implement the measures necessary to create conditions for full implementation of the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence and the Rules of Procedure in cases of domestic violence. The League of extraordinary men is to be established, too, in order to gather men who will promote the campaign against domestic violence on a voluntary basis. In addition, a roundtable was organized where representatives of institutions involved in the implementation of the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence discussed the current situation when it comes to inter-institutional cooperation and progress in the prevention of domestic violence, and success in the implementation of the Law. * * * The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the ensuing 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence are commemorated every year around the world to raise awareness and trigger action on this pervasive human rights violation.
8 November 2012 Helen Clark: “Why Tackling Climate Change Matters for Development”
In my lecture today, I will talk about key issues at stake in the negotiations, and why concerted international action to tackle global warming matters so much to poor people and poor countries on the front lines of climate change. My hypothesis is that unless there is more co-ordinated global action to tackle climate change soon, it will be increasingly hard to reduce poverty, in all its dimensions, particularly in the world’s poorest countries. The costs of adaptation will also rise steeply everywhere. Climate change threatens to undermine hard won human development and other gains – indeed the impact of severe drought and flooding around the world suggests that it already is.
7 November 2012 Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator: “Our World in 2050: More Equitable and Sustainable – or Less?” Let me begin by putting the year 2050 into perspective. It sounds far away. Yet, with half of the world’s population today under the age of thirty, and current global life expectancy at almost seventy years, we can expect that more than half of all people alive today will also be alive in 2050. It is not some theoretical year in a science fiction future. This is not to say that if 2050 weren’t on our horizon, the responsibilities towards future generations would be less compelling. In 1987, the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) defined sustainable development as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. More…
Cetinje, 24 October 2012 On the UN Day, Montenegro got its first United Nations Park
This unique initiative brought together a number of partners. The Municipality of Cetinje allocated the land for the park, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration committed funds for the opening ceremony, while partners from the private sector – the insurance company UNIQA - donated the park infrastructure. The UN country staffs contributed by providing trees, and were eager to plant them themselves.
Podgorica, 17 October 2012 Montenegro is aiming at achieving gender equality by 2017
Podgorica, 16 October 2012 How can technology and new media improve the lives of Montenegrin citizens? In the last week of September, Montenegro joined the Social Good Summit, one of the largest and most global conversations in history. UNDP, the United Nations Foundation, Mashable, 92Y, Ericsson and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined together to answer the following question: How can new media and technology create solutions in your community? With its Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitments and the emerging use of new technologies to make citizen participation in political processes simpler and more inclusive, Montenegro had lots to contribute to the global conversation. More on the UNDP's regional blog Voices from Eurasia
12 October 2012 Disaster Risk Reduction Day: Act Now, Save Later Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Day is observed worldwide on 13 October 2012. This is an opportunity to raise awareness about the link between disaster preparedness, the elimination of poverty and resilience. This year a 2.5 minute animated advocacy video was launched by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and UNDP. The video, called Act Now, Save Later, is part of a broader social media campaign on disaster preparedness and an excellent tool for highlighting the urgent need for countries at risk to invest more in preparing for disasters caused by natural hazards. The video highlights:
Act Now, Save Later also shows how practical solutions, such as building retaining walls and earthquake-resistant structures, and distributing drought-resistant seeds, can help avert the devastating effects of disasters. The link here contains downloadable, high-resolution files of the video with subtitles in English, French, Spanish and Japanese.
Podgorica, 9 October 2012 Digital Democracy in Montenegro: Electronic petitions “Citizens Voice”
14-16 September 2012 Montenegro hosted first government communication conference in South Eastern Europe
The three days SEECOM brought together senior government communicators from the South Eastern Europe and some of the most prominent key-note speakers and presenters from Europe and the USA. The aim was to boost the role of government communicators in influencing government policies towards greater transparency, better access to information, and greater public participation in policy making, which should in turn advance participatory democracy in the region.
Cetinje, 12 September 2012 “Beautiful Cetinje” connecting energy efficiency and history
Keeping in mind that the price of energy and resources in general will continue to grow - with each increase projects like this one seem to appear more profitable:
September 2012 Enhancing Social Inclusion: With EU’s help towards a Montenegro Open for All The elderly, the disabled, the poor – in Montenegro, these groups are marginalized and denied the opportunity for a dignified role in the society. Given its scarce population of a little more than 600 000, it would seem as though the smallest Balkan state cannot afford to socially exclude a disproportionally high share of its inhabitants. And yet, numerous disadvantaged groups are facing the lack of understanding, public visibility, support from the society and adequate services and aid. Social exclusion has been recognized by the Government of Montenegro as one of the major societal challenges in the country, numerous strategic documents have been adopted and eradicating social exclusion has been made one of the key priorities in its ongoing process of the social welfare and child care system reform. In addition, the EU has financed the project “Social Welfare and Child Care Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion“, aimed to assist the Montenegrin Government in its efforts to create a comprehensive and sustainable social welfare and child care system, which will effectively fight social exclusion. The Project, implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Sports with support from UNDP and UNICEF, has financially supported establishment and running of local social services in seven pilot municipalities: Bar, Nikšić, Šavnik, Ulcinj, Mojkovac and Bijelo Polje. Video: Establishing local social services in Nikšić, Bar and Bijelo Polje
17 September Visualizing Montenegro’s budget: A step towards participatory budgeting? We are mindful of the fact that understanding how a central budget works is a complex feat, to say the least. Up to this point, the national budget has piqued the interest of NGOs which rely on a free access to information law to monitor public sector expenditures, whereas citizens themselves were not that involved. More on the UNDP's regional blog Voices from Eurasia
New York, 5 September 2012 UNDP Launches Collection of Innovative Development Stories in Europe and Central Asia The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched today a new publication at its Executive Board meeting showcasing transformative development achievements in Eastern European and Central Asian countries. Much of these successes are based on innovative new social policies addressing the needs of that region’s chronically poor and marginalized, including the Roma, youth, the long-term unemployed and people with disabilities. The publication, Empowering Lives, Building Resilience, provides vivid examples of “triple-win” strategies that aim to advance social, economic and environmental objectives simultaneously. As a result of these often innovative strategies, UNDP – always in partnership with governments, the private sector and civil society – has helped to create jobs, meet the needs of the most vulnerable, manage the environment responsibly and provide for the prevention of and recovery from crisis and disaster.
Northern Montenegro, 30 August 2012 More Fieldwork Experiences: Foursquare for Development – Stećci
30 August 2012 UNDP/GFATM Programmes in Montenegro have issued a newsletter
UNDP is the Principal Recipient (PR) of HIV and TB grants in Montenegro from 2006. The PR has worked actively to establish strong relations with relevant national stakeholders which is the key for the successful implementation of the National HIV and TB Programmes. The PR has also developed relations with number of NGOs to facilitate outreach to and screening of vulnerable groups difficult to reach through the national health care system. Hopefully, the Newsletter will contribute and help readers and their friends/families to gain the necessary knowledge in response to HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis in Montenegro.
29 August, 2012 A review of Owen Barder’s talk on complexity and development UNDP too, is analyzing how complexity science can strengthen its work – whether it’s related to sustainable development or to a broader approach of work in the field. USAID also held an event on the topic last year. Within this context, I’d like to try and contribute to the discussion through some reflections on Mr. Barder’s analysis. More on the UNDP's regional blog Voices from Eurasia
Northern Montenegro, 28 August 2012 More Fieldwork Experiences from the Durmitor region: Foursquare for Development
Northern Montenegro, 28 August, 2012 The Fieldwork: Foursquare for Development
We are now hearing directly from those individuals who performed the fieldwork.
Podgorica, 27 August, 2012 Montenegro’s Judiciary will continue to receive support in fighting corruption and organized crime
Podgorica, 22 August 2012 Smart, sustainable and inclusive Europe: Can we make it without women? During the visit, we discussed how at the European Union (EU) level, women make up 35 percent of the European Parliament. Even if all these women take a clear stand on a particular issue, and even if all of them have the courage and support to stand behind their idea when it is not in line with the general opinion of their party, this still does not guarantee that their voice will be heard enough to influence decision-making in a positive way. And that’s just in the Parliament, which has the authority to suggest policies, while the adoption and implementation of those policies are left to national governments and other EU bodies.At these levels, less than 35 percent of decision makers are women. Why is it important to have women on board? *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
1 August 2012 University of Saskatchewan: Aleksandra Ilic undertakes UNDP internship in Montenegro as part of the UCAN-UNDP partnership
Ilic has been undertaking an internship in the UNDP office in Montenegro as part of the Universities of Canada (UCAN)-UNDP partnership, which aims to involve Canadian graduate students in efforts to minimize the global burden of poverty. The program is being piloted through the U of S this year.
Podgorica, 31 July 2012 Could UNDP benefit from user-led research methodology?
Lead user (LU) research methodology has been utilized by many firms and organizations over the years. The main focus of such research is to address specific needs and requirements of lead users. An example of such use is Microsoft, which created a toolkit for its gamers/users to encourage them “to build new games for its games console.” Another example is Nortel Networks, which was “…the first company in the Internet industry to implement an LU method project in 2000, when they applied it to discover new voice, data, and location-based services for the wireless Internet, and to help identify disruptive technologies to their industry.” Could the UNDP utilize and benefit from LU research methodology? We believe the answer is yes. We begin by exploring the basics behind Eric von Hippel’s (et al) Lead User Project Handbook: a practical guide for lead user project teams, and customizing it to fit the UNDP.
Podgorica, 27 July 2012 Presentation of draft National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2012: ‘People are the real wealth of the country’ How rich is Montenegro?
According to the draft NHDR, more than 60% of people would rather work in the public administration for a €450 monthly salary than in the private sector for €300 more. Every other Montenegrin thinks that hard work does not mean success, and that success can be achieved sooner with the help of ‘Lady Luck’ and indispensable connections. In addition, almost every one of them considers it important to be well connected with someone holding a significant position.
Podgorica, 26 July 2012 Keeping an eye on your government Democratic governance allows citizens to evaluate government performance and hold those in power accountable through elections. However, are elections really transforming governance systems and making them more effective? The practice does not really confirm that. Today’s leaders, with their agendas for change, clearly voiced the need for the tools to monitor implementation of their commitments, progress with their political agenda and goals they delegated to the public administration. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Podgorica, 22-23 July 2012 UN Secretary-General looks to the future during his first visit to Montenegro
Having emphasized earlier that his visit is focused on the future, the Secretary-General said that Montenegro is currently on a bright path – or - what is to come for Montenegro is full of promise - , as demonstrated by the EU decision to open accession negotiations, only six years since obtaining independence. “The region has suffered great trials and trauma. But the focus of my journey is not on the past - even though we must acknowledge it - but on the future”, he stated at the joint press conference with President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović. For more information please go to the UN in Montenegro website.
Podgorica, 23 July 2012 A wonderful community of friends and practitioners - bringing together the best of minds to develop capacity for disaster risk reduction (while having tons of fun!)
With all support and guidance from the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery’s Disaster Response Team, we started scanning our brains on how to make this event a memorable one and get the most out of the seasoned disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners coming in from all over the region. So here’s our take on how we all enjoyed this event and made the best out of it!
Podgorica, 19 July 2012 Unlikely allies: Can social networks help build new business?
This paradox is most evident in the tourism sector, where out of 1.5 million tourists that visit Montenegro only five to seven percent visit the northern region. Could social network theory provide some ideas as to how to address this problem? Montenegro’s northern region features situational inequality – people in the north are on average much worse off socio-economically than those living in other parts of the country. But there is another type of inequality at play best explained with a following example: a person living on $2 a day is not likely to be friends with someone who owns a Ferrari.
Podgorica, 19 July 2012 Why do we trivialize domestic violence? The study shows that 91.7 percent of Montenegrins believe domestic violence is omnipresent in the country, a number that tells us people are aware of domestic violence and know how to identify it. However, every fourth person holds the victim responsible. The difference between these two numbers is worrisome, to say the least. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Podgorica, 17 July 2012 FourSquare for the Development of Northern Montenegro – The Results of the Votes
Foursquare is currently our preferred method of presenting the stories and travel routes. In terms of the next steps, our plan is to start building 5 teams that will engage with the communities on the ground and start developing these stories. If you would still like to get involved in the project, please let us know here! Tell us where you live, the topic you’d like to get involved in, and whether or not you have access to a smart phone (*Important in regards to the ‘Check-Ins’ on FourSquare*).
Podgorica, 12th July 2012 New Study on Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in Montenegro
On the maps of the Women Stats Project, the most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women in the world, the region of Western Balkans is painted darker green, showing medium to low levels of physical security for women. Montenegro shares a lot of the patriarchal characteristics of its society with countries in the region, along with the implicit presence of sexism, gender discrimination and a traditionalist low propensity for change in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Podgorica, 10 July 2012 Montenegro: How Decentralization of Social Services Leads to their Efficiency
The conference, which brought together representatives of all of the 21 Montenegrin municipalities, aimed to further direct joint work in the area of development of social and child care services at the local level, in order to establish a comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable social welfare and child care system. This event was also an opportunity for participants to familiarize themselves with regional and local experiences and practices, official positions and policies of ministries and municipalities, legislative framework, along with the challenges and limitations encountered in this field.
Podgorica, 9 July 2012 Tourism cross-border cooperation between Croatia and Montenegro: a success story
Podgorica, 9 July 2012 “Foursquare for Development” of northern Montenegro! Blog post by Milica Begovic Radojevic, PhD, Economy and Environment Cluster Leader at the UNDP Montenegro and Sandra Ilic, intern with the Economy and Environment cluster, in cooperation with Digitalizuj.me
UNDP Country Office in Montenegro partnered with two institutions nationally to put the idea of using Foursquare for tourism development to the test- DigitalizujMe, a grassroots movement that brings together Montenegro’s digital community, and DomainMe, a for-profit company with strong corporate social responsibility element related to youth.
Berane, Kolašin, 2-6 July 2012 5th Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”: In the wake of Montenegro’s negotiations start with the EU “Working for years in the French Foreign Affairs, you get a bit caught up in your work and your dossiers,” says Ms. Anna Maros from France “This helps you to take a step back and think about the way you envisage diplomacy in a broader way.” Ms. Maros is one of the 40 young and aspiring diplomats who came from 33 countries to participate in the 5th annual Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković”, held in Berane and Kolašin, in the north of Montenegro.
Podgorica, 4 July 2012 Disaster Risk Reduction: An essential component in Montenegro’s development
Exactly 20 years after the Earth Summit, the United Nations has organized the Rio +20 Summit, the focus of which has been a worldwide future of sustainable development through the establishment of disaster risk reduction strategies. The impact of disasters worldwide in the last 20 years has been dramatic. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), acting as a United Nations Office, has presented the following statistics:
Podgorica, 27 June 2012 Citizen apps – enough to monitor open government?
So this got me thinking: what makes the Open Government Partnership different than existing multilateral initiatives adopted in the attempt to curb corruption? *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Budva, 25 June 2012 Women must first be secure in their family to feel safe in society
Gradual resolving of the issues of war crimes, refugees, rights of vulnerable citizens, as well as many development issues, are now on top of both national and regional programs. Many specific decisions, made in the spirit of understanding and cooperation, are being applied. For those issues still unresolved - a favorable political and social climate is being created. Montenegro had the good fortune to be spared from direct conflicts, but, unfortunately, it shared the fate of its neighbors when it comes to refugees, war crimes and poverty.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 22 June 2012 Rio+20 Legacy: World Centre for Sustainable Development launched by Brazil and UNDP As a major and concrete legacy of the Rio+20 Conference, the Brazilian Government announced the creation of Rio+ Centre, the World Centre for Sustainable Development, at a ceremony this morning attended by Izabella Teixeira, Brazil’s Minister for the Environment and Helen Clark, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator. The Rio+ Centre will facilitate research, knowledge exchange and promote international debate about sustainable development. It will bring together a broad international consortium of partners, consisting of government agencies, United Nations agencies, local governments (including the state government and municipality of Rio de Janeiro), NGOs, universities, think-tanks and the private sector.
Podgorica, 21 June 2012 The green economy: not a choice, a necessity Op-ed post by Rastislav Vrbensky, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro and Milica Begović Radojević, Economy and Environment Cluster Leader at the UNDP in Montenegro* What are the messages we believe leaders should not lose sight of during the lengthy Rio discussions? *This op-ed post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’ , while in local language it was first published in the Montenegrin daily Pobjeda
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 20 June 2012 Going beyond GDP, UNDP proposes human development measure of sustainability In a high-level forum at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development today the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) presented the conceptual groundwork for a future “Sustainable Human Development Index,” which would recognize the cost of human development to future generations. The UNDP forum was prompted by the call made by many in Rio for a UN-led examination of alternatives to purely economic measurements of national and global progress, said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, who moderated today’s panel discussion.
Podgorica, 19 June 2012 Complexity and development Who would have thought that one of the greatest advancements in human history – the Industrial Revolution – today directly contributes to the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events? As these surprises keep coming at us faster and faster, how do we manage our response? *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Podgorica, 19 June 2012 Voices of the Citizens of Montenegro: The Future We Want Recently Kolašin hosted a conference on Sustainable Development in Montenegro, as part of its preparation for Montenegro’s national participation in the Rio +20 Summit. This conference was one of the first events held in Montenegro in which hundreds of citizens participated in real time via Twitter. The dialogue provoked a number of important questions, to which there were no concrete answers, partly because of the complexity of the problems faced by both Montenegro and many other countries. However, the quest continues. Partners from the NGO sector, the National Council for Sustainable Development and UNDP continued this dialogue on World Environment Day, held June 5th, 2012. Discussions on Sustainable Development took place in the form of several mini Rio Summits, during which citizens continued to express their opinions on the topic. Their comments, presented in this video, will serve as the last piece of the puzzle of the Government’s platform for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. In this way, voices of the local communities will be heard even in the distant Rio de Janeiro Summit.
Podgorica, 18 june 2012 Montenegro: Public trust in political party financing must improve
Podgorica, 14 June 2012 Opening up government data – not if, but when So this got us thinking. How can governments leverage proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and growing connected societies for real social change? *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Cetinje, 7-8 June 2012 National parks, business clusters and decentralization – a key to overcoming regional disparities and reducing the impact of economic crisis in Montenegro
New York, 6 June 2012 Celebrities join UNDP video on sustainable development United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched today a video spot “The Future We Want” which uses voices of Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, French actor Lambert Wilson, Brazilian football star Marta Vieira da Silva and Italian actress Laura Morante, to explain what sustainable development is to mainstream audiences. The public service announcement will be part of the “Future We Want” campaign of the United Nations ahead of the Conference on Sustainable Development, or ‘Rio+20,’ to be held in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012. The video aims at explaining the foundation of sustainable development planning, i.e., each policy and investment decision must take into equal consideration its economic, social and environmental impacts. Poznate ličnosti govore o održivom razvoju u videu UNDP
New York, 6 June 2012 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges public to vote on “The Future You Want”
“Go to vote.riodialogues.org. Tell us what you think,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today in statement. “Those votes —the voices of the people— can make a difference in building a prosperous, equitable, stable and sustainable world for all.” The voting will close on Friday 15 June 2012. Generalni sekretar UN Ban Ki-mun pozvao građane da glasaju za „Budućnost kakvu želimo“
Podgorica, 4 June 2012 From’ Big Rio’ and ‘My Rio’ to many ‘Mini Rio-s’
Perhaps not surprisingly, there are very few straight forward answers so the quest continues. NGO partners, National Council for Sustainable Development and UNDP symbolically will continue the dialogue on June 5th- the Environment Day. It will take the form of several Mini Rio Summits that will engage citizens on a number of issues related to sustainable development and continue throughout the month concluding with the reflections of the Rio+ conference.
