A- 11 initiative for Economic and Social rights organised the forum “Remaining problems on the path towards the full realization of the human rights of internally displaced persons in Serbia”, in Belgrade on 31 October 2018, where the speakers were Joanna Whiteman, an expert in discrimination and co- director of Equal rights trust Organization, as well as the representatives of UNHCR-a, Ombudsperson and Initiative A- 11 along with the participation of academic community, representatives of Embassies and relevant state bodies. The goal of the forum was to accentuate problems the IDP face in Serbia and to refer to recommendations which would contribute to permanent solution of the problems internally displaced persons face, which are presented in the brochure you can find here.
Here are the conclusions that were reached following the discussions at the forum:
- Access to the improvement of social and economic rights of internally displaced persons through direct application of anti-discrimination guarantees.
The local integration of internally displaced persons based on the application of anti-discrimination guarantees would make it possible to more clearly review the responsibility of decision-makers in this area, as well as to maximize the use of existing resources for the promotion of economic and social rights of internally displaced persons. Some of the techniques that can be used to this end are related to analyses of the effects of the application of “sectoral” laws from the aspect of anti-discrimination, as well as other acts (regulations and other by-laws and other decisions made by the local self-government) and public policies intended for the improvement of the position of internally displaced persons in Serbia.
- Further improvement of cooperation among international organizations, independent state bodies for the protection of human rights, civil society organizations and state bodies is necessary in order to resolve the remaining problems internally displaced persons face.
It is possible to improve the cooperation among relevant actors dealing with issues related to internal displacement in several areas – in the area of public policy implementation at the level of local self-government, in the area related to the analysis of the effects and revision of strategic documents related to the position of internally displaced persons, in the area of the improvement of planning of donor project in order that they could fully respond to all aspects of anti-discrimination guarantees in the Republic of Serbia, as well as through the improvement of the data collection system for issues pertinent to the position of internally displaced persons.
- Participation of internally displaced persons in the planning, monitoring of the implementation and the implementation of policies related to the improvement of their local integration, is key to the improvement of their local integration in Serbia.
A platform for the improvement of the participation of internally displaced persons in these processes should be established in cooperation with all interested parties in order to improve planning in regard to measures and activities related to the improvement of the position of internally displaced persons, the risks that affect their implementation, as well as results that they bring in the area of the improvement of the position of internally displaced persons.
