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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Strategy for improving position of disabled persons prepared

Belgrade, 4 December 2006

Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy Slobodan Lalovic said today that during the course of this month the Serbian government will adopt a strategy for improving the position of persons with disabilities.

Speaking at a press conference held to mark the International Day of Disabled Persons, Lalovic explained that the document is an activity plan for the state and society for the period until 2015, aiming to create a society which offers equal opportunities to everyone.

He said that the exact number of disabled persons in Serbia has still not been established, therefore the Ministry, in cooperation with local communities, has initiated the activity of creating a data base on their exact number, as well as their needs.

The Minister pointed to the fact that the issue of the position of disabled persons is not related to sectoral social policy, but is more a question of respecting human rights. He added that that is one of the key changes which the government and the Ministry have made during the previous three years when it comes to the issue of disabled persons.

He recalled that within the framework of the Ministry a sector for dealing with problems faced by disabled persons has been formed, and in April this year the Law on preventing discrimination against persons with disabilities was adopted, which is the first law of its kind to be adopted in the region.

According to Lalovic, the Ministry has also prepared a bill on rehabilitation and employment for disabled persons, which will soon be adopted at one of the government sessions and later forwarded to Serbian parliament.

Similarly, within the framework of the Law on Public Roads, disabled persons and their associations are exempt from payment of road tax, and due to the efforts of the Ministry, a decree on providing accessibility to disabled persons has entered the bill on amendments to the Law on Planning and Building.

Lalovic added that a decision has been included in the Law on contributions for obligatory social insurance and the Law on citizens income tax according to which an employer who employs a disabled person will be exempt from payment of tax for the next three years.

He specified that in comparison with 2003, 8% more funds have been set aside for some 400 organisations for disabled persons, and a partnership has been established between the Ministry and organisations of disabled persons.

Resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Serbia Lance Clark pointed to the importance of the activities of the Serbian government and the Ministry thus far in helping disabled persons. He added that work should be done on reducing poverty among disabled persons, which is three times higher in Serbia than in the world.

Serbian expert in the UN, Damjan Tatic said that the strategy prepared for improving the position of disabled persons contributes to establishment of still better relations with the UN and allows the creation of a legal framework on the basis of which disabled persons should be able to live like all other members of society.