Podgorica, 31 May 2012 My experience thus far: The internship of a lifetime with UNDP Montenegro
Podgorica, 28 May 2012 The sound of my voice One of my classmates chose to talk about women’s rights and equality between men and women in Montenegro. She was convinced that her speech would make young people consider the possible change they could make in their behavior and in society in general. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
New York, 25 May 2012 Nepal: Expanding access to renewable energy Students of the government-run Shree Tribhuvan secondary school in Kharbang, western Nepal, have been enjoying a constant supply of electricity to their classrooms following the installation of a micro hydropower plant in their village. Tul Bahadur Thapa, a grade 3 student, says he moved to Kharbang from another school where there was no electricity: “Here, there is a computer lab and my teachers use a projector to teach maths, science, and other subjects. We use calculators in computers. At times, we also play games on the computer.”
Podgorica, 23 May 2012 3 reasons why you should care about good governance If your government is not providing the quality of life that you think you and your fellow citizens deserve, it most likely has to do with good governance – or a lack thereof. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
New York, 22 May 2012 UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Antonio Banderas invites people to join the global conversation on Rio+20 World renowned Spanish actor and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador Antonio Banderas today launched a public service announcement aiming at inviting people to join the global conversation alongside the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development “Rio+20”.
Podgorica, 17 May 2012 Call me crazy: from environmental hotspot to eco-tourism
*This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Podgorica, 14 May 2012 Social card: Advancing social protection for citizens of Montenegro with the help of UNDP
Electronic social card is one of the main pillars of social welfare reform and is deemed very important in the context of on-going efforts to enhance the efficiency of social protection for families, individuals, children in risk and people in need of social protection. The project “Social Card – SWIS” is conceived by the Government of Montenegro and is to be realized with UNDP’s expert assistance.
Podgorica, 4 May 2012 ‘Big Rio’ to ‘My Rio’ – things I learned from live tweeting
In discussing the set-up of the meeting with the Government of Montenegro, which happens to be the first Twitter government in the region, we thought that it would be important to try and tune citizens all over the country into the discussion. We agreed to have a live tweeting session from the event in order to get a more personal and informal voice to, what often turns out be jargon-filled policy debates. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Budva, 25-26 April 2012 New guidelines for gender sensitive policing practice in South East Europe
Kolašin, 24 – 25 April 2012 Going toward Rio +20: How can we reach sustainable development and ‘green’ economy in Montenegro?
Podgorica, 23 April 2012 Promoting participatory democracy: Montenegrin Government and UNDP signed an agreement to implement “Citizens’ Voice” project
Podgorica, 17 April 2012 From “big Rio” to “my Rio” – making the sustainable development dialogue relevant for ordinary citizens in Montenegro
The event is Montenegro’s contribution to a global dialogue on sustainability and an opportunity for the country to consolidate the platform it will present at the global Sustainable Development Conference, the Rio+ meeting in June. *This post was originally published on UNDP's regional blog ‘Voices from Eurasia’
Podgorica, 28 March 2012 Call for establishing partnership with NGOs in the preparation of Montenegro for the Rio+20 Summit
* * * Poziv za uspostavljanje partnerstva sa nevladinim organizacijama u procesu priprema Crne Gore za samit Rio+20 UNDP i Ministarstvo održivog razvoja i turizma Crne Gore pozivaju zainteresovane nevladine organizacije da se pridruže procesu priprema za predstojeću Konferenciju Ujedinjenih nacija o održivom razvoju – samit Rio +20. Cilj ovog partnerstva je povećanje učešća građana u procesu nacionalnih konsultacija. Rok za prijave je do 2. aprila 2012. godine. Više informacija naći ćete u Pozivu za partnerstvo za uključivanje građana.
Istanbul, 23 March 2012 Eastern Europe and Central Asia should transition toward sustainable development now or pay more in the future, says UN report
The report, From Transition to Transformation: Sustainable and Inclusive Development in Europe and Central Asia, was launched at the first Global Human Development Forum which brought together high-level experts from governments, corporations, civil society and international organizations to examine the global policy changes required to ensure a sustainable future for people today and for generations to come.
Podgorica, 19 March 2012 Sustainability of public finances – a key to overcoming the crisis
Podgorica, 15 March 2012 Croatia transfers their experience in the EU accession process to Montenegro
Istanbul, 14 March 2012 Global Forum in Istanbul to focus on action agenda for UN “Rio + 20” Sustainable Development summit
Podgorica, 17 February 2012 UN helps in mitigating the impact of the heaviest snowstorm in recent history of Montenegro
In an unprecedented crisis which mobilized all parts of society, including Government, army, police, health, local authorities, civil and private sector, special services, etc.. the UN System in Montenegro joined efforts with national and international partners to provide help to citizens most affected by the disaster.
Podgorica, 20 January 2012 Business clusters to increase the competitiveness of Montenegrin economy
New York, 17 January 2011 Empowering Lives, Building Resilience - Development Stories from Europe and Central Asia
It is the first volume in a series devoted to documenting transformational success stories in the region, and it contains a story about the UNDP implemented demilitarization project in Montenegro („Montenegro: Defence Reform Ushers in Greater Security“, pages 63-68). Uvod u Priče o unapređenju razvoja u Evropi i Centralnoj Aziji
Podgorica, 16 January 2012 The Government of Montenegro signed Country Programme Action Plans 2012-2016 with the UNICEF and the UNDP
Bečići, 21-14 December 2011 Political power in Montenegro is still reserved for men
Podgorica, 16 December 2011 CSR in Montenegro: Private sector is a link between the government, NGOs and society
Podgorica, 9 December 2011 Protecting patients’ rights in Montenegro: achievements and challenges
Podgorica, 25 November 2011 Montenegro gets a Protocol on procedures in domestic violence cases
Podgorica, 25 November 2011 First Legal Aid Office in Montenegro: Equal access to justice for all
The Legal Aid Office in the Basic Court in Podgorica will become fully operational as of January 2012. In the scope of the project, two more pilot offices in Pljevlja and Rožaje were equipped, while additional two offices in Nikšić and Kotor will be funded through One UN facility since Montenegro is ‘Delivering as One’ self-starter country. The Right to Legal Aid brochure (in Montenegrin)/Brošura: Pravo na besplatnu pravnu pomoć
Podgorica, 23 November 2011 UNDP supports community based social services in Montenegro
Podgorica, 11 November 2011 Advancing human resource capacities of municipalities to better deliver services to citizens
“Functional review of the human resource function and management capacities in Montenegrin municipal administrations” – will be available soon “Analiza funkcija i kapaciteta upravljanja ljudskim resursima u crnogorskim opštinskim upravama“– biće dostupna uskoro
2 November 2011 UNDP’s Global Human Development Report 2011: Montenegro ranks 54th among 187 countries in "human development"
UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) supposes that well-being depends on more than money, so it measures health and education alongside income. The aim of development is not economic growth for its own sake but rather creating an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy, and creative lives.
Podgorica, 24 October, 2011 UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro presented credentials to President Vujanović
For Mr. Vrbensky's first official address in Montenegro please go to the country's One UN website: http://www.un.org.me/index.php?page=un-resident-coordinator
Podgorica, 21 October 2011 Together on the same task: Committed to strengthening the financial control mechanisms in Montenegro
Ms. Annie Demirjian, Team Leader on Democratic Governance from the UNDP Regional office in Bratislava: How it should be: Civil society and Government partner on financial accountability
Podgorica, 20 October 2011 Montenegro getting ready for Rio+20: Bringing together three pillars of sustainable development
For more information about the Montenegro Report for Rio+20 please go to http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/index.php?page=view&type=510&nr=364&menu=20
Bečići, 17 – 20 October 2011 Fifth annual review of the programme for national response to HIV and timely diagnosing and treatment of AIDS in Montenegro: Significant progress achieved, additional efforts pending
These programmes have received the best mark (A1) from the donor, and as such have been recommended as a good practice example when compared to the regional practice. The programme of the national response to HIV and timely diagnosing and treatment of AIDS in Montenegro is designed as multi-sectoral response involving various Ministries such as those of health, education, internal and foreign affairs etc. and is financially supported by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). In the Round 5 funding cycle GFATM provided grant in amount of 2.4 million Euro for programme “Support to implementation of the HIV/AIDS Strategy in Montenegro”; 1.3 million Euro for programme “Establishing and pursuing a high quality of Tuberculosis Control Programme in Montenegro” in Round 6; and in Round 9 grant in amount of 4.8 million Euro for programme “Scale up of the HIV response among most at risk populations in Montenegro”.
Podgorica, 27 September 2011 Striking findings of the “Gender and Sport” study: Women comprise only 10% of sportspeople in Montenegro
New York, 19 September 2011 Women's Political Participation – Making Gender Equality in Politics a Reality
World’s most powerful women call for stronger political role for females The webcast archive of the event is available and is definitely worth a watch!!!
Podgorica, 16 September 2011 IPA Gender Programme welcomes the adoption of mandatory quota for women on electoral lists
The introduction of quotas is a good entry point which creates an opportunity for women to make a greater contribution to and influence more strongly political decision making. However, it is necessary that political parties invest additioanl efforts so that women have a true chance to participate in the work of Montenegrin and local parliaments.
Herceg Novi, 14–16 September 2011 Determining Directions in Development:
UNDP in Montenegro this week organized the first in a series of three workshops for drafting strategic plans for Žabljak and Kolašin. The production of these documents stems from the obligations stipulated by the Law on Regional Development. The training was delivered by UNDP consultants who will cooperate with municipal officials in the upcoming workshops, as well as through the practical work in the municipalities.
New York, 14 September 2011 New guide to help developing countries speed up access to climate finance
Kolašin, 22 – 24 August 2011 Preparing for the worst: flood risk assessments carried out in 12 high-risk municipalities
New York, 22 August 2011 Equator Prize opens worldwide call for sustainable development award nominations
The Equator Initiative will award its biennial prize for local solutions in sustainable development at next year’s UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). Nominations are open from 146 countries through October 31, 2011. Eligibility has been expanded to include all countries receiving support from UNDP, making this a truly global award for local best practice. Equator Prize 2012 Call for Nominations
Žabljak, 27-28 July 2011 New initiative from Montenegro: Unleashing the economic potential for sustainable development of the Dinaric Arc eco-region
The first regional consultative meeting on ‘Via Dinarica’ was held in the pictoresque mountain town of Žabljak in Montenegro. The main goal was to create a basis for establishing of this corridor that should become one of the world's top destinations. Watch video about the Via Dinarica initiative
Cetinje, 15 July 2011 The Montenegrin Old Royal Capital of Cetinje will get a new, beautiful and energy efficient face
This project, which the Old Royal Capital of Montenegro will realize in cooperation with the UNDP Montenegro, will contribute greatly to the economic revitalization of this city, but will also make a significant step for the entry of Cetinje on UNESCO list. This was the conclusion of the conference „Beautiful Cetinje“. The main purpose of this project is the reconstruction of the cultural and historic heritage and implementation of energy efficiency, providing of professional training and support to entrepreneurship and small businesses.
Podgorica, 12 July 2011 IPA Gender Programme: The Counselling board for economic empowerment established and its first conclusion made
The Counselling Board appeals to the Ministries to find a possibility to get the programs for the implementation of the Activity plans for achieving gender equality developed as soon as possible, and to plan the needed funds accordingly.
Podgorica, 11 July 2011 IPA Gender Programme Montenegro: The Council for political participation established and its first decision made
Participants in the first session of the Council for political participation within the Gender Equality Programme, agreed that the Law on election of counsellors and members of parliament has to contain an affirmative action for the less represented sex, in order for Montenegro to get closer to the best practices of the European Union countries, as well as to fulfil the standards accepted through ratification of the United Nations Conventions. Berane – Kolašin – Podgorica, 6 – 11 July 2011 Fourth Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“
More information about the School and video statements in English and in Montenegrin…
Podgorica, 27 June 2011 Ten women MPs and 242 representatives of the academia calling for obligatory gender quotas in the new election law
Podgorica, 24 June 2011 Secretary General’s message on 5th anniversary of Montenegro’s membership in the UN
To read more, please go to the UN in Montenegro website
Podgorica, 23 June 2011 New initiative from Montenegro for development of tourism in the Dinaric Arc region: Unleashing the economic potential of ecosystems to catalyze sustainable development of rural mountain communities in Dinaric Arc eco-region
Podgorica, 9 June 2011 Strengthening mechanisms for public finance to reduce regional disparities in Montenegro
The project was initiated by UNDP, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Union of Municipalities. In order to reflect the actual needs as realistically as possible, the project was developed on the basis of concrete suggestions that all municipalities submitted in response to a specifically tailored questionnaire. More…
Žabljak, 9 June 2011 The new face of Žabljak as seen through the lens of architecture students
Budva, 8-9 June 2011 The right to a fair trial: Improving reporting on criminal proceedings in Montenegro
Guide for Journalists through Criminal Proceedings (Vodič za novinare kroz krivični postupak): http://www.cedem.me/fajlovi/attach_fajlovi/pdf/vodic_za_novinare-2011-3-30.pdf
New York, 2 June 2011 UNDP empowers low-income countries to find way through climate finance maze
The guidebook draws on UNDP’s experience managing one-thousand multimillion dollar climate projects in 140 countries during the last two decades. It contains a step-by-step guidance for identification and implementation of an optimal mix of public policies and funding instruments to raise climate finance.
Podgorica, 27 May 2011 National weapons registration and record-keeping system established in Montenegro
Danilovgrad, 20 May 2011 New achievement of the MONDEM programme for safer Montenegro
Podgorica, 20 May 2011 Public officials have limited knowledge about Law on gender Equality, shows survey
The study, which was conducted in the second half of last year, was carried out with a sample of 252 respondents from Parliament, Government, the Secretariat for legislation, administration, departments, boards, committees, the Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Employers, the Olympic Committee, the Radio and Television of Montenegro and parliamentary political parties. The results were presented by the Committee for Gender Equality of the Parliament of Montenegro, together with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the UNDP Montenegro.
Cetinje, 5 - 6 May 2011 The 12th Cetinje Parliamentary Forum: “Parliamentary oversight of defence and security sector in the region”
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - 29 April, 2011 UNDP going green in Europe and CIS
Podgorica, 19 April, 2011 „The Virus”, a sweeping story about stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV
The play is a story of a young, successful and popular rock star that gets infected with HIV. Through his girlfriend’s and family’s reactions related to his “tragic guilt”, the play realistically depicts a drama caused by ignorance about the infection and panic fear from it. In this way, all the parties involved become victims and executors at the same time.
Budva, 18-20 April 2011 Establishing National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Montenegro: investment in preventing and mitigating disasters saves both lives and money
Dubrovnik, 16-17 April 2011 Montenegro and Croatia continue cooperation under the IPA umbrella
Given the growth, in recent years, of the outdoor tourism market in Montenegro, this focus on ensuring safety and security is of the utmost importance. ITLS courses give participants the knowledge and hands-on skills to take better care of trauma patients, stressing rapid assessment and examination of the injured, identification of immediate life threats and appropriate intervention to prevent the consequences of trauma. Since its foundation, over 500,000 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals have undergone ITLS training, which is dynamic and practical and delivered in the same way all around the world: it lasts 2 days, consists of lectures and exercises, and ends in practical and written assessment of knowledge. Upon the course completion, trainees are issued international certificates valid for 3 years. When on the world I ope’d my eyes I saw our mountains high, Armenia, 12 – 17 April 2011 Visit of UNDP Montenegro to UNDP Armenia: Knowledge is power when shared
In order to exchange experiences, share best practices and identify potential points of collaboration, a small group from UNDP Montenegro travelled to Armenia in April 2011 to meet their counterparts. The trip turned out to be an outstanding mission, and guests were absolutely impressed by the UNDP Country Office Armenia – in terms of professionalism, high morale, hospitality and wonderful human spirit.
Podgorica, 5 April 2011 The Law on Legal Aid adopted: UNDP assisted Montenegro in achieving equal access to courts for all citizens
Podgorica, 25 March 2011 Study on Competitiveness of Montenegrin Economy: Improving competitiveness of economy means improving the quality of life of citizens
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – 22 March, 2011 World water day: Water supply and sanitation in Europe and Central Asia
The internationally recognized right to water guarantees that all people have access to safe potable water at an affordable price, regardless of their age, sex, race, gender, or ethnicity. Many countries lack enforcement mechanisms to realize the right, and have insufficient monitoring bodies to ensure the equitable implementation of water policies and provide redress for violations. To read more, please go to the UNDP Europe and CIS website
Podgorica, 10 March 2011 The “Integrity Assessment of the Health System in Montenegro” research to help in stamping out corruption
The research reveals that informal payments and gifts are common – 55.7% out of 3.000 respondents stated that they made informal payments or gave gifts, which makes around 8% of the gross average salary (or 12,5% of the net average salary) in 2010 in Montenegro. These payments were made in addition to regular contributions amounting to 8.5% of the gross average salary, which each employed Montenegrin citizen is already paying to the health care system. Among health care workers, 49% confirmed that they received informal payments from their patients. In the majority of cases, patients or their family members who gave gifts/money were hospitalized to give birth (36,8%) or to undergo a surgery (31,7%). In particular, payments and gifts are frequently made to doctors who treat the patient (26%), surgeons (24%) nurses (21%) and midwives (21%) and in 1% to anesthesiologists.
Dubrovnik, 4 March 2011 Cross-border cooperation for better tourism
The €387,250 EU-funded action called Business Cooperation and Skills Improvement for the Development of Outdoor Tourism will be implemented by the Centre for Sustainable Tourism Initiatives in cooperation with UNDP Montenegro, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and the NGO ‘The Sun’ from Split.
For more information please visit the website of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro
Bratislava, 2 March 2011 Including all women
All across Europe, Roma women are among the most disadvantaged populations. On average, a Roma woman in Slovakia is estimated to die 17 years earlier than a non Roma woman, Roma girls are twice as likely to get married and have children before their 20th birthday than non Roma girls, and Roma women are less likely to complete their education. They are less likely to learn to read, and more likely to be unemployed than non-Roma women and Roma men.
Podgorica, 28 February 2011 The Third Public Hearing on the Strategic Coherence Framework: Implementing structures are a precondition for the EU funds
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, with the support of the Capacity Development Programme (CDP) and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro organized the third public hearing on the Strategic Coherence Framework and Operational Programmes for the III and IV IPA components with the national priorities, as well as the priorities of the European Union. This public hearing was organized within the project “Strengthening Capacities for IPA Programming and Implementation in Montenegro”, funded by the EU and implemented by the CDP.
Podgorica, 22 February 2011 Making a difference in Montenegrin society through a new project for enhancing social inclusion: Social inclusion is not just a couple of words, it means putting human beings at the centre of all policies
Podgorica, 19 February 2011 School as a place to motivate students for a responsible attitude towards their health: UNDP helps to promote healthy lifestyles
Mojkovac, 31 January 2011 Cleaning up toxic past, Montenegro town pioneers a green economy
For more information please go to the UNDP Europe & CIS website
Tivat, 20 January 2011 Collaborating on the development of Adventure Tourism in Montenegro and Croatia
“UNDP will support the project through work on achieving two concrete results: 1) upgrading the safety standards in tourism by strengthening the capacities of Mountain Rescue Services of Montenegro and Croatia to use GIS technologies in rescue missions, and establishing the standard operating procedures for cooperation between the two Mountain Rescue Services in the cross-border area, as well as providing support in knowledge and experience exchange between the two organizations; 2) diversifying tourism offer through certifying expert guides for kayaking, caving, hiking and biking,“ said Ms. Milica Begović Radojević, Economy and Environment Cluster Leader at UNDP Montenegro.
Podgorica, 14 January 2011 Fascination with New Legislation
First, they prepared a conceptual framework, i.e. policy paper (a concept introduced from the English language and difficult to explain and translate in most Slavic languages*), which was then followed by a comprehensive public discussion along with an announcement that they would start drafting the legislation only after having consulted with all interested stakeholders. This approach is quite new even for the countries with far greater democratic experience and tradition and thus it has been already announced that it will be used as an example of good practice in the region.
