Within the Fund for sustainable local development the call for local civil society organizations from following municipalities and cities: Priboj, Požega, Užice, Sremski Karlovci, Pirot, Zaječar, Bor, Knjaževac, Apatin and Sombor to submit project proposals for initiatives to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of health and environment was announced on 8th of April, 2020.

Within the call 14 initiative proposal were submitted from the following civil society organizations: Association for development of the City of Bor, Society of young researchers Bor, Danube 1245 Sremski Karlovci, Educational Center Sombor, Foundation Gymnasium „Veljko Petrovic“ Sombor, Little rangers Uzice, Primus Priboj, RAS Omorika Priboj, Team of creative ideas Bor, Timok club Knajzevac, Women association Uzice, Green team Sombor, Women center Uzice, ZKP Priboj.

After internal assessment by the GIZ project team within “Public finance reform/ Agenda 2030” the following four initiatives were selected and will be supported by funds for implementations of their proposed activities:

Sustainable is better – Society of young researcher Bor

The general objective of this initiative is to enhance citizens’ involvement in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the local community, especially children and youth. The specific objectives are as follows: empowering citizens, especially children and youth, CSOs and local governments to implement the goals of sustainable development, increasing awareness of citizens, especially children and youth on the 2030 Agenda, particularly on energy efficiency, waste management, environmental and biodiversity protection, raising environmental awareness and knowledge of children and citizens through peer education and creating teaching materials and models of youth activism within environmental protection school programs, as well as promoting sustainable and ecological behavior, healthy lifestyles and activism of children, youth and citizens.

Citizens and local self-governments jointly towards Sustainable Development Goals– Educational Centre Sombor in cooperation with Civic Alliance for Social Inclusion Požega

The general objective of this initiative is to enhance the quality of health and environmental protection in the City of Sombor and the Municipality of Požega through the implementation of innovative solutions and alignment of public policies with the Sustainable Development Goals. The specific goals are as follows: improving the health of citizens and health care by creating a Public Health Plan of the Municipality of Pozega with special emphasis on overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as improving environmental protection by creating a Local Action Plan for Environmental Protection of Sombor.

,, The first step towards a clean and resistant local community” – Foundation Gymnasium „Veljko Petrovic“ Sombor

The general objective of this initiative is to contribute to the creation of a model for recycling aluminum cans and plastic caps on the territory of the City of Sombor and to raise awareness of various members of the local community in Sombor about the importance of systematic recycling of waste material. The specific goals are as follows: education of high school and primary school students on sustainable development, proper recycling and ways of reusing waste packaging material, establishing a model of recycling packaging waste through organizing the competition “Throw, donate, recycle” in a minimum of 15 schools in the city Sombor, as well as creating conditions for dialogue and joint action in the field of establishing a recycling model, between representatives of local self-government/institutions, private sector, civil society and the media.

Clean environment – Health people – Timok club Knjazevac in cooperation with organization Pirgos Pirot

The overall objective of this initiative is to establish cross-sectoral cooperation and dialogue at the local level in the municipalities of Knjaževac and Pirot for improving citizen’s health, through responsible waste management and the adoption of local action plans. The specific goals are as follows: raising awareness of citizens in Knjaževac about the importance of the primary selection of recyclable waste at the place of origin, as well as establishing recycling islands for disposal of selected recyclable in Knajzevac, also improving the health of Pirot citizens through the development of local public health policies.

The ranking list is available on the following link.

The Fund for Sustainable Local Development is a part of the “Public Finance Reform – 2030 Agenda” project supported by Swiss and the German Development Cooperation and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.