Commission of the Republic of Serbia for Cooperation with UNESCO

 

By a decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, the Commission of the Republic of Serbia for UNESCO was established as an advisory body for policy areas within the purview of UNESCO, in accordance with Article VII of the UNESCO Constiotution which stipulates that all Member States shall establish national advisory commissions for the purpose of developing and coordinating the cooperation with UNESCO in areas within its purview. UNESCO is, thus, the only agency in the United Nations System which has a global network of national bodies for cooperation. Further information is available at: https://en.unesco.org/countries/national-commissions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia provides expert and administrative and technical support to the Commission.

On 23 April 2015, Prof. Dr. Goran Milašinović was appointed President of the Commission. He is a Professor at the Medical Faculty of the University of Belgrade and the Director of the Pacemaker Centre of the University Clinical Centre of Serbia. He is also a member of many professional organisations and an author of over 50 scientific works listed in the Science Citation Index (SCI), as well as a number of published and award-winning literary works.

The Secretary-General, selected among civil servants in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is in charge of activities of the Commission and managing the Secretariat of the Commission. By the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Serbia of 30 September 2021, Second Secretary Antonia Jutronić was appointed to this position.

In addition to the President and the Secretary-General, who manages the Secretariat, the Commission currently comprises 25 members, who do not receive remuneration for their participation, pursuant to the 2015, 2017 and 2021 Decisions of the Government of Serbia. The Commission comprises representatives of the relevant government departments, offices and other institutions in charge of educational, scientific, cultural, information and environmental issues, as well as distinguished experts of a sufficiently high rank and reputation, who are prepared to contribute to UNESCO operations. Certain members are chairing programme committees and national committees (Committee on Culture, Committee on Youth and Clubs, Committee for the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, Committee for the Management of Social Transformations Programme, Committee for Bioethics, and Committee for Geosciences), the establishment of which is envisaged in the corresponding UNESCO provisions. The procedure of membership renewal is on-going.

The mandate of the Commission was defined in Government Decision 05 No. 02-2967/2007-2 of 4 October 2007. The Commission has competence in matters of mutual cooperation between Serbia and UNESCO in the field of education, science, culture and communications, and it submits opinions thereon to the Government; it discusses over Serbia’s participation in UNESCO programmes and projects and the activities of bodies and organisations of the Republic of Serbia which take part in the cooperation with UNESCO; it submits opinions to the Government on proposed positions of Serbian delegations for participation in UNESCO meetings and other international gatherings organised by UNESCO; it reviews other matters of cooperation with UNESCO. In addition, the Commission submits its opinions on the conclusion and the implementation of international treaties on issues pertaining to cooperation with UNESCO; it monitors exchanges of information materials with UNESCO and organisations linked to UNESCO for the purpose of using international experiences and knowledge in the field of education, science and information. The Commission adopts its own Rules of Procedure.

In terms of its role and specific duties, the Commission connects various stakeholders at the national, regional and international level which/who are interested in implementing the UNESCO mandate, it cooperates with the UNESCO Secretariat, the Regional Office in Venice and the Antenna Office in Sarajevo, it coordinates actions of multiple networks in Serbia (programme boards and committees, UNESCO departments, UNESCO clubs, Category-2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO, members of the Creative Cities Network, schools within the UNESCO Associated Schools Network, etc.), and it circulates relevant information and ensures Serbia fulfils its obligations towards UNESCO arising from its membership in UNESCO and its bodies, programmes and conventions.

In its advisory role, the Commission, inter alia, takes part in putting forward national nominees and candidates for various open competitions and scholarships, it drafts national reports, it marks important international days and years, it formulates proposals for the Participation Programme and anniversaries relating to UNESCO. The Commission is also authorised to provide patronage for various activities and projects in Serbia, and to attend statutory and other UNESCO meetings and sessions.

For further information and enquiries, please contact the Secretariat of the Commission:

Commission of the Republic of Serbia for UNESCO

Kneza Miloša 24, 11000 Belgrade, Republic of Serbia

Tel: +381 (0) 11 30 68 498

        +381 (0) 11 30 68 692 

E-mail: serbia.unesco.natcom@mfa.rs