Podgorica, 23 December 2010 GIS gains importance for environmental management as Montenegro progresses toward the EU
UNDP will continue providing support to Montenegrin governmental and non-governmental institutions in using GIS as an essential tool for a more effective management of natural resources and more informed decision making through focus on protected areas, sustainable tourism and spatial planning.
Podgorica, 21 December 2010 Latest results of the integrity and capacity assessment of the public administration in Montenegro
The survey was conducted by the IPSOS Puls agency of Zagreb for the needs of The Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative under the Government of Montenegro (DACI) and the UNDP Montenegro, with a purpose to gather data that serve as basic indicators for future planning of strategic responses in the field of anti-corruption policy and public administration reform. „Integrity and capacity assessment of the public administration in Montenegro“
Budva, 13-14 December 2010
The Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment and the UNDP Montenegro organized a two-day seminar on the topic “Practical Experiences in the Implementation of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction”, with an aim to improve the Law through recommendations for amendments, as well as to exchange experiences and to discuss the key issues related to the implementation of this Law. Amendments to the Law aim at improving procedures defined by the Law itself, including reducing time and procedures for obtaining a build permit, as well as other permits. This will result in eliminating business barriers and creating conditions for better results in domains of spatial planning and supervision. Participants in this seminar were representatives of the Ministry for Spatial Planning and Environment, other ministries, UNDP, directorates and agencies, representatives of Montenegrin municipalities and Secretariats for spatial planning and environment protection in the local self-governments, Union of Municipalities, donor organizations, Chamber of Commerce, Union of Employers, Montenegro Business Alliance (planners, designers and contractors), Chamber of Engineers, Association of Foreign Investors, as well as representatives of other relevant institutions and interested organizations participating in the process of spatial planning and construction.
13 December 2010 Development and Transition
To read the full article, please click here.
Budva, 9 December 2010 Nineteen Institutions, Companies and NGOs from Montenegro Join the UN Global Compact
Zagreb, 8 December 2010 Regional Reports Launched at e-Leadership Regional e-Accessibility Workshop
Budva, 1 December 2010 Improving the efficiency of the Justice System – Regional Ministerial Meeting on Mediation in Montenegro
The initiative was organized jointly with UNDP, UNICEF, and the International Finance Corporation, This was the first time ministers of justice and justice professionals from all across the region sat together to discuss mediation.. Ministers of justice and high officials from the Ministries of Justice of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and the FYR Macedonia agreed that the promotion of mediation should be encouraged in all countries of the region, as it is one of the most efficient forms of alternative dispute resolution.
Podgorica, 29 November 2010 Ministry of Interior and Public Administration of Montenegro, UNDP and OSCE signed Memorandum of Understanding on Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW)
Kolašin, 24-26 November 2010 National Policy Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction in Montenegro
Podgorica, 19 November 2010 Study visit to Estonia as part of “Good Health System Governance in Montenegro”, a joint project of WHO and UNDP
Podgorica, 19 November 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Taking Root in Montenegro
Podgorica, 12 November 2010 Getting out of the Crisis: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Future Steps
United Nations, 4 November 2010 UNDP Global Report Charts Two Decades of Human Development Progress
Podgorica and Bijelo Polje, 25-26 October 2010 Strengthening Inter-municipal Cooperation in Montenegro When municipalities cooperate, everyone benefits
Podgorica, 18 October 2010 Implementation of the Law on Prevention of Violence in Family Taking into consideration that 2010 was proclaimed by the Montenegrin Government the Year of Fight against Violence in Family, the round table was organized with an aim to discuss the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Violence in Family, which was adopted in July 2010, to exchange experiences gained from its implementation to date, as well as to discuss challenges and ways to promote coordinated cooperation of relevant institutions.
Podgorica, 6 October 2010 “Good Health System Governance in Montenegro”, a new joint project of WHO and UNDP
The expected outcome of the Project is to provide a road map for stepwise implementation of priority reform measures. The aim is to ensure an adequate response to the population’s health needs and enable equal access to quality health services across different levels of care to all social groups regardless of their socio-economic status and geographical distribution.
Mojkovac, 5 October 2010 UNDP-supported initiative “Northern Challenge” wins gold
Podgorica, 1 October 2010 The second public hearing on the Strategic Coherence Framework
The Strategic Coherence Framework (CSF) is a reference document for the use of EU’s financial support towards the accession during the programming period 2011 - 2013. Taking into account the importance of this document for the development of Montenegro, as well as the need for transparency in the process of EU accession, the Ministry for European Integration has addressed a call for the second public hearing to the ministries, municipalities, NGOs and other institutions involved in the process of preparing strategic documents for the use of EU future funds.
Podgorica, 13-14 September 2010 Regional Human Rights and Justice Community of Practice Meeting
Podgorica, 7-8 September 2010 UNDP Administrator Helen Clark’s official visit to Montenegro
“Clearly EU accession is a huge priority for Montenegro, and I genuinely hope that when the EU pronounces on the subject in the next few weeks, it will be a positive announcement. I can see that UNDP and Montenegro can work together towards the accession objective, in the same way we have supported a lot of other countries who have been new member states over the past fifteen years or so. So there is a lot to do to gain entry into the EU, but I think the plans that we have got, together with the government of Montenegro are going to be successful in time,” she said in a statement before departure. While in Montenegro, Helen Clark met with President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović, Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and Minister of Foreign Affairs Milan Roćen. Together with the Prime Minister she laid the cornerstone of the new UN Eco Building. Helen Clark also met with the UNDP Team in Montenegro and the Heads of resident UN Agencies, and she visited the North of the country, to discuss UNDP’s support in sustainable tourism development. She stopped in Mojkovac to view progress on the remediation of the tailing impound as part of the Western Balkans Environmental Hot Spots Programme, and how it has helped community development. Video story of Helen Clark’s visit to Montenegro More…
Podgorica, 6 September 2010 UNDP Administrator Helen Clark to pay an official visit to Montenegro
While in Montenegro, Helen Clark will meet with President Filip Vujanović, Prime Minister Milo Đukanović and Minister of Foreign Affairs Milan Roćen. She will also meet with the Heads of resident UN Agencies, and will visit the North of the country, to discuss UNDP’s support in sustainable development. She will also stop in Mojkovac to view progress on the remediation of the tailing impound as part of the Western Balkans Environmental Hot Spots Programme.
IN MEMORY OF PREDRAG PEĐA DAKOVIĆ 3 February 1979 – 15 August 2010
We are all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our dear colleague Peđa Daković, who died in a road accident on Sunday, 15 August 2010. Peđa came to the UNDP Montenegro in 2004 as Deputy Project Manager, and from 2006 to 2010 he worked as Project Manager for ‘Strengthening Governance Systems in Urban Planning in Montenegro’. In June 2010 he joined the Ministry for Spatial Planning and Environment of Montenegro as Assistant Minister of Construction. Prior to his engagement in the UNDP Peđa worked as Commercial Director of the private company A.D. Napredak and as Bussines Advisor at the USAID/Flag International. Peđa held a Degree in International Business and Management from the Northwood University Midland MI, USA. During his studies he was an outstanding basketball player. It was our honor and privilege to know Peđa, and he had our greatest respect as a colleague and true friend. His bright personality, generous nature, remarkable sense of humor, professionalism and dedication to work, but above all – his big heart - will be sadly missed by all who were fortunate to know him. His passing leaves a void in our lives, but he will always be in our hearts and memories.
Podgorica – Berane – Kolašin, 6 – 9 July 2010 Third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“
This third Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, with the support of the Capacity Development Programme (CDP), the UNDP in Montenegro and the Government of Norway. The School is named after the first Montenegrin Minister of Foreign Affairs Gavro Vuković. Around 50 young diplomats from twenty nine countries of the world participated in the School, while the lecturers were prominent practitioners and theoreticians of international politics from the region and the world.
21-22 June 2010, Cetinje The 10th Cetinje Parliamentary Forum: »Women, Peace, Security«
Podgorica, 17 June 2010 Round Table on the Working version of the first Law on Legal Aid in Montenegro
The aim of the round table was to support the drafting of the final version of the Law, through provision of the expert opinions, remarks, proposals and suggestions on the Working version of the Law on Legal Aid. Public discussions on the Working version of the Law were held in May in Podgorica, Kotor and Bijelo Polje. The Working version of the Law on Legal Aid on Legal Aid can be downloaded from http://www.pravda.gov.me/ministarstvo
Podgorica, 15 June 2010 “Western Balkans - 8 Steps Forward”: A documentary about cleaning up of the environmental hotspots in the Western Balkans
The “Western Balkans Environmental Programme” was the largest regional programme that has been conducted by UNDP in South Eastern Europe to date, and the priority was given to the hotspots that affected more than one country, providing thus a tremendous opportunity for countries and territories to work together. “Western Balkans – 8 Steps Forward” is a documentary story about the regional cooperation with an aim to jointly remediate the environmental hot spots that were endangering people’s health and the environment. Produced by the Mediacentar Sarajevo (Director: Alen Drljević, Cameraman: Mustafa Mustafić, Editor: Elvedin Zorlak, Music: Zlatan Stipišić – Gibonni), the movie was filmed in the period from 2008 to 2010, at eight locations in the Western Balkans. For more information please go to the UNDP Europe & CIS website.
Podgorica, 3 june 2010 Montenegro’s Initial National Communication on Climate Change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is ready
After the year 2070 there will be an increase in the temperature in the north of Montenegro by 4.8 degrees. Also, for more than 90% of the Montenegrin territory there is a forecast that there will be less rain, even up to 20% in some regions. The upper level for sea level rise for the Adriatic sea for the period from 2071 until 2100 is predicted to be 35 cm… These not very optimistic prognoses were also revealed in the Montenegro’s Initial National Communication on Climate Change.
New York, 2 June 2010 This Thursday’s Let’s Travel! Radio show is about Montenegro
“Montenegro has a lot of incredible natural resources that act as unique selling points from the perspective of tourism that the country is now trying to utilize in order to capture the growing market,” Milica Begović Radojević, Environment and Economy Cluster Leader at the UNDP Montenegro said for the Let’s Travel! Radio. The show runs every Thursday at 12-1pm (ET/US), with an Encore broadcast every Saturday at 6pm (ET, US) at www.nytalkradio.net. Podcasts are available on the homepage of www.letstravelradio.com. The Let’s Travel! website currently attracts about 200,000 visitors a month and is growing through blog and social networking outreach to promote each show.
Podgorica, 11 May 2010 In the Year of Fight against Violence in Family, UNDP provides support to the Women’s Safe House
May 7 - 19, 2010 Montenegro is creating a new legal aid system to enable equal access to justice for those unable to afford legal services
With comments, remarks and suggestions to the Working version of the Law the participants in the debates in fact took part in the process of high importance for Montenegro. The infrastructure for the implementation of the Law on Legal Aid should be established by the end of this year, and the public discussions represented a significant step in achieving equal assess to justice for all and creating an effective and sustainable system of legal aid services provision in Montenegro.
Budva, 27 – 29 April 2010 Montenegro is well positioned to capture a share of the growing clean energy market
I am very happy to participate in this conference and glad to share with you some thoughts on the topic based on UNDP experiences. These experiences are part of UNDP programme activites in Montenegro in the area of sustainable economic development and environmental protection, which is becoming also an integral part of the recently adopted UN Integrated Programme to be implemented in close cooperation with so called non-resident agencies, including UNEP, UNIDO, UNESCO, FAO and others.
Podgorica, 16 April 2010 The second academic gender studies in Montenegro
The Gender Studies School was supported by the Ministry for Human and Minorities Rights – Department for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro and UNDP Montenegro, which provided financial support for the realization of the studies. Participants were students of the Mediterranean University, public administration and local self-governance employees, as well as the employees of the Parliament of Montenegro and NGO representatives.
Millennium Development Goals must be met, UN Secretary-General says ahead of September Summit
“We must not fail the billions who look to the international community to fulfil the promise of the Millennium Declaration for a better world. Let us meet in September to keep the promise,” Mr. Ban says in his report, Keeping the Promise, issued today.
Podgorica, 23 February 2010 Conceptual urban and architectural solutions for the remediated tailing mine impound in Mojkovac, North Montenegro
The Competition was announced with a goal to explore expert public attitudes, primarily architects and urbanist designers as well as architecture students, to the possibilities for optimal usage of the mentioned space including modern architecture’s expression, careful way of dealing with the environment and respecting sustainable building principles. 17 applications that came from the country and abroad confirmed great interest in the competition. The Expert Jury selected seven design proposals of which five were awarded and two were bought up. To see the Competition Catalogue Mojkovac in English (3 MB), please click here.
Kolašin, 6 February 2010 Tourism development and rescue in mountain areas of Montenegro - the safety challenge
The Ministry of Tourism and UNDP jointly implement a two-year €120.000 worth program to build and strengthen the capacities of the GSS services, which became a member of the InternationalCommission For Alpine Rescue (IKAR) last year.
Time for recovery in Haiti - January 2010
To see the latest updates and information on Haiti crisis, please visit the United Nations Development Programme’s web page http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2010/january/in-focus-haiti.en There you will also find a real-time map of earthquake damage, map of population exposure, images of earthquake relief… If you wish to make a donation for the people of Haiti, please call + 382 20 231 251 or email to registry.me@undp.org and we will help you with the instructions on further steps.
Podgorica, 11 December 2009 Montenegro: Championing capacity development UNDP Montenegro is becoming known as the “CD Office” in the RBEC region, not only because strengthening national capacities is the focus of programme assistance, but also because of internal changes that have been adopted to ensure that capacity development is central to development assistance in all areas. Video interviews feature the Minister of European Integration, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Head of the EC Delegation, the UNDP Resident Representative, the Mayor of Mojkovac, the UNDP Economy and Environment Team Leader, and the Deputy Resident Representative, in which they discuss the different dimensions, opportunities and challenges of capacity development initiatives in the country.
Podgorica, 10 December 2009 This year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign 2009 in Montenegro contributed to concrete results
Acknowledging that it is ready and willing to address the problem of violence in family, the Government of Montenegro has adopted a Draft Law on Protection from Domestic Violence. Also, at their session held on December 10th, the International Human Rights Day, the Government of Monteegro adopted a Declaration to proclaim 2010 the Year of fight against violence in family. In this way this year’s 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign contributed to introducing a concrete action vis-à-vis commitments of the Presidents of the Government, the State and the Parliament. Now, it is up to all of us to support and to further contribute to this action. Podgorica, 8 December 2009 Anti-corruption training programme for Montenegrin judges and prosecutors
The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, OSCE Mission to Montenegro and UNDP organized an event with an aim to present and promote the Anti-corruption training programme for judges and prosecutors. The Programme will be jointly realized by the Ministry of Justice, UNDP, OSCE and Judicial Training Center, with the financial support from the Government of Norway.
Podgorica, 7 December 2009 GTZ and UNDP officialized cooperation in Montenegro energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors
This Memorandum of Understanding is a continuation of an agreement signed by the representatives of GTZ and UNDP early in September this year, where two parties agreed to become strategic partners in the analysis, design and implementation of interventions that would most effectively support Montenegro in reaching its goal to achieve the status of Ecological State.
Mojkovac, 24 November 2009 Limiting the impact of economic crisis in the Northern Montenegro
One of the main goals of the program will be contributing to development of sustainable and prosperous communities in the north, where individuals can create and take up employment and business opportunities with an emphasis on “green sustainable development of entrepreneurship”. The aim is to strengthen commitment of local governments in the provision of social benefits through efficient and sustainable management of natural resources, as well as improving the capacity of local communities and support to their sustainable future.
Podgorica, 24 November 2009 Handling Environmental Hotspots in Western Balkans; Meeting Stresses Cooperation
For more information please go to the UNDP Europe & CIS website
Podgorica, 26-30 October 2009 Workshop on the Montenegro Doing Business Indicators
Special value of this workshop is that the presentation of Doing Business Report in Montenegro was for the first time done in the way to gather all the interested parties in one place to talk about the results, methodology, and to hear the recommendations for improvements from the people who made the report.
12 – 14 October 2009 Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS Kori Udovički in Montenegro
During a two days visit to Montenegro Ms. Udovički met with colleagues at the UNDP Country Office but she also had a number of official meetings, with the President of Montenegro; the Speaker of the Parliament; Ministers of Foreign Affairs, European integration, Economy, Tourism, Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection, Labour and Social Welfare; Vice-President of the Government for international economic cooperation, structural reform and enhancing the business environment and Minister of Finance; and Vice-President of the Government for economic policies and financial system and Minister for information society.
13 October 2009 Inauguration of National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2009:
The Report is based on quantitative and qualitative research conducted by Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses (ISSP), and inputs from public discussions, experts, and it contains the following data: Social Exclusion Index, Laeken indicators, poverty rates, Human Development Indexes, Quality of Life indicators, inequality measures, etc.. In addition, the Report provides special analyses of the six socially vulnerable groups: long-term unemployed, persons with disabilities, low-income pensioners, social welfare beneficiaries, RAE and displaced persons. The Report offers data, analysis and recommendations that will be used for evidence-based policy development and programming to primarily the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, but also other line Ministries, institutions in charge, civil society organizations and international actors in their efforts to tackle social exclusion. More on the inauguration of the NHDR… National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2009: Montenegro – Society for All Video sa prezentacije Izvještaja (18MB) Podgorica, 5 October 2009 New partnership to develop the capacities for local self governance of Montenegro
Partners in the project are the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration, Union of Municipalities, Municipalities, NGOs, citizens, entrepreneurs. The anticipated project duration is 2 years. Under UNDP’s direct execution, the estimated amount of project funds is €1,500,000 of which the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration and UNDP will provide €100,000 each.
Podgorica, 29 September 2009 Joint environmental projects and plans of the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection and UNDP in Montenegro
Key component of this joint cluster of projects is establishing a correlation between environmental protection, climate change and economic development in Montenegro.
Podgorica, 3 September 2009 New set of interventions to support Montenegro’s striving for environmental best on its path to the EU
Podgorica, 14 August 2009 Strengthening the capacity of Judiciary in Montenegro continues
This Programme has been assisting national institutions, the Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, to promote new institutes and procedures which will contribute to a more efficient fight against corruption and organized crime in Montenegro.
Podgorica, 29 July 2009 Humble contribution to the climate-change jargon:
Mali doprinos žargonu klimatskih promjena:
21 – 24 July, 2009 2nd Montenegro Summer School for Young Diplomats ”Gavro Vuković“
The second Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats was devoted to the challenges faced by diplomats from the countries in the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations. The School was organized with an aim to provide young diplomats from the region and the EU with an opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences concerning current issues and processes in the EU and NATO, but also for their networking, expert training and professional advancement.
Igalo, 8 July 2009 Cross border cooperation among Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro
This regional initiative for cross border cooperation among three countries was launched in Neum, Croatia, in April 2007 and further routes to cooperation were defined in Dubrovnik, in May last year, with great potentials for coaction in tourism, environmental protection, protection of the sea, joint water management and joint solid waste management.
