The Swiss PRO program has launched a public call for cities and municipalities to implement and develop social protection services. The call will run until April 10, 2020.

The public call, under the slogan "Join Forces to Provide Support", aims to establish an effective and sustainable social protection system at the local level, as well as to increase the availability and quality of social protection services for at least 500 beneficiaries from vulnerable social groups.

Through this call, the Government of Switzerland will support up to 20 local self-governments’ projects with a total of 242,000 euro, while 96 cities and municipalities from the Sumadija and Western Serbia and Southern and Eastern Serbia regions are eligible to apply with their projects.

Local self-governments will be supported with up to 12,100 euro per project aimed at establishing a new standardized social protection service that is not currently being provided, extending the existing social protection services to include more beneficiaries, or piloting an innovative social protection service.

The program particularly encourages local self-governments to include in the project proposals the establishment of inter-municipal cooperation and cross-sectoral approaches, and will be further evaluated if the project proposals include a prepared analysis of the needs of vulnerable groups at the local level, the use of dedicated transfers in 2019, and a specific way of monitoring the services. Projects may also include a partnership with a local Center for Social Work. 

Further information on the public call, project selection criteria, the way of applying and the application documentation is available on the Swiss PRO website.

To help all interested local self-governments learn all the details of the call – including those regarding the application form, project selection criteria and eligible costs, the Swiss PRO program will organize info sessions according to the following schedule:

• Sabac, Tuesday, March 10, commencing at 12 noon (Center for Professional Development, Nikole Tesle 1A).
• Uzice, Wednesday, March 11, commencing at 12 noon (Regional Center for Professional Development of Employees Working in the Field of Education, Nemanjina 52).
• Kraljevo, Thursday, March 12, commencing at 12 noon (City Administration, Trg Jovana Sarića 1).
• Kragujevac, Friday, March 13, commencing at 12 noon (Business Innovation Center, Trg topolivaca 4).
• Nis, Tuesday, March 17, commencing at 12 noon (City Hall Room, 7. jula 2).
• Smederevo, Thursday, March 19, commencing at 12 noon (Regional Center for the Education of Employees Working in the Field of Education, Goranska bb).
• Zajecar, Friday, March 20, commencing at 12 noon (Regional Development Agency of Eastern Serbia – RARIS, Trg oslobođenja bb).

The public call is being conducted under the Swiss Government's Support Program for Municipal Development through the Promotion of Good Governance and Social Inclusion – Swiss PRO, in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in partnership with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM).  

Further information on the public call is available on http://mduls.gov.rs/obavestenja/javni-poziv-za-podrsku-lokalnim-samoupravama-za-sprovodjenje-i-razvoj-usluga-socijalne-zastite/

Source: Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Coordination Body