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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia supports basic principles of UNESCO

Belgrade/Paris, 9 October 2023

Minister of Science, Technological Development and Innovation Jelena Begovic addressed today the plenary debate of the 217th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which was chaired for the last time by the Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of Serbia to that organization, Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili.

Begovic stressed that Serbia recognises the importance of the programme activities of this organization, as well as the Mid-Term Strategy for the period 2022-2029.

According to her, the mission and values underlying UNESCO's work, promoting multilateralism, dialogue and consensus, must remain at the centre of joint efforts.

The Minister also pointed out that Serbia is among the few countries that have introduced gender-responsive budgeting into their legal framework and that innovative thinking and investment in young people and women are at the centre of our national priorities.

Our National Youth Strategy (2015-2025) aims to improve youth participation in various spheres, including employment and support for young migrants, she said.

Begovic recalled that in 2021 the Law on Gender Equality was adopted, harmonised with EU standards, together with the Strategy for Gender Equality for the period 2021-2030, stressing that Serbia's goal is to overcome the gender gap in the areas of the economy, science and education by 2030.

The Minister also pointed to Serbia's unwavering commitment to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through science, innovation and technology, adding that this is confirmed by the adopted strategies for smart specialisation and for artificial intelligence, as well as the ambitious project to build the BIO4 campus, which will start operating in 2024.

According to her, Serbia actively supports freedom of expression, access to information, safety of journalists, media and information literacy, as well as the Global Media Defence Fund, managed by UNESCO.