Podgorica, 7 July 2009 Valuable donations for the Mountaineering Association and the Mountain Rescue Service of Montenegro
Budva, 6 and 7 July 2009 International Aid Transparency Initiative Consultation Workshop for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
*The IATI Steering Committee comprises of 18 representatives from donors, partner countries, CSOs and aid information experts. Podgorica, 2 - 30 June 2009 The Draft National Human Development Report 2009: Social exclusion in Montenegro
The Report collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data on social exclusion and vulnerable groups through the lenses of the UNDP’s human development approach, considering also issues of regional disparities and providing recommendations for future action. We wish to thank all those who participated in the public hearings, and to those who sent their comments in written on the draft Report which deals with issues of critical importance for Montenegro and its future as a social cohesive nation. All the comments received (June 2-30 2009) are being taken into consideration as we are now in the process of development of the final version. The launch of the Report is planned for the second half of October this year. If you would like to obtain the working version of the Report please, write to Ms. Aleksandra Višnjić Bojović, UNDP Project Manager, at aleksandra.visnjic@undp.org * * * Radna verzija Nacionalnog izvještaja o razvoju po mjeri čovjeka za 2009. godinu: Društvena isključenost u Crnoj Gori Radna verzija prvog sveobuhvatnog istraživanja o dimenzijama društvene isključenosti u Crnoj Gori, Nacionalnog izvještaja o razvoju po mjeri čovjeka za 2009. godinu: društvena isključenost u Crnoj Gori, predstavljena je u Podgorici, Nikšiću i Bijelom Polju između 2. i 5. juna 2009. godine. U Izvještaju su prikupljeni i analizirani kvantitativni i kvalitativni podaci o društvenoj isključenosti i ugroženim grupama, kroz prizmu UNDP-ovog pristupa razvoju po mjeri čovjeka, uzimajući takođe u obzir pitanja regionalnih nejednakosti, kao i pružajući preporuke za buduće aktivnosti. Zahvaljujemo svima koji su učestvovali u javnim raspravama, kao i onima koji su poslali pismene komentare na radnu verziju Izvještaja koji se bavi pitanjima od najveće važnosti za Crnu Goru i njenu budućnost kao nacije socijalne kohezije. Svi komentari pristigli u periodu između 2. i 30. juna 2009. godine uzeti su u obzir, i trenutno radimo na pripremi konačne verzije Izvještaja. Predstavljanje konačne verzije Izvještaja planira se za drugu polovinu oktobra ove godine. Ukoliko želite da dobijete radnu verziju Izvještaja, molimo Vas da se obratite gđi Aleksandri Višnjić Bojović, menadžerki projekta UNDP, putem e-maila: aleksandra.visnjic@undp.org
Tuesday, 30 June 2009 UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is a second world leader according to the American poll on public confidence in global leaders
The full Report on public's confidence in global leadership can be accessed at: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/jun09/WPO_Leaders_Jun09_longart_emb.pdf For more details on World Public Opinion please go to: WorldPublicOpinion.org Ban Ki-mun drugi svjetski lider prema američkom istraživanju o povjerenju javnosti
Podgorica, 19 June 2009 Presentation of the Report on Transparency and Accountability in the Montenegrin Governance System
The Report represents a final step in the effort to create a framework to assess Montenegro’s progress in achieving the political dimensions of the Copenhagen Criteria, which are considered to be important preconditions for establishing a system of good governance that can lead to adoption of standards necessary for EU membership. The degree to which transparency and accountability exist in public institutions are fundamental determinants of the degree to which the institutions can deliver democracy, rule of law, and respect for human and minority rights – and, therefore, are the principal focus of this study.
Podgorica, 2 June 2009 Integrity and Capacity Assessment of the Local Self Governance in Montenegro
Some of the key recommendations from the Research are to: a) insist on educational campaigns for citizens about their rights, better informing efforts regarding the main jurisdictions and activities of the local self governance, as well as about the possibilities of filing complaints in case of dissatisfaction with work and attitude of local self governance organs and their representatives; b) further professionalize clerks in regard to their relations with service beneficiaries; c) simplify procedures for issuing building permits; c) better control the efficiency of clerks; and to d) publicly announce and prosecute the corruption cases discovered. Budva, April 23 - 24 2009 Second Regional Workshop “Persons with Disabilities – the Role of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)” was held in Montenegro
The aims of this year’s workshop were exchanging of ideas and opinions, exploring possibilities for building potential joint approaches, collection of significant innovative materials, studies and practices, which will contribute to reaching an agreement on concrete steps that each UNDP Country Offices in the region should take during 2009.
April 20, 2009 Helen Clark Begins First Day as Administrator of UNDP
"I am looking forward to leading UNDP at this critical time. I have a commitment to tackling poverty and injustice, and I regard it as an enormous privilege to tackle these issues at the international level,” Clark said after she was approved.
Podgorica, 15 April 2009 National Conference on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
The Tool is an instrument developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), for use by the criminal justice system practitioners, and the Conference is designated for judges and prosecutors and other legal professionals who take part in procedure of providing legal assistance. It aims at facilitating their work and improving the procedure for providing international legal assistance in criminal matters. More…
Bar, 4 April 2009 The first academic gender studies in Montenegro
Participants – 44 graduate students of the «Mediteran» University, public admin/local governments employees and NGO representatives - demonstrated a high level of understanding of the basic concepts of gender equality, international treaties and how it relates to their everyday work and country’s obligations in terms of EU integration policies. Along with prominent national and international lecturers, the Gender School Chief Presenter was prof. dr Marijana Pajvančić, and the School was organizationally and financially supported by the Office for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro, «Mediteran» University in Bar and UNDP Montenegro.
Podgorica, 16 March 2009 Ministry of Finance of Montenegro, the Royal Netherlands Embassy and UNDP signed an Agreement of Cooperation
The Project of Strengthening capacities of the Ministry of Finance complements the ongoing efforts of the Ministry to reform and strengthen the public finance sector. It is expected to contribute to modernising the financial system and its harmonization with EU standards, thus better serving development goals such as sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.
Podgorica, 6 March 2009 On the occasion of International Women's Day: Panel Discussion on the status of women in Montenegro Each year around the world, International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. To mark this year’s International Women's Day The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Montenegro, the Governmental Office for Gender Equality and the Faculty of Law at the University of Montenegro jointly organized a Panel Discussion “Women in Montenegro”. For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Podgorica, 2 March 2009 Environmental GIS for Montenegro: A successfully completed capacity development training
Certificates were handed over to 25 people from the Forestry Central Management and Monitoring Unit, Forestry Institute, Mountaineering Association, Institute for Marine Biology, Nature Museum, Geology Institute and Seismology Institute. The event marked another important milestone in cooperation between the UNDP and the Government of Montenegro, in the area of Natural Resources Management, through the usage of the Geographic Information Systems.
Podgorica, 5 February 2009 Assessment of the public services at the local level in the municipalities of the Northern Montenegro
The European Commission Delegation to Montenegro also presented its activities at the workshop, as well as the IPA funding possibilities. In addition, the UNDP Montenegro gave a special presentation about the capacity development of the municipalities in the context of the European integration. Both presentations were aimed to provide an overview of the future activities of the donors in the North of Montenegro.
Podgorica, 28 January 2009 Reform of the legal aid system in Montenegro – creating an effective and sustainable system of providing legal aid
The presentation brought together representatives of the donor community, high level and expert level representatives of the Government, judiciary, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and relevant international organizations to present the project and its set-up, as well as to discuss the issues and political aspects related to the introduction of Legal Aid in Montenegro.
Podgorica, 11 December 2008 A round table on Domestic Violence in Montenegro: current status and future activities As a contribution to the Global International Campaign “16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence” the Office for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Foundation Open Society Institute, Representative Office Montenegro (FOSI ROM) and the United Nations Country Team in Montenegro (UNCT) organized a round table titled “Domestic Violence: current status – future activities”. The aim of the round table was to mobilize political, expert and other support in Montenegro in order to direct future activities towards long-term resolution of domestic violence problem, in particular to ensure political support and dedication to resolution of this problem, to improve the legislation and the code of conduct, as well to develop cooperation between relevant institutions at all levels. For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Podgorica, 9-10 December 2008 60 Years of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948-2008) Conference on Human Rights in Montenegro in Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Law Faculty and the UN Country Team Thematic Group on Human Rights in Montenegro organized a two-day conference for the representatives of the main pillars of society - academia, government and civil sector, at the Law Faculty in Podgorica on December 9 and 10. The focus of the Conference was on four thematic areas selected in coordination and consultation with NGO and government entities: the right to gender equality, minority rights, the right to a fair trial and due process of law and the rights of people with disabilities. For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Podgorica, 1 December 2008 December 1st, World AIDS Day in Montenegro
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Welfare of Montenegro, the Institute of Public Health, representatives of the United Nations System in Montenegro and NGO CAZAS as representative of the NGO sector in Montenegro have jointly organized a media conference to mark World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is marked this year through promotion of the theme “STOP AIDS. Keep the promise. Take the Lead”. Since the beginning of the epidemic, experience has clearly demonstrated that significant advances in the response to HIV/AIDS have been achieved where there is a strong and committed leadership. Leaders are distinguished by their action, innovation and vision, their personal example and engagement of others. However, leadership should be demonstrated at every level of society - in families, communities, countries and internationally. For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Podgorica, 24 November 2008 “16 days campaign against violence” Urge Men as Role Models To Fight Violence Against Women * This campaign is based on the American NGO Family Violence Prevention Fund campaign against violence. For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Mojkovac, 12 November 2008 Mojkovac: From an Industrial Hub to the Center of Adventure Tourism
Podgorica, 11 November 2008 Montenegro Demilitarization Programme: disposal of hazardous toxic waste successfully completed
This project was financed by the Government of the Netherlands, and it achieved its aim to dispose of this toxic hazardous waste in a safe, efficient and effective way that complies with all relevant international and EU environmental and safety legislation, and hence to existing international ‘best practice’.
Podgorica, 23 October 2008 The United Nations Day in Montenegro An official reception on occasion of 63rd anniversary of the United Nations was traditionally held in the Government’s representative edifice Vila Gorica, jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro and the United Nations Country Team in Montenegro. Guests were distinguished representatives of Montenegrin political, economic, cultural, civil and media society as well as representatives of foreign and diplomatic missions in Montenegro. The overall feeling and the atmosphere at the reception was lightened and ennobled by a refined dance of the ballerinas from the Princess Ksenija School of Ballet. The solemn ceremony was hosted by H.E. Mr. Milan Roćen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro; Mr. Alexander Avanesov, UNDP Resident Representative/UN Resident Coordinator to Montenegro; Ms. Noala Skinner, UNICEF Representative in Montenegro; Mr. Serge Ducasse, UNHCR Representative in Montenegro; Ms. Dušica Živković, IOM Head of Office in Montenegro, member of the UNCT. For more information and to see a photo gallery, please go to the UNCT web page...
Kotor-Tivat, 16 October 2008 UN and local authorities will work to provide better living conditions for Lovanja RAE community On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17), the representatives of the Municipalities of Tivat and Kotor and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT)* signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve access to basic social security services for domicile and displaced Roma, Askaelia and Egyptians (RAE) living in the Lovanja settlement between Kotor and Tivat. The UNCT Montenegro is aware that not all of today’s challenges for RAE population in Montenegro can be met at once. Therefore, planned activities in Lovanja mark just a starting point for increased future cooperation and support to the Central and Local Governments to implement country’s strategic documents aimed at the full integration of RAE population in Montenegrin society. *The United Nations Country Team Montenegro (UNCT) is represented by the offices of International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) For more information please go to the UNCT web page…
Podgorica, 8 October 2008 First of its kind Report on Assessment of Integrity and Capacities of Judiciary in Montenegro
Podgorica, 19 September 2008 Remediation of the Lead and Zinc Mine Tailings Pond in Mojkovac continues
In the presence of the main partner in the country - the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection of Montenegro, the contract was signed by Mr. Žarko Živković, Director of the Public Works Agency, Mr. Tomáš Hájek, Director of the Vodni Zdroje Company which is a works contractor and Mr. Alexander Avanesov, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro.
Podgorica, 12 September 2008 Ministry for Economic Development of Montenegro and UNDP presented joint projects
Podgorica, 9 September 2008 The Government of Montenegro signed Country Programme Documents with the UNICEF and the UNDP
The UNICEF and UNDP programmes will support the Government of Montenegro to address key priority areas on its way to EU membership such as alleviation of poverty, economic development, youth empowerment, child development, good governance and environmental protection. For more information please click here or on the UNCT web page
Podgorica, 1 August 2008 New Project for Promotion of Small Hydro Power Development in Montenegro
The Project Action Plan was officially be signed by H.E. Mr. Branimir Gvozdenović, Minister for Economic Development and Mr. Alexander Avanesov, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro.
Podgorica, 17 July 2008 The International Workshop on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
The Ministry for Economic Development has declared a part of 2008 as the Energy Efficiency Year in Montenegro. In compliance with the country’s strategic goal of EU integration, Montenegro will have to meet a number of EU regulations and directives in the area of energy efficiency. The Norwegian Government through its implementing partner ENSI has began a training and certification program for first national expert-energy auditors in the country.
Podgorica, July 4 2008 Alexander Avanesov new Head of UNDP Montenegro
Podgorica, 24 June 08 Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility Concept in Montenegro
In the project segment related to Montenegro the assessment was conducted by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Podgorica, whose representatives held a presentation of the research results and further promoted the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the presence of Montenegrin local and national business associations, local authorities, state institutions, NGOs, media, educational institutions and international organisations. Also, the project implementers, representatives from the UNDP Albania presented the Regional Project on Corporate Social Responsibility. The presentations were followed by brief demonstrations showing examples of CSR among the companies that participated in the research.
Podgorica, 13 June 2008 Geographic Information System for better forestry management in Montenegro
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro through its Environmental Geographic Information System (EnvGIS) Project, and together with the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Montenegro and the Forestry Directorate of Montenegro marked successful completion of the capacity building training provided for the engineers and specialised staff of the Forestry Directorate. The certificates and maps of current forest delineation status were handed over to twenty nine people from fifteen Local Forestry Units, who have successfully finished a four weeks course on Information Technology and Geographical Information System. The course was aimed at strengthening capacities of Forestry Sector in order to improve forestry management and to ensure environmental sustainability.
2 – 6 June, 2008 Montenegro Summer School for Young Diplomats ”Gavro Vuković“
The first Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats was devoted to the challenges for diplomats from countries in the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations and provided an excellent opportunity for an exchange of opinions and experiences concerning current issues and processes in the EU and NATO, but also for networking among young diplomats from the region and other countries of the EU.
Bonn, May 27th, 2008 Biodiversity Conservation in Montenegro
Podgorica, 24 April 2008 Well known persons in Montenegro public life promote counselling and testing on HIV
One of the proven ways to help people accept changes is for leaders and role models to justify this by setting the example themselves. Through participation in this campaign six persons well-known and trusted by the Montenegrin public encouraged the wider public to overcome their prejudices related to HIV.
Ecology Fair, Budva, 22 April 2008 Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection and UNDP launched a new joint initiative on Earth Day
Podgorica, April 21 2008 Ministry of Justice of Montenegro organized public debate over Draft Criminal Procedure Code
Mojkovac, 18-19 April 2008 Adventure tour to Northern Montenegro for national and international media
Brezovik, 17 March 2008 Establishing and Pursuing a High Quality of Tuberculosis Control Programme in Montenegro: 10 rooms reconstructed and equipped in the Hospital in Brezovik
Podgorica, March 5, 2008 Public-private partnership for energy efficiency and sustainable development
Miločer, 21 February 2008 Practical Implementation of the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism: innovations and challenges Adequate practical implementation of this important law should contribute to a more efficient fight against money laundering. Participants in the seminar were representatives of the state organs and representatives of banks, broker houses, real estate agencies and other law obligors. The seminar was opened by H.E. Igor Lukšić, Minister of Finance in the Government of Montenegro, Predrag Mitrović, MA, Director of AMLP in the Government of Montenegro and Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly, UNDP Resident Representative a.i./ UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro.
Podgorica, 12 February 2008 Commitment from the Government of Montenegro and Donors for MONDEM remains strong: more obsolete weapons and surplus ammunition to be destroyed
Podgorica, 11 February 2008 Action Plan for Reform of Judiciary requires strong commitment by judiciary authorities to consistently implement the anticipated measures
At the donor conference “Support to the Judicial Reform in Montenegro”, which was organised by The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro with the support of the UNDP Montenegro, the international organisations were invited to assist in the implementation of the reform. The approximate amount of funds needed for the realization of the Action Plan is cca 20 million euros.
Podgorica, December 14 2007 Strengthening capacities for implementation of Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention to Combat Desertification and Framework Convention on Climate Change in Montenegro
Podgorica, 9 December 2007 Fight against corruption key factor for the European integration
Podgorica, 7 December 2007 Stop Violence Against Women
The aim of this seminar was to mobilize the support of political, expert and wider public in Montenegro, in order to direct future activities towards long-term problem solutions for family violence, through the following:
Podgorica, 28 November 2007 UNECE assesses the environmental performance of Montenegro
Podgorica, 29 October 2007 The role of the Parliament indispensable in harmonization of Montenegrin Legislation with the Acquis
Podgorica, October 17 2007 UN Agencies in Montenegro commemorated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The official theme proposed by the United Nations for the year 2007 is "People living in poverty as agents of change: 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty", and hundreds of events are planned for the day in all parts of the world .
Podgorica, October 11 2007 Anti-Corruption Legislation in Montenegro to be harmonized with the UN Convention Against Corruption
Sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” Report on Environmental Policy in South-Eastern Europe
Podgorica, October 2, 2007 The biggest regional programme UNDP ever did in South-Eastern Europe to be coordinated in Montenegro
Donor of USD 15 million for remediation of nine locations in the Western Balkans Region is the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Miločer, September 24 2007 The First Report that Montenegro as the youngest UN Member State will submit to the UN will be on the application of the Convention of Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women Delegations from the Governments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo, Slovenia, and hosting Montenegrin Government had an opportunity to learn more from distinquished speakers, Head of the CEDAW Committee Ms Dubravka Simonović and CEDAW Committee member Ms Violica Neubauer.
Podgorica, 18 September 2007 Action Plan to implement the Judicial Reform Strategy in Montenegro
Mr. Radović reminded that the Government adopted the Judicial Reform Strategy in June, and the next step is adoption of the Action Plan which will determine concrete activities for implementation of strategic directions, holders and deadlines for realization.
Podgorica, July 27 2007 Joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Capacity Development Programme to better respond to Montenegro's national priorities for European integrations
Podgorica, July 18th, 2007 Strategic Environmental Assessment on Draft Montenegro Energy Strategy 2025 - Presentation of the key issues arising from the Initial Scoping Report
Podgorica, July 17th 2007 Strengthening of the capacities of Montenegrin Parliamentary Committees on the path to EU
At the Parliament of the Republic of Montenegro the official signatories for the project were Mr. Ranko Krivokapić, Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro and Mr. Garet Tankosić Keli, UNDP Resident Representative a.i./UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro. Podgorica, 3 July 2007 Cutting of first T-55 tank marked beginning of implementation of Montenegro Demilitarization Programme
The Ministry of Defence of Montenegro has indicated that demilitarization of conventional ammunition and the establishment of safe storage, based on appropriate UN agreements and NATO standards, as well as in line with OSCE commitments, is one of the priorities of the country’s defence reform process. More…Igalo, 21 June 2007 New set of indicators to help in the efforts of the Banking Sector of Montenegro to fight corruption
On the occasion of adopting of a new set of indicators for detection of suspicious financial transactions, the Agency for Money Laundering Prevention (AMLP) of the Government of Montenegro, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro, organized a two day seminar to facilitate sharing of knowledge and practical experience between regional and national officers from Anti Money Laundering Agencies and representatives of authorized authorities. The participants were from the Montenegrin financial industry (banks, brokers, investment funds, etc.) and lecturers came from the region (Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia). Podgorica, 5 june 2007 Montenegro implementing projects to comply with UN Conventions for Environmental Protection
On the occasion of celebration of 5th June, the World Environment Day, projects in sectors of climate change, biodiversity and capacity assessment, financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented in Montenegro by the UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection, were presented today. More…Podgorica, May 14 – 15, 2007 Strengthening National Capacities for European Integration
Some of the main objectives of this meeting are to discuss national capacities to manage external assistance focused on EU instruments and to promote regional cooperation.
