Manual “The Path to Employment: Get to Know Your Rights and Opportunities”

Program “PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature”

2025.

The manual for empowering particularly vulnerable population groups in the field of employability, “The Path to Employment: Get to Know Your Rights and Opportunities,” is intended for informal waste pickers who will be particularly affected by changes in the system of informal waste collection and the introduction of closed recycling centers in the Republic of Serbia.

The manual is designed as a practical and easy-to-understand guide, with specially selected rights and services, which helps informal waste pickers to navigate more easily through the system of institutions and procedures at the level of local self-government units.

The content of the Manual includes the most important information on social and health protection, social and labor rights, the importance of education and lifelong learning, as well as the opportunities offered by the National Employment Service, from additional qualification and requalification programs to training implemented in cooperation with schools and other educational institutions.

The Manual was developed within the framework of the Program “PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature” (PRO Program), which is jointly implemented by United Nations agencies in Serbia – UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP – in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with financial support from the Government of Switzerland. The PRO Program aims to improve the quality of life of citizens of Serbia through better local governance, strengthening social inclusion, and environmental protection in 110 cities and municipalities. A special focus of the Program is directed toward supporting informal waste pickers, in order to facilitate their adaptation to the modernized waste management system within the Solid Waste Program, co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the French Development Agency (AFD). Through its activities, the PRO Program contributes to strengthening the capacities of local self-government units, the economic empowerment of informal waste pickers, as well as improving access to social, educational, and health protection for them and members of their families.

(the manual is available in the Serbian language)