Manual for Strengthening the Capacities of Local Self-Government Units for the Employability of Waste Pickers

Program “PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature”

2025

The Manual for Strengthening the Capacities of Local Self-Government Units for the Employability of Waste Pickers (hereinafter: the Manual) was developed out of the need to further strengthen the capacities of employees in local self-government units (LSGUs), so that they can more effectively recognize, understand, and respond to the challenges that most affect particularly vulnerable population groups. The Manual is intended for employees in LSGUs, regardless of their position, level of responsibility, or the sector in which they work. It is conceived as a practical and applicable tool for strengthening capacities for inclusive planning and for effectively responding to the needs of waste pickers. The Manual may be used by employees in municipal and city assemblies, the National Employment Service, social welfare centers, health institutions, educational and preschool institutions, public utility companies and cultural institutions, as well as representatives of civil society organizations operating at the local level.

The first part of the Manual provides an introduction to the objectives and approach of the program “PRO – Local Governance for People and Nature” (hereinafter: the PRO Program), followed by a presentation of the broader context and the identification of key challenges faced by LSGUs in providing adequate services to particularly vulnerable population groups, with a special focus on waste pickers.

The central part of the Manual presents specific recommendations for strengthening local capacities in the field of employability of waste pickers. These recommendations are thematically structured around key prerequisites for improving employability, with each chapter dedicated to one of them: anti-discrimination and sensitization; education and retraining; digital and functional literacy; cooperation with the National Employment Service (CV preparation, interview preparation, active job search); entrepreneurship and subsidies; project writing and identifying alternative sources of funding; cooperative organization, partnership with the civil sector and intersectoral connectivity; gender equality; the right to health care; and labor and social rights.

Across all these areas, the Manual points to existing resources and tools, as well as to opportunities for their improvement. The goal is to enable a systemic approach that leads to the improvement of living conditions and increased employability of waste pickers.

Based on the analysis “Assessment of the Current Situation and Local Mechanisms for Systemic Support to Waste Pickers, as well as the Capacities of Service Providers in Selected Local Self-Government Units,” conducted during 2024, it was concluded that the key to long-term improvement of the living standard of waste pickers and other vulnerable population groups lies in the simultaneous strengthening of institutional capacities and continuous, coordinated work on the development and improvement of local action plans for their support.

The Manual was developed within the PRO Program, jointly implemented by United Nations agencies in Serbia (UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNEP) in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with financial support from the Government of Switzerland, in the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026. The goal of the PRO Program is to contribute to the improvement of the well-being and quality of life of citizens through more successful local governance, social inclusion, and environmental protection in 110 cities and municipalities across Serbia. At the same time, the PRO Program will provide support to a certain number of waste pickers in order to enable them to more easily adapt to the changes brought about by the modernization of the waste management system in the territory of those local self-government units (LSGUs) that are included in the Solid Waste Program, co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the French Development Agency (AFD).

(the manual is available in the Serbian language)