Podgorica, April 23, 2007 An Inconvenient Truth about the Climate Change
Podgorica, April 5, 2007 Education, the way to social inclusion
Podgorica, 7 March 2007 8 March, International Women’s Day
The Office for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro and the United Nations System in Montenegro: IOM (The International Organization for Migration), UNDP (The United Nations Development Programme), UNHCR (The United Nations Refugee Agency), UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) and WHO (World Health Organization) held a press conference on the occasion of 8 March, International Women's Day. Podgorica, February 20, 2007 One of the greatest challenges on Montenegro's European Union road: Strengthening of administrative capacities of the Central Government
UNITED NATIONS, February 1, 2007 Kori Udovicki joins UNDP as Director of Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Udovicki has held several senior management positions in the Government of the Republic of Serbia. From July 2003 to March 2004 she served as Governor of the National Bank of Serbia. Before that, from June 2002 to July 2003, she was the country’s Minister of Energy and Mines. Prior to those appointments, from 2001, Udovicki worked as a Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Economy. Podgorica, December 17, 2006 Presentation of Regional and National UNDP Studies on social vulnerability of Roma, Refugees and Displaced Persons
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro launched the Regional study At Risk: Roma and the displaced in Southeastern Europe and the National study At Risk: The social vulnerability of Roma, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in Montenegro. The event was hosted by Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly, UNDP Resident Representative a.i./UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro; Ms. Remzija Ademović, National Coordinator for The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005 – 2015 and Mr. Veselj Beganaj, Coordinator of NGO Coallition “Romski krug” Mr. Jaroslav Kling from UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States held a presentation of the Regional study, and the National study was presented by Ms. Tatjana Perić, Consultant to the UNDP on economic and social rights of Roma, refugees and displaced persons in Southeast Europe. Participants were the representatives from the Ministry of of Health, Labor and Social Welfare, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights Protection, representatives from public and governmental institutions, civil society organizations dealing with the issue of vulnerable groups and the international community. More...Podgorica, December 9, 2006 United Nations, European Commission And Government Together Against Corruption
Podgorica, December 4, 2006 Prosecution of Perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide as one of the main preconditions for European integrations
As part of the UNDP’s Regional Transitional Justice Programme, the Office of the Supreme State Prosecutor of the Republic of Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme Montenegro (UNDP) held a round table titled “Prosecution of Perpetrators of War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide before the National Courts and the Compensation for Mental Harm to the Victims”. Podgorica, November 30, 2006 Montenegro Fulfilled The Majority Of Obligations Taken To Prevent Aids But The Vulnerable Groups Remain Still In The Dark
Podgorica, October 24, 2006 UNITED NATIONS DAY WAS OFFICIALLY CELEBRATED IN VILA GORICA SVA LJUDSKA BIĆA RAĐAJU SE SLOBODNA I JEDNAKA U DOSTOJANSTVU I PRAVIMA
First time in independent state Podgorica, October 24th 2006 – United Nations day was officially celebrated for the first time in independent state of Montenegro last night, in Podgorica-based villa Gorica. The hosts of this celebration were H.E. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Miodrag Vlahović and UNDP Resident Representative ai/UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro ai Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly.
Podgorica, October 16, 2006 October 17th, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
This video-clip was presented... Click on picture to watch video clip Sources of data used in video-clip New York, September 20, 2006 Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović Spoke Before UN General Assembly in New York
Podgorica, July 26th 2006 UNDP Representatives’ visit to Montenegrin High-level Officials
Mr. Mizsei conveyed to Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović UNDP's great satisfaction over the fact that Montenegro has become an independent state through a democratic, fair and transparent process and accepted as such by EU and the international community. Lodges and Summer Pastures of Mountain Durmitor - Bright Jewel for a Sustainable Future American and Montenegrin Tourism Postgraduates, Students and Teachers about the Enhancing of Tourism Offering in the Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park Region
Within the project «Unleashing Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship in the Area of National Park Durmitor», the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Montenegro, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office in Podgorica and the George Washington University presented the results of two weeks Consulting Practicum on Nature-Based Tourism potentials of the region in-and-around the National Park Durmitor with the Municipalities of Žabljak, Šavnik, Plužine and Pljevlja. As a part of the World Tourism Organization official program, this consulting project involved a team of 15 graduate students of The George Washington University led by Dr. Donald Hawkins, Milena Nikolova and Dr. Hannah Messerli and 8 Montenegrin students of The Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management Kotor, under the guidance of Andriela Vitić, and The Faculty of Tourism, Hotel Management and Commerce Bar, under the guidance of Sanja Vlahović. The goal of this project titled “Tourism in the Region of National Park Durmitor” was to come to findings and recommendations for the projects that could help in more realistic usage of available resources and potentials of Durmitor region, with an emphasis on new types of sustainable nature-based tourism, its source market and distribution channels, focusing also on further tourism product development, enhanced tourism valorisation and promotion of untouched nature of Durmitor region. UNWTO.TEDQUAL VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME MONTENEGRO PROVED TO BE SUCCESS Photo gallery: Durmitor June 12th, 2006, Podgorica National Strategy For Sustainable Development In Montenegro - Latest Outcome
Within development process of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development in Montenegro (NSSDM), the third and final workshop was held, with an aim to present the final NSSDM draft. The draft was developed over the past year within the cooperation process between the Montenegrin Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, the Mediterranean Action Plan operating under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and the United Nations Developement Programme (UNDP) Podgorica Office, also financially supported by the Italian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Territory. More...Podgorica, 19 May 2006
3 Million Dollars worth Project for prevention of HIV/AIDS in MontenegroA four year Program of Support to Montenegrin HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation will be financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM), in line with one of UN Millennium Development Goals - combatting of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases - and in accordance with the recently adopted Republic AIDS Strategy developed by the Montenegrin Republic AIDS Commission. The GFATM has entered a partnership agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the Principal Recipient of the funds for the Republic of Montenegro. The overall goal of this Program is to maintain low HIV prevalence in Montenegro and provide care and support for those already affected by HIV/AIDS. Reaching of this goal includes expansion of prevention efforts which will seek to keep HIV prevalence below 1% in all identified vulnerable groups. The program was officially announced and the Agreement signed by Montenegrin Minister of Health Miodrag Pavličić, DRR/Head of Office UNDP LO Podgorica Garret Tankosić Kelly and President of Management Board of NGO Juventas Ivana Vojvodić. Podgorica, 19 April 2006
Presentation of results of 1st Phase of "Environmental Geographic Information System (GIS) for Montenegro" project National inventory of forests and biodiversity For the first time the Republic of Montenegro will obtain referential and valid data related to national forests inventory, through "Environmental Geographic Information System (GIS) for Montenegro" project which was already implemented in almost all developed countries in the world. Podgorica, 11 April 2006
Five UN agencies in Montenegro under one roof The First UN Shared Eco Premises in the WorldSigning of Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Montenegro and the Government of Austria in Podgorica makes April 11th a very special day for the United Nations, since it represents an official frame to fund and create a new, purpose-built common premises for the United Nations agencies operating in Montenegro. The future UN common premises will be built using ecological principles and as such it will be the first of its kind in the United Nations.
Przno, 26-28 March 2006
Ministers and Ministry Representatives from the Western Balkans Met to Discuss the Future of Sustainable Development in the Region
Regional Ministerial Conference ”Environmental Policies in the context of European Integration”, hosted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning of the Republic of Montenegro, with the support of UNDP LO Podgorica and financial assistance of the Government of the Netherlands took place between 26 - 28 March 2006 in Hotel Maestral, Milocer, Montenegro. Vranjina/Shkodra,
18-19 October 2005
Under the "Dinaric Arc Initiative" UNDP in
cooperation with UNESCO-ROSTE organized first international meeting on
Lake Scadar:
International Meeting on Lake Scadar is the first event in Montenegro, organized as part of the DAI - regional "Dinaric Arc Initiative" developed and launched by the group of international organizations working in the region: WWF, UNESCO-ROSTE (Regional Bureau for Science in Europe); World Conservation Union – IUCN; UNDP and Council of Europe. Host of the event, United Nations Development Programme - UNDP in cooperation with UNESCO-ROSTE office from Venice, gathered in this important meeting decision-makers at the highest level – Prime Ministers of Montenegro and Albania Milo Djukanovic and Sali Berisha and Ministers of ecology of Montenegro and Albania, Boro Vucinic and Lufter Xhuveli, representatives of the local governments, businessmen, relevant institutions, local and international experts and organizations, as well as the civil sector representatives from the region. Opening the Meeting on cross-border vision of the Lake Scadar, which represents shared wealth and potential of Montenegro and Albania, Prime Ministers of the two Republics expressed their views of the cooperation and pointed out the most important coordinates for the joint plan of action for the sustainable management of the Lake and its natural resources. "Through the cooperation between the two countries,
with the international assistance, we should estimate and consider future
valorisation and development of Lake Scadar. It is very important to
define goals and dynamics for the protection of Lake Scadar eco-system
starting with the protection of the Lake from the pollution, but also
considering its historical and architectural heritage" said Prime
Minister Djukanovic and added that "future cooperation should be
established to design the plan for use of economic resources of the Lake
in the areas of tourism, agriculture and services".
In the occasion of the International day for the
eradication of poverty,
Izvjestaj o humanom razvoju u Crnoj
Gori New York, 21
September 2005, UNDP, NY Zabljak - NP "Durmitor", 19-21 August 2005 SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT FESTIVAL “Durmitor
just for you”
www.destination-durmitor.org Podgorica, 10-11 July 2005
“UNDP is
congratulating the Government of Montenegro and expressing its pleasure
that Government undertook preparations of the First Millennium Development
Goals Report. Adoption of the Report is confirmation of Government’s
commitment to contribute to the global MDG agenda. Arturo Hein, During his first working visit to Montenegro, Mr. Arturo Hein, Resident Representative (Officer-in-Charge) of UNDP in SCG to Montenegro met with leading Montenegrin officials, Miodrag Vlahović, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dragan Đurović Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Affairs and Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Đukanović. In the meetings with UNDP’s strategic partners, Mr. Arturo Hein emphasised successful cooperation of the Montenegrin institutions with UNDP office in Podgorica and gave special recognition to the last week adopted Millennium Development Goals Report and Government’s active involvement in realization of the defined goals. Rozaje, 7 July 2005 Adopted Sustainable Development Strategy for Rozaje After one year of joint work,
UNDP, Urban Institute and local experts team finalized Sustainable
Development Strategy of Rozaje Municipality, which was adopted today by
the local parliament. Garret Tankosic-Kelly, Head of
UNDP in Podgorica announced today that UNDP provided 150,000 USD for
development of Rozaje. Funds will be used for the projects defined by the
Strategy, while the priority will be given to the projects that target
unemployment reduction, develop sustainable tourism and management for
natural and economy resources and infrastructure building, while promoting
the Strategy with potential donors. Podgorica, 7 July 2005 Montenegrin Government adopted MDG Report http://www.gom.cg.yu/eng/infobiro/index.php?akcija=vijesti&id=7774 Belgrade, 6 July 2005 Country Programme Action Plan CPAP signed between The Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro, Government of the Republic of Serbia and Government of the Republic of Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) “The importance of this first CPAP is in recognizing specificities of each of the Republics and increase of the core resources for UNDP liaison office in PG. By approval of this document Governments commit themselves to work on the poverty reduction and sustainable development”. Garret Tankosic-Kelly, Podgorica, 11-12 May, 2005 Beginning of
“Dinaric Arc”, joint initiative of WWF, UNESCO/ROSTE, IUCN, Council of Europe and UNDP “Dinaric Arc” Initiative developed and launched by the WWF, UNESCO/ROSTE and IUCN through the seminar in Montenegro, organized by UNDP LO in Podgorica is establishing cross-borders, international partnership between the most important international institutions involved in biodiversity protection, promoting and advocating for the concept of sustainable use of natural resources in the Dinaric region. April 12-15, 2005 Delegation of the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation visited Montenegro
In 2001, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund selected Montenegro as one of its four worldwide pivotal places of "special concern", recognizing Montenegro’s needs for economic development that respects ecological integrity During this visit, along side the monitoring of ongoing projects and pursuing its broad programmatic goals Stephen Heintz, Foundation President and RBF team continued its partnership-building mission and creating conditions for effective relationships between government and civil society institutions, all under the environmentally sustainable development umbrella. Mr. Heintz and William Moody, Program Manager for SCG met with Prime Minister Djukanovic, Head of the National Assembly Krivokapic, and group of Montenegrin NGOs. Also Available: RBF funded Mission Report on Montenegro by Andrzej Kassenberg, Institute for Sustainable Development, Poland
Žabljak, 7-8 April 2005 Initial workshop Unleashing Sustainable Tourism Entrepreneurship in the area of Durmitor National Park(Šavnik, Plužine, Žabljak)
Also available: · Press Release 
UNDP marks April 8,
Planet Earth Day Podgorica, 22 April, 2005 “The
example of Tara River showed how important ecological issues are to us all.
Joint
will and effort of the Montenegrin citizens, NGOs, experts and
parliamentarians gathered fantastic energy, brought the issue into the
institutions and won the battle for the nature and biodiversity protection.
The greatest message for the World Planet Earth Day is that through the similar, future efforts in the sustainable energy and tourism fields, Montenegro will become real ecological state”, said Garret Tankosic-Kelly, Head of UNDP LO Podgorica at the eco info stand organized by Montenegrin eco NGOs with the support from UNDP LO Podgorica
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new online portal allowing open, comprehensive public access to data on UNDP's work in 177 countries and territories, fulfilling a commitment to full transparency by 2013 above and beyond international standards
How often did you have to close the window in your office or at home because of the loud traffic noise or hammering on a nearby construction site? How often were you kept awake due to loud music coming from a pub in your neighborhood? 
As you gaze through your window, do you ever wonder what is the air quality outside? And not at the place where the measuring station checks it- I mean right there, on your balcony? 
The Office for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro, the UN System in Montenegro and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Mission to Montenegro have started the campaign „16 days of activism against gender violence“ under the slogan „Speak louder than silence. Stop family violence“ (Facebook page: 
Progress towards a new global climate agreement has been painfully slow.
Six years after joining the United Nations, the citizens of Montenegro got their first United Nations Park in the Old Royal Capital Cetinje, a town of unique historic, diplomatic and cultural value. The park of birches will symbolize partnership with the UN. On that occasion, representatives of both Montenegrin Government and the UN System stressed that this country is a great example of “Delivering as One”, a UN concept which Montenegro voluntarily adopted in 2010, harnessing the unique strengths of respective agencies to support the government and the people of Montenegro in their aspirations for development, fulfillment of human rights and European integration.
In every third case of family violence in Montenegro, the aggressor tried to kill the victim. What is even more appalling is that the victim is held responsible for causing violence, according to every fourth respondent that took part in a recent 
From 9 October 2012 the citizens of Montenegro no longer have to collect written signatures to support their petitions to the Government. Thanks to the 
By adopting the 
Almost two years ago representatives of Cetinje, the Old Royal Capital of Montenegro and UNDP had a project idea, and they named it Beautiful Cetinje. The idea was, and still is about the economic revitalization of the old capital and urban reconstruction of the cultural heritage, with energy efficiency as essential element. 
We are working on an exciting new project with 
It all started as a story one February evening when Dr. Milica Begović Radojević held a lecture on “Participation of the public and interest groups”, as part of the master program “Management of Protected Areas and Rural Development”. She began explaining what was Foursquare (4sq) and how we could use this service to tell a story of unexplored natural and cultural resources of northern Montenegro. At that point, we did not know the features and benefits of this service: searching for destinations, promotion of traditional products, handicrafts, and the involvement of local citizens, etc.
Several months ago Owen Barder delivered a 
When I heard about this project, I immediately signed up regardless of the fact that I didn’t quite know what was FourSquare :) Ok, I heard that there was a site/application that could locate geographical regions and I noticed that friends on Facebook marked certain location, but that's all I knew about the site. In other words, as soon as I saw that the project was linked to the development of northern Montenegro, I immediately signed up not knowing how the project would be conceptualized. As a great nature enthusiast and lover (especially of the country’s northern region), I wanted to give my modest contribution to the realization of these fabulous ideas.
We are doing serious work on our “Foursquare for Development” project :) 
Financially supported by the British Embassy, UNDP Montenegro will continue to help in strengthening country’s judiciary capacities for fight against corruption and organized crime until March 2013. The aim is further empoweringof judges and prosecutors for the efficient fight and for more effective implementation of criminal legislative framework. The expected result is increased professionalism and integrity of judges and prosecutors, commitment to the code of ethics and improved knowledge about good legal practices in the area of organized crime and corruption.
I went on a study visit to Slovenia recently and was able to get some insight into how they’re working towards gender equality.
U of S Law student Aleksandra Ilic is spending her summer across the world interning for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), yet, she is completely at home. Although Ilic grew up in Sarajevo, her family fled to the bordering country of Montenegro before the Bosnian War. Now, as Montenegro is recovering from the horrific 2010 floods, which forced thousands to abandon their homes and caused an enormous amount of damage to precious agricultural land, Ilic has her chance to give back to the country that helped her family so many years ago.
“Lead users are individuals or… firms that are experiencing needs… ahead of the targeted market(s). Often, they develop product or service prototypes to satisfy their leading edge needs…” - from 
Politicians, probably everywhere in the world, tend to repeat that “people are the real wealth of their countries. Are the people the greatest wealth or perhaps natural and economic resources? If people are in fact the greatest wealth of a nation – how rich is Montenegro? 
I see monitoring government performance as one of the best ways to improve governance: increasing accountability, effectiveness and fairness of the state. (See: 
Six years after Montenegro joined United Nations the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon landed in Montenegro for the first time, as a part of his regional tour of the former Yugoslav countries.
The opportunity to host the ‘Third Disaster Risk Reduction Community of Practice (COP) for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States” in June 2012 was an absolute honour and pleasure for UNDP Montenegro.
It’s a paradox: 
A recent UNDP 
The crowd has spoken! The process of selecting the most exciting untold stories in Montenegro has come to an end and there are several messages we’d like to share back with everyone.
In Montenegro, in every third case of family violence, the aggressor tried to kill the victim. In fact, globally, it is domestic violence – not disease or accidents – that is the major cause of death or disability amongst women from 15 to 40. Family violence and violence against women are shown to be such dangerous societal hazards that gender equality and the empowerment of women were listed one of the eight Millennium Development Goals of the UN.
“Public policies should be implemented by those institutions that are closest to the people” were the words of Mr. Rajko Golubović, Secretary General of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, quoting the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Mr. Golubovic was one of the keynote speakers at the opening of the conference “Decentralization of Social and Child Care Services – possibilities and challenges”.
Besides sharing a narrow land and maritime border, Montenegro and Croatia share a rather extraordinary story of success as popular tourist destinations. Last year, Croatia was ranked 24th in the UNWTO’s World Tourism Ranking, while Montenegro was ranked 24th in long-term growth by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Yet despite these similarities and the concordance of economic interests in the sphere of tourism, there has been very little or no cross-border cooperation between Montenegro and Croatia over the past 20 years. 
Several months ago we 
In the small town of Berane, north of Montenegro, a large group of young people from all around the world gathering on a hot July day in front of the historical home of Duke Gavro Vuković, the first Montenegrin Foreign Affairs Minister, is a rather unusual sight. In the crowd, a young French diplomat is discussing international politics with her peers.
The country of Montenegro is most frequently affected by floods, droughts and seismic activity of varied strength. The country faces extreme vulnerabilities due to the exploitation of forest and mineral resources, unplanned land use, and outdated spatial plans. The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, performed after the 2010 flood disaster in Montenegro, estimated a 1.5% dip in GDP, damages and losses of €44 million, and the displacement of 1.5 % of the population. 
A lot has been said already about the 
Balkans is the region that has transformed from a turbulent war zone to the zone of peace and democracy. Today the countries of the Balkans are trying to use the democratic process and the rule of law to set a new basis for long-term security and prosperity.
