2025-01-27

Members of the Council for Creating a Supportive Environment for Civil Society Development Freeze Their Membership Due to Threats to CSOs’ Work

Members of the Council for Creating a Supportive Environment for Civil Society Development, from civil society organizations (CSOs), inform the public that they have unanimously decided not to participate in the Council’s activities or attend its sessions for the foreseeable future. Membership in this body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia will be suspended until the circumstances that have led to the threat to the functioning of civil society in the Republic of Serbia and the violation of national and international regulations and strategic documents in this area are identified and resolved.

This decision was made in light of numerous incidents indicating a deterioration in the position of civil society, including: “Smear” campaigns targeting CSOs, which have been ongoing for a long time.

The lack of response from representatives of government bodies in the Council to alarming reports of pressure, intimidation, and attacks on human rights defenders, activists, and students.

A recent incident involving the detention and expulsion of participants in the Erste Academy for Non-Governmental Organizations, organized by the Erste Foundation from Vienna, who were banned from entering Serbia for one year without adequate explanation.

We believe that these actions by the relevant authorities have violated fundamental rights to freedom of association, assembly, and expression, which directly threatens the work of civil society in the Republic of Serbia.

The Council for Creating a Supportive Environment for Civil Society Development was established as a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between CSOs and state bodies. Its role is to monitor and analyze the situation in the most significant areas of civil society activity, as well as to represent the interests of citizens by involving them in decision-making processes. Unfortunately, the lack of concrete measures and responses from state authorities to the current situation prevents the realization of these objectives.

We expect an urgent and appropriate response from the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, in accordance with its responsibilities, in order to create conditions for the continuation of the Council’s work.

Signatories:

Aleksandar Prica, Asocijacija DUGA;

Vladimir M. Pavlović, Beogradska otvorena škola;

Miroljub Nikolić, Caritas Šabac;

Gordana Adamov, Krovna organizacija mladih Srbije (KOMS);

Nataša Vučković, Fondacija Centar za demokratiju (FCD);

Marija Mitrović, Trag fondacija;

Saša Stefanović, Mreža organizacija za decu Srbije MODS;

Milan Krilović, Evropski omladinski centar Vojvodine;

Dragoslava Barzut, Udruženje građana za demokratiju i građansko obrazovanje „Građanske inicijative“;

Dragan Đorđević, Odbor za ljudska prava Niš;

Bojana Džulović, Beogradska otvorena škola;