Right now, presidents, prime ministers, scientists and civil society leaders are meeting in 
Social inequality, conflict, climate change, poverty, drug abuse – all of these are emergent problems resulting from a million very contextual, small-scale decisions and events that add up to some of the most destructive issues we face today.
The issue of money in politics is rather controversial. Money plays a positive role as it helps to convey ideas to the electorate, develop future leadership, and employ research in policy making. Likewise, party finance is the life blood of democracy as political associations and elections require financial resources for functioning. However, unsatisfactory levels of transparency might corrupt democracy. Transparency International recently rolled out a report 
Live-tweeting from a 
According to the Monstat data, even though the North of Montenegro is rich in natural resources, poverty statistics shows us the other side of the coin: poverty rate in the northern region is two times higher than in the central part of the country and four times higher than in the South, while 45.2% of the country’s poor live in the North. But, the nature’s richness offer many opportunities for development projects. Regional and local development and decentralization in general are key priorities of UNDP in Montenegro. The ownership of this topic from partners both at the national and local level is of substantial importance. 
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on people around the world to cast their votes in an online global poll on solutions to the planet’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges, the results of which will be presented to world leaders at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or ‘Rio+20’, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, later this month.
Several weeks ago Kolasin hosted a 
Where do I begin? So much to make mention of… Well, a quick introduction – I am a second year Law student studying at the University of Saskatchewan, in Canada. Born in Sarajevo, my family moved to Budva, Montenegro at the start of the war – the rustic cobblestones of Stari Grad, Budva bring back my fondest childhood memories. We moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada 17 years ago, where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society from the University of Calgary. All I have ever wanted to be was a lawyer … well except for the few youthful years of my life spent wanting to be an actress … and a dancer … and potentially a famous singer :) All I can say with certainty is that the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan has not only given me the chance to fulfill my goal of being a lawyer, but has also given me the opportunity to experience the internship of a lifetime with UNDP Montenegro in Podgorica.
At my university I took a class on rhetoric and one of our assignments was to prepare a speech on a subject we were interested in. Though it sounds easy, I must admit that it was very difficult to find a subject that would also be interesting for other people.
Good governance is such a widely used term that I feel the need to first clarify what I understand by good governance. If governance includes the exercise of authority in managing the resources of a country, then good governance is about making sure that this exercise of power helps improve quality of life enjoyed by all citizens.
Have you ever been to Mojkovac? If you’re not from Montenegro, you probably haven’t. But up until a few years ago, most people in Montenegro would have said the same. Mojkovac used to be an environmental hot spot – due to a huge mining waste dump in the very centre of the town, only around 15 metres away from the Tara River, a 
In line with the national social welfare reform strategic directions and the EU social policy agenda, Montenegro continues to advance its social protection system. Introduction of the Social Card - Social Welfare Information System in Montenegro (SWIS), by administrative databases and registries cross-referencing enables creation of a unique electronic ‘social card (record)’ of beneficiaries and applicants for social welfare programmes. 
Several weeks ago, I helped organize a live tweeting session from a 
Implementation of gender sensitive policing practices will lead to an improved image of the police services in the population, thus creating necessary conditions for increasing community security. “Also, it will increase police efficiency as women victims of gender based violence or sexual violence will be more inclined to confine and report crimes if they see women in police officers ranks,” said Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator to Montenegro at the 10th Anniversary of the South East Europe Police Chiefs Association (SEPCA). The event was an opportunity to discuss the achievements in the framework of the Women Police Officers Network in South East Europe (WPON) project. This project, implemented by the UNDP/SEESAC in close cooperation with the SEPCA, includes development of Guidelines for Gender Sensitive Police Practices with the focus on recruitment, selection and professional development for women in police. 
“Favour those who care for and work to promote sustainable development, and then others will see the direct benefit from it and will understand better thecore of the concept; Educate citizens more, organize public debates, panels, etc.; Tourism and agriculture are not enough for development of Montenegro. There is no real progress with only hiking, biking and organic agriculture; How does Montenegro deal with the past of energy intensive industries?” – These are just some of the comments, questions and suggestions that came out from the 
Chief of Staff of the Montenegrin Prime Minister, Mr. Rajko Kovačević and the UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro, Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky signed the cost-sharing agreement for the implementation of the “Citizens’ Voice – E-Petition” project. The project seeks to introduce a website that will enable citizens to submit e-petitions to the Government of Montenegro. 
“Sustainability and stability of public finances, both at the national and local level is essential for coping with the current and all future crises,” said Mr. Milorad Katnić, Minister of Finance in the Government of Montenegro at the opening of the round table “Internal financial control system at the local level”. The round table was organized jointly by the Ministry of Finance, the Union of Municipalities and the UNDP in Montenegro, with an aim to present to the representatives of municipalities the existing legal framework for internal financial control and audit in the public sector, as well as rights and obligations of municipalities in this context. 
Croatian news agency HINA reports that the Croatian experts led by the secretary of the national team for negotiations with the European Union, Dubravka Vlašić Pleše, spoke about Croatia's experience in the EU accession process at a seminar organised for their Montenegrin colleagues in Podgorica on Thursday. The seminar, organized by the Montenegrin and Croatian foreign ministries with the support of the Capacity Development Programme and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, heard that progress in the policy areas No. 23 and 24, relating to the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organized crime, would determine the pace of Montenegro's EU accession talks. Vlašić Pleše said that the project of cooperation with the UNDP, which started in 2010, was one of the main foreign policy priorities in the coming period and that it envisaged cooperation and transfer of experience to other countries in the region. “Our goal is a region that will have a clear prospect of EU membership and our experience can help you deal with the challenges that await you,” said Vlašic Pleše. Montenegro's chief negotiator in the country's talks with the EU, Aleksandar Pejović, said today’s meeting confirmed regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations.
Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan of Turkey and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan will open discussions on March 22 in a high-level forum here for development experts, government ministers from both North and South, business executives, and top UN officials to examine the global policy changes required to ensure a sustainable future for people today and for generations to come. 
Tens of thousands of people have been cut off for days after severe snowfalls that struck Montenegro early in February, paralyzing most of the country. Heavy snow storm left at least three casualties and forced state authorities to declare the state of emergency. The elemental disaster caused shortages in food, energy and fuel supplies for days, especially in remote areas, while roads in the central and Northern part of the country were blocked.
“An
UNDP has released a publication “
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Montenegro, UNICEF Representative and UNDP Resident Representative signed the Country Programme Action Plans (CPAPs) for the period 2012-2016. The UNICEF’s and UNDP’s country programmes support the Government of Montenegro to address key priority areas on its way to EU membership such as alleviation of poverty, economic development, youth empowerment, child rights, good governance and environmental protection. 
In Montenegro there are two men in front of a woman who push her back, and in the European Union there is one man that draws the woman forth, it was a metaphor that Mr. Nicola Bertolini, Head of Operations Section at the Delegation of the EU to Montenegro used when speaking at the regional conference on gender equality. The Montenegrin Parliament only has 11 percent of women, while at the head positions in the government there is only one woman. These worrying figures from the aspect of gender equality were presented at the three-day Regional Conference “Political Participation of Women as a Factor of Societal Development” organized by UNDP in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro. In addition to prominent experts and politicians from the U.S., Europe and the region, the Conference also gathered representatives of all parliamentary parties, academia and civil society of Montenegro.
„In our society the sustainable development in broader terms is still identified as an environmental and green issue, although sustainable development in its essence is about balancing economic development with social needs of a society and the natural limits of the communities which we live in. Therefore, corporate social responsibility is very important for small and medium enterprises, which are the backbone of our economy,“ said Ms. Bosiljka Vuković, Head of the Division for the support to the National Council for Sustainable Development in the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism at a consultative meeting entitled „The introduction of the principles of corporate social responsibility into national policy of Montenegro“. The meeting was organized by the Cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic policy and financial system and the Ministry of sustainable development and tourism, in cooperation with the UNDP in Montenegro, with an aim to present the recommendations from the „Analysis of the introduction of the principles of corporate social responsibility into national policy“ to representatives from ministries, government institutions, business associations and civil society. The recommendations should serve as a basis for consultation with representatives of the mentioned institutions, which will result in final recommendations for the completion of this study.
A series of measures has been undertaken lately in Montenegro aimed at improving the quality of health care and protecting patients’ rights, including the appointment of ombudspersons in all health facilities. According to the Montenegrin Law on the rights of patients, it was prescribed that the health ombudsperson should be on the payroll of the institution against which complaints are being received. At a roundtable on protecting the rights of patients, President of the Associationfor the Protection of the Patients' Rights of the Republic of Croatia mr. sc. Đula Rušinović-Sunara said that protectors of the rights of patients should not be employed at the institution on whose account the patients complain. On the other hand, Assistant Minister of Health Dr. Jadranka Lakićević said that ombudspersons coming from the institution in which they work are common practice in many countries. The round table was organized on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day by the Ministry of Health and UNDP Montenegro. 
This year's “16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence” campaign started in Montenegro by signing the Protocol on cooperation in the cases of domestic violence. The Protocol is designed to systemize the joint work of all relevant entities in the implementation of laws and conventions, as well as obligations when it comes to the necessary measures to ensure organizing, equipping and educating of specialized professionals who deal with domestic violence.
“Opening of the first Legal Aid Office in the Basic Court of the capital of Podgorica is an important project in the overall judiciary system, because it provides equal access to justice for all, regardless of their financial or social status,” said Mr. Duško Marković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice in the Government of Montenegro. The first Legal Aid Office was opened by the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro and the Governments of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Norway. 
“Social exclusion has become a visible phenomenon in Montenegro, despite the significant allocations for social transfers and subsidies. Negative impacts of economic and financial crises caused increase of the poverty level from 4, 9% in 2008 to 6, 8% in 2009, while in 2010, 14.29% of GDP was allocated for social welfare. But, it is also a time of great opportunity,” said Rastislav Vrbensky, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro at the presentation of supported community based social services. A round table with an aim to present supported community based social services in three pilot municipalities - Nikšić, Bar and Bijelo Polje, within the framework of the IPA 2010 Project: “Reform of the Social Welfare and Child Care System – Enhancing Social Inclusion in Montenegro” was organized by the UNDP in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
“Human resources development is a key factor for economic growth and knowledge generation, and it represents indeed a crucially important development agenda,” said Ms. Lovita Ramguttee, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Montenegro at the presentation of the “Functional review of the human resource function and management capacities in Montenegrin municipal administrations”. “We hope that this Review will contribute to keeping municipal officials and national stakeholders abreast of the main findings in this regard, with key recommendations for improving their respective performance, ultimately leading to better delivery of services to the citizens,” she added.
Montenegro ranks 54th of 187 countries and is placed in the High Human Development category, according to the 
On the United Nations Day, President of Montenegro Mr. Filip Vujanovi ć received UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky. He handed a letter to the President of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on his appointment.
“It is indeed an important topic for Montenegro – internal financial control in public administration and their practical applications are a critical precondition for the integration of candidate countries into the EU,“ said Ms. Lovita Ramgutee, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Montenegro at the conference “Financial control mechanisms in Montenegro – Together on the same task” organized by the 
“The effectiveness of preparations for the upcoming Rio+20 summit depends first and foremost on the national and regional preparations that will feed into the global process,” said Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro at the Conference of social stakeholders on sustainable development organized by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the UNDP Montenegro, as part of the national preparations for the 
Further strengthening of multi-sectoral approach, building sustainable services with high quality personnel and investing special effort in the period to come in order to meet the targets set in the agreement with GFATM and successfully apply for the funds for the Phase II of the Round 9 Grant – those were the most important messages sent from the Fifth Annual Review Meeting that saw the participation of Montenegrin health sector representatives, UNDP, GFATM, media and NGO representatives. 
Women comprise only 10% of all individuals in sport at the national level, they hold only 8.8% of coaching positions, only 13.3% of national-level referees are women and there are no female sport delegates at all – these are striking data on overall gender inequality in sports revealed in the findings of the first-of-a-kind research about women’s participation in sports in Montenegro. The purpose of the study “Gender and Sport: Facilitators and Barriers to Participation”, presented by the Program “Game Set Peace”, Gender Equality Department of the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and the UNDP, was to conduct the first evidence-based research assessing the current status in this area. 
At the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, women political leaders made a strong call for increasing women’s political participation and decision-making across the world. Stressing that women’s participation is essential in all contexts — during peace, through conflict and post-conflict, and during political transitions — the leaders signed on to a 
The team of the Gender Programme IPA 2010 welcomes the adoption of the Law on Election of Chancellors and Members of Parliament which stipulates a mandatory quota of 30% for women on electoral lists.
TheUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched a guidebook aimed at helping decision makers in developing countries to better take advantage of the billions pledged to address climate change. 
The unprecedented flooding in 2010 in Montenegro highlighted the importance of coordinated action from national to local level in disaster risk reduction and preparedness, early warning and response. As part of the efforts to achieve this, the the Sector for Emergency Situations of the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a three-day meeting aimed at finalizing local flood risk assessments in the 12 high-risk municipalities in Montenegro. The meeting was supported by the UNDP Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP), through technical assistance in taking an active facilitation and participation role in the meeting.
A UNDP-led partnership that rewards communities around the world for their conservation and development solutions today launched a call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2012, to be submitted online at 
After a couple of challenging decades, the countries of the Dinaric Arc are focusing again on cooperation. In light of EU accession as a strategic goal for most of its countries, they will work together to make use of the great potential in the region’s ecosystems to promote the creation of a corridor for sustainable developement in the Dinaric Arc region ‘Via Dinarica’ – a corridor passing through beautiful scenery, traditional villages and a wealth of cultural heritage, with an aim to attract tourists and to create employment for local people. The ‘Via Dinarica’ initiative has an excellent chance to stimulate regional cooperation, to promote stability in the region and to secure local economic development through responsible planning and use of natural resources.
The project „Beautiful Cetinje“ will provide economic and cultural revitalization of the city, and the Old Royal Capital of Cetinje will move to return former glory. „It is about a set of measures that will contribute to Cetinje and the historical center of this beautiful city getting a new, fresh face, that Cetinje really should have,“ said President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović.
The Ministry for Human and Minority Rights of the Government of Montenegro, the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro, in the framework of the IPA Gender Programme, have constituted a counselling board that will support and assist the process of the Programme implementation in the domain of economic empowerment of women in Montenegro.
For the fourth year in a row, young diplomats from all over the world gathered in Montenegro in order to participate at the Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“. Now rightly called a traditional event, the School this time brought together more than 50 diplomats from 35 countries of the world, as well as numerous prominent lecturers, among whom Jorge Sampaio, President of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and former president of Portugal; Mr. Hans Winkler, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna; Mr. Paul Meerts, Professor at the Clingendael – the Netherlands Institute of International Relations and many other ambassadors and diplomats. They discussed diplomacy as a factor of security, stability and development in a changing environment, exchanged opinions and shared experiences related to the current security, political and economic aspects of development in the region and the world.
All ten women members of the Parliament of Montenegro, together with 242 representatives of the three Montenegrin universities, publicly addressed the Speaker of the Parliament, members of the Committee for drafting the new election law, as well as the presidents of the Parliamentary Clubs, requesting the introduction of mandatory quotas for women (prescribing at least 30% of women representatives on electoral lists). With the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Delegation of the European Union in Montenegro, they are jointly advocating for the legislation improvement through introduction of gender-sensitive norms in the new election law.
I am pleased to congratulate Montenegro on five years of membership in the United Nations. As the organization’s most recently added member state, Montenegro has contributed to a wide range of United Nations activities, both through its membership of the General Assembly and through its efforts to promote peace, development and good neighbourly relations in southeastern Europe and the Balkans. In this regard, I thank you for chairing the South East European Cooperation Process this year, and for hosting the internationally recognized Regional Summer Diplomatic School of Gavro Vukovic.
“After a couple of challenging decades countries of the Dinaric Arc region are focusing again on regional cooperation,” said Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Resident Representative/UN Resident Coordinator to Montenegro at a media conference where the Ministry of Sustainable Development and the UNDP Montenegro announced a new joint initiative in the Dinaric Arc region in the domain of nature-based tourism. The initiative is based on the New Zealand experience. “Taking into account the growing popularity of adventure tourism, huge potential of this market and role of tourism as one of the major driving forces of the Montenegrin economy, and in line with the political commitment of representatives of governments from the Dinaric Arc states to cross-border collaboration, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro supported the idea of joint efforts to create the Dinaric Arc up to ‘Via Dinarica’, to become one of world top long trails,” Mr. Avanessov explained. 
In the next two years UNDP will contribute to Montenegro’s efforts to strengthen public finance at the local level in terms of responsible management of municipal budgets, debts and assets. Funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands with about €800.000, this project should assist municipalities in achieving more professional, accountable, transparent and efficient public finance management so that they may better serve its citizens.
“Today we are talking about the results of a competition that inspired young architecture students from Montenegro and the region towards applying contemporary architectonic expression forms that respect the principles of sustainable construction, energy efficiency and economic feasibility of the design,” said Ms. Kristine Blokhus, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Montenegro at the opening of the Exhibition of a competition held for students from the region, on urban-architectonic design for the development of the central zone in the Municipality of Žabljak. The competition was organized by the Municipality of Žabljak, the Faculty of Architecture of Podgorica and UNDP Montenegro, in the framework of the Spatial Planning Support Project financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
“Cooperation between the media and judiciary in Montenegro is good, but there is always room for improvement. A step towards its further strengthening is the organization of a two-day seminar titled ‘The right to a fair trial and the role of the media in the application of the European Convention on Human Rights and the new Criminal Procedure Code’,” said Ms. Branka Lakočević, Deputy Minister of Justice of Montenegro at the opening of a seminar that gathered some 35 representatives of the national print and electronic media, judiciary and other national institutions. Together with national and international experts in this field they discussed ways to advance their cooperation in the process of reporting on criminal cases that are prosecuted and adjudicated by the Montenegrin judicial bodies, especially when it comes to corruption and organized crime cases. The seminar was organized by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), with the support from the UNDP Montenegro, the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe (AIRE) Centre of London and the Judicial Training Centre of Montenegro.
TheUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched a guidebook on “Catalysing Climate Finance”, advising decision makers in developing countries how to tap into growing environmental finance markets. 
“Establishing the national system for registration and record-keeping of the weapons owned by citizens will contribute to the overall development of the country and its integration in the European Union,” said Mr. Ivan Brajović, Minister of the Interior of the Government of Montenegro at the official presentation of the system which was developed in line with the national and European laws in this field, in partnership between the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme.
In the framework of the Programme for Demilitarization in Montenegro (MONDEM), representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the UNDP Montenegro officially opened the reconstructed “Taraš” ammunition storage site in Danilovgrad, Montenegro. The aim of the €1.23 million infrastructure upgrade of this ammunition depot was to bring it in line with internationally accepted security standards. The project was financed by the Government of the Netherlands (€700,000), the Government of Montenegro (€200,000), the European Union (€200,000 – through the SEESAC) and the OSCE (€130,000). “The capital project of the reconstruction of ‘Taraš’ that was finalized in less than one year, provided Montenegro with a very important storage site that ensures increased safety for the citizens who live in its proximity,” said Mr. Boro Vučinić, Minister of Defence of Montenegro. 
In a survey on knowledge and application of the Law on gender Equality, senior officials, managers and employees in 61 institutions were asked to list three documents governing gender equality and institutions that adopted them. Almost half were unable to name any act or document governing the realization of gender equality in Montenegro. The findings show that the majority of interviewees (73 percent) from institutions know that the government addressed the issue of gender equality in its normative activities. However, a significant number (46 percent) is not able to specify a single document in which the state regulates the issue of gender equality.
Over forty parliamentarians, government officials, and representatives of international organizations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia gathered at the 12th session of the Cetinje Parliamentary Forum dedicated to the exchange of experiences in the practice of parliamentary oversight of security and defence sector in the region. “The law on parliamentary oversight of defence and security sector was a result of the need and of the political will to put this sector under the parliamentary oversight, in a way that would guarantee legality in everyday work and respect for human rights and freedoms,” said the Chairman of the Forum Mr. Mevludin Nuhodžić, Head of the Montenegrin Committee for Defence and Security. The Forum was organized by the Parliament of Montenegro, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro and the South-Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC). 
From treeplanting, to rooftop solar panels, UNDP offices in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are, like the 
Last night, KIC Budo Tomovic Podgorica hosted “The Virus”, a moving theater play about love, happiness, belonging and pain of rejection and discrimination. Moreover, this is a story about the problems faced by the people living with HIV and the ways the other people perceive them. The play was written by Sinisa Kovačević, directed by Dragan Knežević and performed by the
“Mindful of human and economic cost, investment in preventing and mitigating disasters saves both lives and money- the latter at some 1:7 ratio,” said Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro at the opening of a three-day meeting: “National platform for disaster risk reduction in Montenegro”. The meeting was organized by the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Montenegro, in cooperation with the United Nations System in Montenegro and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), as one of the activities within the Regional Project for Disaster Risk Reduction in South-East Europe. The Project is financed by the European Commission and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Within the 
Armenia is a landlocked mountainous country in the South Caucasus region, a former republic of the Soviet Union. Located more than 2,000 km away, in Southeastern Europe, Montenegro is also a mountainous country, a former republic of SFR Yugoslavia at the Adriatic Sea. Back in 1974, geographical remoteness was not an obstacle for these two countries to connect: Yerevan and Titograd (Podgorica’s communist-era name) were sister cities. People from the two countries became friends. Many children from Montenegro went to visit Armenia, especially after the devastating earthquake in Montenegro in 1979. And, even today three remarkable buildings in the new part of Podgorica are remembered as having been built by the “friends from Yerevan”.
The Parliament of Montenegro adopted the Law on Legal Aid, after a broad consultative process which was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro, through its project “Reform of the Legal Aid System in Montenegro – Creating an Effective and Sustainable System of Providing Legal Aid”. The Law stipulates that the inhabitants of lesser financial means are entitled to legal aid, hence helping to fulfil the constitutional determination of Montenegro that all inhabitants must be equal before the court, regardless of their special or personal characteristics.
Montenegro has made significant progress in increasing the competitiveness of its economy. Weaknesses remain, however, in the domains of obtaining building permits, tax collection, ownership registration, corruption control and government efficiency. In order for Montenegro to become more competitive, it is necessary to improve conditions for enterprises’ operations, but companies also need to expand their businesses beyond country borders. This was stated in the study “Competitiveness of Montenegrin Economy”, which was carried out by the Ministry of Finance and UNDP with the support of the Government of the Netherlands. The study is one of many activities under the Project “Strengthening capacities of the Ministry of Finance to efficiently plan, analyze and manage public finances in support of the country’s aspirations for sustainable development and EU integration”, within the Capacity Development Programme (CDP). The Study provides guidelines on how to develop a comprehensive and internationally comparable system of indicators for regular monitoring of the country’s international competitiveness.
Water and sanitation infrastructure in many countries in Europe and Central Asia are in a critical state and deteriorating, often posing a threat to human health. Yet, most countries have signed or ratified core UN human rights conventions, and many regional treaties recognize the right to water. Read: 
In order to assess the health system integrity and to analyse citizens’ satisfaction with the reform of the primary health care, the study “Integrity Assessment of the Health System in Montenegro” was conducted by the CEED Consulting of Podgorica for the needs of the Ministry of Health, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization in Montenegro. Special focus was dedicated to informal payments as a form of corruption in the health system. 
Montenegro and Croatia have a natural potential for developing tourism in hiking, biking, sea kayaking and caving. The two neighbouring countries will work together through an EU-funded cross border cooperation programme, to improve and promote their outdoor tourist attractions. The EU-funded cross border project, launched in Dubrovnik, will cover the area of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County in Croatia and the municipalities of Kotor, Herceg Novi, Tivat, Cetinje, Budva, Bar, Ulcinj and Podgorica in Montenegro.
On the 8th of March 2011 we celebrate 100 years of advocacy for women’s equal rights. And yet, much remains to be done to realize the full equal rights of women. This is especially true for women in minority groups. 
For further successful steps of Montenegro towards membership in the EU it is necessary to strengthen the institutional and administrative capacities, to enhance the process of harmonization of legislation with the EU acquis and to implement strategic development goals. Sustainable development in all three sectors which are in the focus of the Strategic Coherence Framework (SCF), including environment, transport and human resources development, is a basis for successful European future of Montenegro. 
“Important element in the overall human development progress and on the path towards the EU is the enhancement of social welfare reform in Montenegro aimed at achieving the highest quality of services for the Montenegrin population,” said Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Resident Representative/UN Resident Coordinator to Montenegro on the occasion of launching the project “Reform of the Social Welfare and Child Care System – Enhancing Social Inclusion in Montenegro”. The main goal of the project is to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable groups of the Montenegrin population and to achieve their active participation in the society.
The interest of more than four thousand students in 176 elementary schools for the elective course on healthy lifestyle has made representatives of the Bureau for Education of Montenegro propose this course for high schools. This was already foreseen in the new National HIV/AIDS Strategy in Montenegro (2010-2014). “900 students in 39 classes have chosen this course in the 2008/2009 school year, while in 2010 the interest was much higher: 2400 students in 120 classes wanted to take this elective,” said Mr. Radoje Novović, Pedagogist at the Bureau for Education. 
After two decades in the toxic shadow of a closed lead and zinc mine, a small town in northern Montenegro is seeding a greener future as it cleans up an industrial dump and restores its pristine natural surroundings. Watch: 
The Centre for Sustainable Tourism of Montenegro (
A sixth consecutive discussion on the new concept of the Law on Civil Servants and Employees has been recently held in Montenegro. Local and foreign experts were working on this paper over the past nine months, and the approach they have taken to drafting the new law represents a big development for our circumstances. 
In the frameworks of UNDP’s project “Geographic Information System (GIS) for Environmental Protection”, fifty two employees of the Montenegrin sectors of environmental protection, hiking and biking clubs and local tourism organizations were ceremonially awarded certificates after a several months of training in the use of GIS as a tool to improve their daily work and efficiency. In the past five years over fifty Government agencies and NGOs were trained to use GIS, and fifty five other experts from the sectors of forestry, biology, meteorology, geology, seismology, mountain climbing, etc., have also 
“The results are encouraging as the majority of respondents considered that positive changes took place in the last three years, meaning reduction in the level of corruption and improvement in the quality of public administration services. We would also like to point out the fact that the respondents put corruption in fourth place among the negative phenomena in the work of state bodies, after complicated procedures and poor work organization,” said Ms. Vesna Ratković, Director of the Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative of the Government of Montenegro at the opening of a media conference on the occasion of presentation of the results of the survey „Integrity and capacity assessment of the public administration in Montenegro“. 
Practical Experiences in the Implementation of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction in Montenegro
Development prospects in parts of the Western Balkans are afflicted by environmental ‘hot spots’ virtually all of which were inherited from the socialist regimes that collapsed in the early 1990s. Because these hot spots are typically associated with industrial activities that are mainstays of local economies, the challenges of remediating these threats go beyond environmental policy, raising critical regional economic development issues. And because the ecosystems threatened by the hot spots often have trans-border dimensions, remediation can raise delicate questions of inter-state cooperation. In some instances, prospects for accession to the European Union are associated with addressing these hot spot challenges.
“The response of the Government and Montenegrin companies to the floods throughout the country is the best indicator that society is now ready to adopt the global economy trend of Corporate Social Responsibility,” – Vujica Lazović, Vice President of the Government of Montenegro said at the media conference on the occasion of launching the United Nations Global Compact in Montenegro. The conference was organized by the Union of Employers of Montenegro and UNDP Montenegro, in cooperation with the Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Centre for Development of Non-governmental Organizations. The Global initiative was started by the United Nations as a political platform and a strategic framework for companies dedicated to the principles of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Global Compact means aligning business operations with ten universally accepted principles related to human rights, labour, environmental protection and the fight against corruption. Participants at the conference were eminent experts in the domains related to the Global Compact principles, as well as representatives of national institutions, non-governmental organizations and international organizations. 
At the e-South East Europe (SEE) Initiative meeting within e-Leadership Regional e-Accessibility workshop held in Zagreb two significant publications were presented: “e-Governance and ICT Usage Report for SEE – 2nd Edition” and “Going the Extra Mile for the Digital Agenda e-Leadership Efforts in SEE”. Its authors focused their attention on analyses of present situation in the countries of the region, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Rumania, Serbia and FRY Macedonia. 
The right to a fair trial is one of the cornerstones of any justice system, and indeed, of any democracy. The resolution of disputes by alternative means is a key element of this, and as such, the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro organized a Regional Ministerial Meeting titled “Strengthening Efficiency of Judiciary through the Promotion of Mediation“. 
There are 105 000 registered small arms and light weapons in Montenegro – this means that every sixth citizen owns a registered weapon, while many more possess illegal weapons. This widespread existence of weapons leads to citizen insecurity, and, in the longer term, threatens the development of the country. The Ministry of Interior and Public Administration, OSCE Mission to Montenegro and UNDP Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing to upgrade capacities for regulating small arms and light weapons, and reducing the number. The intention is to reduce armed violence, and increase the security of Montenegrin citizens. 
“Establishing National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and strengthening government and society capacities especially at the local level are main priorities in the domain of Disaster Risk Reduction” it was concluded at the National Policy Dialogue on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), a three-day event organized by the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration of Montenegro and UNDP Montenegro. The aim of this dialogue was finalizing the National Needs Assessment on DRR that will serve as a basis for defining future activities within the Regional Programme on DRR in South-East Europe, as well as for the resource mobilization in the next period of time. This Regional Programme on DRR, worth 2 million euro is funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the UNDP and the World Meteorological Organization. Participants in the dialogue were 45 representatives from 11 Montenegrin ministries and relevant institutions, as well as from 11 international organizations. 
Under the UN integrated programme ”Delivering as One” in Montenegro, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro organized a study visit to Estonia as part of a joint project “Good Health System Governance for Equitable, Effective and Quality Health Care in Montenegro”. 
“Corporate Social Responsibility is important not only for the private sector but for the society as a whole,” it was emphasized by Kristine Blokhus, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative to Montenegro, at the Corporate Social Responsibility Forum held in Podgorica. The Forum was organized jointly by the Center for Development of Non-governmental Organizations (CRNVO) and UNDP Montenegro, with the support from the Union of Employers and the Directorate for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises. The purpose of this Forum was further familiarizing of Montenegrin enterprises with the concept of corporate social responsibility, possible ways for integrating principles of socially responsible operating in their everyday work, as well as learning from the best practices of the EU countries and countries of the region. 
“The state cannot count on economic growth unless it provides favourable business environment” – it was jointly concluded at the Round Table discussion on “Getting out of the Crisis: Challenges, Lessons Learned and Future Steps”, organized by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) and UNDP Montenegro. Participants at the Round Table were representatives of the international organizations in Montenegro, state institutions, business associations, as well as representatives of Montenegrin municipalities. The discussion was preceded by presentations of two studies, prepared in cooperation between UNDP and CEED: “Doing Business on the Local Level in Municipalities of Mojkovac, Plužine, Šavnik, Žabljak and Pljevlja“ and “Impact of Crisis on Labour Market in Montenegro“.
Montenegro ranks 49th on the index, with a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.769, out of a total 169 countries. This ranking places Montenegro in the “high human development” category and Montenegro is ahead of all countries of former Yugoslavia except Slovenia, which ranks 29th and hence falls into the category of “very high human development”. Comparable 2010 HDI data show that Montenegro HDI dropped compared with 2007 when HDI value (0.771) was strongly influenced by GDP index growth. More info on Montenegro Country profile of human development indicators at: 
If municipalities work together, they can make important savings while providing better quality services to their citizens - it was stated at the recent round tables on inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) in Montenegro. The round tables were organized in Podgorica and Bijelo Polje by the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Public Administration, the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro and UNDP Montenegro, with an aim to support municipalities in their efforts to attain high European standards in better serving citizens. On this occasion, a joint publication by the Ministry and UNDP titled ‘Strengthening Inter-municipal Cooperation in Montenegro’ was also presented as a useful tool to further Montenegro’s efforts in promoting, developing and maintaining IMC activities. 
“Violence in family should be prevented; comprehensive implementation of the existing laws should be guaranteed; a national strategy for fight against violence in family should be adopted” – it was said at the round table organized by the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the United Nations System in Montenegro. 
Under the UN integrated programme ”Delivering as One” in Montenegro, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro launched a joint project “Good Health System Governance for Equitable, Effective and Quality Health Care in Montenegro”. The objective is capacity building and technical assistance to the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Montenegro to define strategy for hospital sector reform, with a focus on equity in access, efficiency and transparency. 
Representatives of the 
The Ministry for European Integration, with the support of Capacity Development Programme and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, organized a second public hearing on the Strategic Coherence Framework (SCF) and Operational Programmes for the III and IV IPA components. 
In the context of a growing interest and increasing programme interventions in the area of legal aid, legal empowerment and alternative dispute resolution, UNDP Bratislava Regional Center together with UNDP Montenegro and its Rule of Law and Human Rights Programme organized a two-day Regional Community of Practice Meeting for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The meeting was held in Podgorica, Montenegro and it gathered members of the Community of Practice and their national counterparts. It aimed to discuss the specific challenges, issues and lessons learnt; showcase national experiences; learn from the practices in the region, with specific focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including minorities; and learn from Montenegrin experience. 
Upon the invitation of the Government of Montenegro, the 
Upon the invitation of the Government of Montenegro, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Helen Clark will pay an official visit to the country on 7th and 8th September.
For four days in July, young diplomats from all over the world met in Montenegro to take part in the Diplomatic Summer School. The diplomats came from Palestine and Israel, from Macedonia and Greece, from the entire Balkans region, from many countries in the EU, as well as USA, Norway, and China; a total of twenty-nine countries. Fittingly, therefore, the theme of the school was Regional Cooperation. 
The 10th Cetinje Parliamentary Forum (CPF): »Women, Peace, and Security« was held from 21 - 22 June 2010 in Cetinje, organized by the Parliament of Montenegro, with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Mission to Montenegro. The aims of the CPF were improving cooperation, sharing knowledge and experiences, strengthening links in order to maintain continuity in terms of deepening parliamentary cooperation and diplomacy in the region, improvement of bilateral and multilateral connections, rapprochement of the representatives of the legislative institutions in the countries that share common historical and cultural heritage, but the European perspective as well. This 10th parliamentary forum was dedicated to the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) - the first resolution on women, peace and security. 
The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro, Council of Europe and NGO Youth Initiative for Human Rights, organized one in a series of round tables on the Working version of the Law on Legal Aid. 
The results of the Montenegro’s Initial National Communication on Climate Change for total equivalent greenhouse gas emissions (CO2eq), i.e. the emissions resulting from the use of global warming potential of individual gases (GWP), by economic sectors, not including LUCF (Land Use Change and Forestry), indicate that the main emissions in Montenegro in base year 1990 came from Energy sector with 50.1% share in total emissions, Industrial processes 32.4 %, Agriculture 15.4% and finally Waste sector with 2.1% share. Little changed regarding the emission levels in 2003. The Energy sector is still the main emitter with 49.9% share in total emissions, followed with Industiral processes with 35.5%, Agriculture 12.3% and Waste sector 2.3%.
The UN Foundation and Let’s Travel! Radio have teamed up on a media partnership to educate travelers on World Heritage conservation and responsible travel. This week’s Let’s Travel! Radio show “Marvelous Montenegro” features the World Heritage and sustainable tourism in Montenegro. 
By signing a grant agreement between the UNDP and the Women’s Safe House the problems of the oldest Montenegrin shelter for victims of violence in family were solved, at least for the next year. Both organizations appealed to the state organs to provide financial support for the functioning of the Shelter, stating that that was their duty. 
The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Mission to Montenegro, organized a series of public debates about the working version of the 
Statement by Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro at the Regional Conference “Sustainable Energy Management in Public Buildings – from Policy to Local Action” 
The second generation of Gender School students at the Mediterranean University received certificates after a five days program which main goals were to acquaint the participants with gender equality standards enshrined in international documents ratified by Montenegro, with the obligations of the State in terms of conducting equal opportunities policy in the context of EU integration, etc.. 
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 16 March – With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for the adoption of a global action agenda for accelerating progress towards the Goals, when world leaders meet at a UN Summit in New York in September.
The Ministry for Spatial Planning and Environment, Municipality of Mojkovac and UNDP Montenegro organized an exhibition of design work from the conceptual urban and architectural solutions competition for the sports and recreation area with supporting facilities in the section of the remediated Lead and Zinc Tailing Mine Impound in Mojkovac. Beside presenting design proposals, the aim of the exhibition was also to present an idea about transformation of then environmental hot spot into a space fully compliant with the principles of sustainable development. 
Mountain Rescue Services are often forced to provide help under impossible conditions. At the exercise in the Mušovića River village near Kolašin the Mountain Rescue Service of Montenegro (GSS) demonstrated full preparedness to deal with the toughest challenges, and twenty of its members showed that on every meter of Montenegrin territory tourists and citizens can feel safe. The exercise session was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and UNDP Montenegro.
“A recovery and reconstruction programme in Haiti is going to be a very complex and demanding challenge. We therefore need to commit to bring together our global experiences and resources to assist Haiti in meeting its critical recovery and reconstruction needs, and building a country that rises anew from its tragedy… I call on the United Nations system, all of its agencies, funds and programmes, international finance institutions, multilateral, bilateral and civil society partners to work in a co-ordinated and coherent manner in order to reduce the burden on the Haitian government, and to utilize the best available practices for building back better, including the use of joint financial mechanisms that recognize the special needs of early recovery and support the long term effort of reconstruction” - From the statement of Helen Clark, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme at the Ministerial Preparatory Conference with foreign ministers from the Group of Friends of Haiti, major donors and key regional and multilateral partners engaged in Haiti, January 25, 2010.
In the spirit of partnership, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights/Department for Gender Equality, Parliamentarian Committee for Gender Equality, UN agencies in Montenegro (IOM, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR and WHO), OSCE and Council of Europe built the 16 Days of Activism against Violence in Family Campaign 2009 in Montenegro upon the efforts on promotion of the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence. Specific goals of the campaign were to support the Government to adopt the Law which will combat family violence; to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue; and to strengthen local work around violence in the family.
One of the key components of the UNDP Anti-corruption project is to assist the Government of Montenegro to fulfill is commitment on aligning its legislation with UNCAC which Montenegrin Parliament ratified in October 2006, as well as to help in following and solving the issues that EC Delegation sees as priorities in the area of judicial reform.
To support the coordination and collaboration in the area of sustainable development in Montenegro, the representatives of GTZ and UNDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with relation to future joint activities in energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors. GTZ and UNDP Offices in Montenegro joined their forces in order to optimize the results in those fields. In a number of meetings and round tables with participation of experts engaged by GTZ and UNDP and the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Unit staff that operates within the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro, fields of joint interventions were defined to provide better results. The conclusions from those meetings served as a basis for the MoU. 
With the purpose to mitigate the negative impact of the economic crisis in the north of Montenegro, the representatives of the UNDP office Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Understanding with representatives of the northern municipalities: Mojkovac, Pljevlja, Plužine, Šavnik and Žabljak on cooperation and partnership in the area of improving the economic environment in the north through the program “Limiting the impact of economic crisis”. 
More than a decade after armed conflicts, six countries/territories in the Western Balkans are now working together to tackle regional environmental hotspots. Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the UN-administered territory under SCR 1244 Kosovo, recently met in Budva to assess their progress in the Western Balkans Environmental Hotspots Programme. The six countries/territories are partnering with the United Nations Development Programme, with funding from the Netherlands Embassy in Belgrade, to address such hazards as a polluted canal, toxic contaminants at a railway station, air pollution in the city centre, poisonous mine wastes, and other issues. Video: 
The Ministry of Finance and Capacity Development Programme (CDP*) organized a workshop with an aim to inform the representatives of state institutions and public and private sectors of the methodology of 2010 Doing Business report indicators as well as of IFC (International Finance Corporation) recommendations on further reform steps in creating better regulation and favorable business environment in Montenegro. 
* The Capacity Development Programme - CDP was established in September 2003, as partnership between the Government of Montenegro, the Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Montenegro. Since February 2007 CDP’s key task has been to contribute to the efforts in developing institutional and administrative capacities for the process of European Integration.
The visit of Ms. Kori Udovički, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), to Montenegro reconfirmed a high level of cooperation between UN and specifically UNDP and the Government of Montenegro, which had been very positively assessed during the Prime Minister meeting with the UN Secretary General and the Administrator on 24 September during the 64th UNGA session.
In the presence of representatives of the government, non-governmental sector, academia, international organizations, embassies, unions, employers, etc., the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the President of Montenegro have inaugurated the National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2009: Montenegro – Society for All. To support Montenegro in fighting social exclusion and moving towards EU accession, UNDP Montenegro has prepared a comprehensive analysis on the current situation of social exclusion and poverty trends in terms of challenges, opportunities and responses for addressing social exclusion issues. 
Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration and UNDP successfully concluded negotiations and are ready to move forward with the Project for Capacity Development for Local Self-Governance of Montenegro. This project being complementary in some parts with EC IPA projections for local governance programmes, its main goal is to support municipalities - particularly in the most impoverished, Northern region of the country. 
Implementation of around thirty joint environmental projects and plans will continue and expand, it was agreed in a coordination meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection and UNDP Montenegro where previous progress and future joint plans were analyzed. 
Representatives of German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and UNDP Montenegro agreed to facilitate coordination and cooperation in the area of sustainable economic development in Montenegro. Mr. Thomas Waldraff, Country Director of GermanTechnical Cooperation (GTZ) and Mr. Alexander Avanessov, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to become strategic partners in the analysis, design, implementation of interventions that would most effectively support Montenegro in reaching its goal to achieve the status of an Ecological State. 
The representatives of the Government of the Kingdom of Norway and UNDP Montenegro have signed a Cost sharing Agreement which will enable extension of the “Programme for Strengthening Capacities of Judiciary in Montenegro to Fight Corruption and Organized Crime”, which started early in 2008 in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro. 
Last month, for the first time this year, the price of oil climbed above $70 a barrel. The optimists might misread this as a sign of a sustained global economic recovery and revitalization of the demand. The reality is somewhat different- while the financial sector is showing meager signs of life as a result of the large bail-out governmental packages, the gradual increase in price of oil reflects that the days of ‘easy oil’ are behind us and it may not be too long that we near the last year’s peak of $147 a barrel.
Bearing in mind the role of establishing connections among diplomatic services and young diplomats in the region and from the EU countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro supported by the Capacity Development Programme (CDP) organized the second Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“. The School was held between 21-24 July, 2009 and the participants were young diplomats from the countries of the region and EU countries, while the lecturers were eminent domestic and foreign practicians and theorists in the international politics - diplomats and experts from the European Union, United Nations, SAD and countries in the region.
Montenegro hosted a ministerial meeting of the Initiative for cross border cooperation of local communities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro. Ministers of foreign affairs of the three countries participated, as well as representatives of eleven local communities (Dubrovnik coastal area, Dubrovnik city, Herceg-Novi, Konavle, Kotor, Neum, Ravno, Tivat, Trebinje, Dubrovnik-Neretva district, Dubrovnik parish), high-level representatives of the international community, accredited ambassadors in Montenegro and the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation, whose Headquarters are situated in Sarajevo. 
Within a joint 
The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Montenegro organized a two day regional workshop with an aim to respond to the needs of all stakeholders, particularly partner country governments. In order to inform the development of the IATI standards, UNDP – as a member of the IATI Steering Committee* - has been tasked with facilitating detailed consultations with partner country government officials and Parliamentarians in order to better understand their priorities and aid information needs. This will help to ensure that IATI is developed in a way that meets as many of those needs as possible.
A working version of the first comprehensive research on the dimensions of social exclusion in the country, the National Human Development Report 2009: Social exclusion in Montenegro was presented in Podgorica, Nikšić and Bijelo Polje between June 2nd and 5th 2009. 
WorldPublicOpinion.org (Project of the University of Meryland, the USA) conducted a poll on public’s confidence in global leadership, with 19,224 respondents in 20 nations that comprise 62 percent of the world's population.
"The strength of the democratic form of government is its ability to establish a system through which state organs, i.e. the system of governance funded by taxpayers, enable all citizens improved chances to earn a living, to access affordable public services, and to enjoy personal security and equitable justice. Democracy empowers citizens to exercise their right to decide who will manage the system governing people’s lives and, in that way, it removes the elite monopoly over decision-making and the benefits of that decision-making" – it was recognized in the Report on Transparency and Accountability in the Montenegrin Governance System, prepared by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme in Montenegro, within its Capacity Development Programme (CDP). 
Complicated procedures and regulations, as well as high cost services are the most common occurences in the work of local self governance organs, whereas bad attitude of clerks towards service beneficiaries and non-transparency are the least common ones - it was revealed through a research titled “Integrity and Capacity Assessment of the Local Self Governance in Montenegro”, conducted by the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship (CEED) for the needs of the Directorate for Anticorruption Initiative (DACI) and UNDP Montenegro. 
Second regional workshop dedicated to persons with disabilities, jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Offices in Montenegro and Croatia, with the support from the colleagues from Serbia and the UNDP Regional Bureau in Bratislava, was held in Montenegro. 
Today, Helen Clark began her first day as the new Administrator of UNDP. She will spend her first week meeting with UNDP senior management, UN officials and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, as well as getting acquainted with staff. 
Following Montenegro’s adoption of the Law on International Legal Assistance in January 2008 and its accession to relevant international multilateral agreements pertaining to legal assistance in criminal matters, the Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, in cooperation with the OSCE and the UNDP organized a National Conference ”International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters”, with the main goal to present and promote the Handbook on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and the UN Mutual Legal Assistance Request Writer Tool. 
The first generation of Gender School students at the «Mediteran» University in Bar received certificates after a 6 days Program that encompassed five themes: the social context and the basis for gender equality; normative, legal and institutional frameworks for gender equality; gender equality in economy; gender dimension of culture and artwork; education and human resources in the context of gender equality. 
Representatives of the Ministry of Finance of Montenegro, the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the UNDP signed two official documents on cooperation: Agreement for the implementation of a Joint Project ”Strengthening capacities of the Ministry of Finance to efficiently plan, analyze and manage the public finances in support to the country’s aspirations for sustainable development and EU integration“, and the related Project Document. 
UNDP Montenegro through its 
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro and the Dutch development organization SNV, in cooperation with the Center for Entrepreneurship (CEED), organized a workshop to present the findings of the project “Assessment of the Public Services at the Local Level”, which was carried out in the Municipalities of Bijelo Polje and Žabljak. 
The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro and the UNDP presented a joint project: “Reform of the legal aid system – creating an effective and sustainable system of providing legal aid“, which will be a milestone for the country on its path to EU acession, and is a part of an advanced dialogue with the EU.
Remediation and recultivation of the Tailing mine impoundment of lead and zinc mine Brskovo should lead to economic revitalization of the Municipality of Mojkovac, development of nature-based tourism and inducing organic farming and food production. Once mine Brskovo closed and assessment of the current environmental status and impact on environment and human health in the area surrounding the mine done, the municipality will be able to use its full natural potentials and provide solid ground for creation of local and international partnerships as a basis for any future development of the area regardless of whether it will regard tourism or any other developmental path. The closed mine can be alternatively used as a mining museum and underground network of mountain biking trails, and Mojkovac can become an adventure travel destination attractive for hiking and mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, ‘leave no trace’ tourism… 
Approximately 128 tonnes of toxic hazardous waste (liquid propellant fuel and oxidiser for rockets) and 25.84 tonnes of Napalm thickener that used to present a humanitarian and environmental threat, stored at the military depot in Pristan, Boka Bay was decanted and neutralized and shipped out of Montenegro for final disposal. 
According to the research “Assessment of Integrity and Capacity of Judiciary System in Montenegro” organised by the Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative and the UNDP, perception of the level of corruption in judiciary system in Montenegro is higher than the records coming from direct experience of the interviewees show. This research was conducted by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) on a footprint of 1.788 interviewees among judges, prosecutors, lawyers, court experts, clerks, clients, police and companies in 19 Montenegrin municipalities.
A 3,9 million euros worth contract on the second phase of remediation of the Mojkovac Tailings Pond was signed by the representatives of the Public Works Agency, the Czech company Vodni Zdroje and the UNDP Montenegro.
Representatives of the Government of Montenegro, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed the Country Programme Action Plans (CPAPs). The CPAPs were developed through a highly consultative process in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro. 
In partnership with the Ministry for Economic Development and with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office Montenegro will begin the implementation of the $1 million Project ‘Power Sector Policy Reform to Promote Small Hydro Power Development in Montenegro’. 
‘Energy Efficiency in Buildings - Meeting the requirements of EU directive on energy performance of buildings, status, needs, and possibilities for Montenegro’ was an international workshop organized by the Ministry for Economic Development, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Government of Norway and the Energy Saving International AS (ENSI). 
New UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro Mr. Alexander Avanesov handed over the Letter of Accreditation from Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to President of Montenegro H.E. Mr. Filip Vujanović. 
Within a project coordinated by the UNDP Regional Bureau in Bratislava, which tackles corporate social responsibility in new EU member countries and countries candidates for EU accession, an assessment of the presence of this concept in large, medium and small enterprises was conducted at the regional level. 
Bearing in mind the role of establishing connections both among diplomatic services and young diplomats in the region and between them and their colleagues from the EU countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro supported by the Capacity Development Programme (CDP) organized the first Montenegrin Summer School for Young Diplomats “Gavro Vuković“. The School was held between 2-6 June, 2008 and participants were young diplomats from the countries of the region and several EU countries, while the lecturers were eminent domestic and foreign practicians and theorists in international politics.
The country of Montenegro attended the 9th meeting of the Conference of Parties for the Convention on Biodiversity in Bonn, Germany for the first time as an independent country. The Ministry of Tourism and Environment Protection invited the UNDP Resident Representative a.i./UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly to present the agency’s work in Montenegro in the area of biodiversity and sustainable development at the side event organized by the Ministry. 
Within the Programme of 
The Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection of Montenegro and the UNDP held a joint press conference in commemoration of the Earth Day. The two partners announced a launch of a joint initiative to solve a problem of plastic waste in Montenegro. The Ministry would in near future implement different mechanisms to reduce and, if possible, completely eliminate the usage of plastic bags. Finding an appropriate, country-specific set of measures for solving this issue is the first step towards setting Montenegro as an example regionally how protection of environment complements development of tourism, economic growth and prosperity.
The Ministry of Justice of Montenegro, with the support of the OSCE and the UNDP organised a roundtable discussion on the Draft Criminal Procedure Code. The event was organised as a public debate encompassing Montenegrin municipalities of Podgorica, Nikšić and Cetinje. Participants were the highest judicial officials, courts and prosecutor offices’ representatives, lawyers and representatives of international development and non-governmental organizations. The OSCE and UNDP experts gave their review of the Draft Code. 
In partnership with the Municipality of Mojkovac, the Local Tourism Organization, the Black Mountain Company and Kayak Montenegro, the UNDP Montenegro played host to 25 representatives of national and international news agencies, dailes, magazines and TV stations at a two days field trip with a purpose to present plans for development of nature-based tourism and economic revitalisation in the area of Northern Montenegro, specifically in the Municipality of Mojkovac.
Representatives of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Welfare, the Special Hospital for Pulmonary Disease “Dr. Jovan Bulajić” and the UNDP Montenegro marked the end of reconstruction and equipping of 10 hospital rooms for patients with tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, within the Establishing and Pursuing a High Quality of Tuberculosis Control Programme in Montenegro, supported by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) through the UNDP.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro has established a public-private partnership for sustainable development with the 
The Law on Prevention of Money Laundering was adopted at the end of last year, and it is fully harmonized with the European Union Directive III and the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The new Law introduces certain innovations in the work of the Agency for Money Laundering and the law obligors. To assure more adequate practical implementation and a clearer understanding of new regulations, the authorized organ of the Government of Montenegro – the Agency for Money Laundering Prevention (AMLP) in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro organized a two-days seminar for all the actors in the system of fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism.
In the presence of high government officials, resident ambassadors and heads of international organisations, representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Montenegro, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the OSCE and the UNDP in Montenegro officially signed the Project Documents for two projects of the Montenegro Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM). The first one is to authorize transfer of € 407.289,40 realized from the Destruction of Heavy Weapons and the second one GBP 250.000.00 contribution towards Conventional Ammunition Demilitarization. 
Representatives of the highest judicial organs in Montenegro are optimistic that they will conduct a reform and create independent and efficient judiciary despite shortage of staff, weak technical capacities and poor working conditions. 
At a workshop within the project National Capacity Self Assessment for Implementation of Environmental Conventions were presented the 
Presentation of different visions on the anti-corruption policies in Montenegro and guidelines for the joint work in this field were the main topics at a workshop held on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day, 9th December, organized by the Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative of the Government of Montenegro (DACI) in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Montenegro and the UNDP Montenegro. 
As a contribution to the global international campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence”, the Office for Gender Equality of the Government of Montenegro and the UNDP Montengro organized a two days seminar titled “Stop Violence Against Women”.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment Protection launched the 
The role of the Parliament in harmonization with Acquis in the process of implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement was the main topic of the round table jointly organized by Parliamentary Committees for International Cooperation and European Integration and for Constitutional Issues and Legislation, and Capacity Development Programme (CDP). After the official signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the main objectives of Montenegro will be the implementation of the SAA and further preparations for EU membership. Harmonization of national legislation with Acquis has key role in achiving these objectives. 
Today in Podgorica, the United Nations Organizations in Montenegro (FAO, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO) held a press conference to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. One of the main aims of commemoration on 17th October is to make the voice of the poor to be heard. In this regard, after the official opening by the Heads of UN agencies in Montenegro, a 17-minute documentary, ‘Five Tales,’ has been shown addressing some poverty issues in Montenegro. The documentary was directed by famous Montenegrin film maker Mr. Nikola Vukčević.
Review of Montenegrin anti-corruption legislation was the main topic during a two days conference jointly organized by the Directorate for Anti-Corruption Initiative of the Government of Montenegro, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the UNDP Montenegro. 
At a joint launch with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) held at the Sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” in Belgrade, the 
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro, the Government of the Republic of Montenegro and the Government of the Netherlands/Ministry of International Cooperation signed a programme document and a contract on implementation of the regional programme “Strengthening capacities in the Western Balkans countries to mitigate environmental problems through remediation of high priority hot spots".
The Initial Report on the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (
Action Plan for Implementation of the Judicial Reform Strategy will be finished by mid October, announced Minister of Justice at the Government of Montenegro Mr. Miraš Radović at the Roundtable dedicated to development of this Plan. 
The Capacity Development Programme (CDP) for the State Administration of the Republic of Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has initiated a $250,000 worth Project „Enhancing the capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to better respond to Montenegro's national priorities for European integrations”. The project will be funded by UNDP, with an aim to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop and implement national foreign policy, in cooperation with Minister and his Team. 
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank (WB) jointly organized the presentation of the key issues arising from the Initial Scoping Report of the Strategic Environmental Assessment on the Draft Montenegro Energy Strategy. The presentation was given by Mr. Peter Nelson, Principal, Land Use Consultants (LUC). 
The Capacity Development Programme (CDP) for the State Administration of the Republic of Montenegro is initiating a project to enhance the capacity of Parliamentary Committees for International Cooperation and European Integration and for Constitutional Issues and Legislation in the process of Implementation of Stabilization and Association Agreement.
The main gun barrel of the first of 61 surplus tanks T 55 of the Montenegrin armed forces was cut today to mark the beginning of implementation of the Montenegro Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM), a joint project of the Montenegrin Ministry of Defence, the OSCE and UNDP. 
Hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a two-day technical and expert consultative meeting on strengthening of national capacities for efficient management of external assistance is taking place in Podgorica, Montenegro. 
To mark the International Earth Day, the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Montenegro organized a presentation of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”. The film was followed by a brief discussion including statements from the Minister of Tourism and Environment of Montenegro Predrag Nenezić and UNDP GEF Portfolio Manager Dijana Spasojević. 
On the occasion of 8 April, the International Roma Day, Montenegrin Coalition of NGOs “Roma Circle”, in cooperation with the Culture & Information Center Budo Tomović Podgorica, premiered a theatre performance “Master of the Broom”, supported by the Montenegrin Ministry for Human and Minority Rights Protection and the UNDP Office Montenegro within its SIDA funded regional project Roma Decreasing Vulnerability. 
At the press conference held in the premises of the Government of Montenegro, the programme document for Capacity Development Programme (CDP) for the State Administration of the Republic of Montenegro Phase II was officially signed by Ms. Gordana Đurović, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration at the Government of Montenegro; Ms. Sanja Elezović, Director of the Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI ROM), Representative Office Montenegro and Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly, UNDP Resident Representative a.i./UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro.
Today, Kori Udovicki assumes her responsibilities as an Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of UNDP and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). 
One of the Key Challenges for Montenegro
“Accountability” is this year’s main message on World AIDS Day. The scourge of the modern age, which killed 25 million people in the world and 25 people in Montenegro. Montenegro accomplished the majority of its obligations, but not all, was said yesterday at the press conference organized on the occasion of the World AIDS Day.
“... Montenegro is a young European nation, existing on its own on the international scene for a few months only. But she is firmly determined to continue with even more strength to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity, by respecting and promoting the underlying ideas, principles and goals of the UN and its documents...” 
Mr. Kalman Mizsei paid his farewell visit to Montenegro in his capacity as the UN Assistant Secretary General & UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director for Europe and the CIS. On the occasion ov visiting Montenegrin President, Prime Minister, President of Parliament and Minister of Foreign Affairs he was accompanied by Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly, UNDP Resident Representative ai in Montenegro. 
“The protection and strengthening of the
existing nature of the Montenegrin society, based on diversity, is
a necessary precondition for the sustainable human development. Future
coherent Montenegrin identity is feasible, not to the account of, but due
to the existing diversity“ said Filip Vujanovic, President of
the Republic of Montenegro at the occasion of the official public
presentation of the first 
For more than a decade UNDP has been publishing the
Global Annual Report on Human Development. With its report, in 2005,
Montenegro also joins the group of approximately 135 countries of the
world that by publishing these documents support the identification and
recording of the most significant changes and challenges in the field of
human development in certain parts of the world. These reports are based
on the thorough, analytical research and have become a dynamic lobbying
tool.
Moises Venancio, Senior Program Manager and
Team Leader UNDP Western Balkans, Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of
Independent States (RBEC), from New York, expressed his pleasure with the
symbolism of the promotion of the Report on Human Development in
Montenegro on the International day of fight for poverty eradication,
because “ … Poverty continues to be a major challenge in the world
today. One fifth of the world’s population spends 2 USD a day on a
cappuccino while one fifth survives on that per day. At the same time, 40%
of the world’s population lives on USD 2 dollar a day…”
“This document got positive response from the
Municipal authorities and was qualified as one of the best ever developed
strategy documents for the Rozaje Municipality, because it presents
concrete situation in Rozaje economy, addresses real problems and proposes
solutions for them", said Edin Šehović, UNDP coordinator in
Rozaje.
