In her address, the Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, has pointed out the importance of social inclusion and poverty reduction for further reform processes and the development of the society.

Swiss Ambassador to Serbia H.E. Philippe Guex reiterated that Switzerland has been supporting the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit ever since it was established ten years ago. “Switzerland will remain a reliable partner to the Republic of Serbia in the reforms for a more inclusive society, for the benefit of all citizens,” Ambassador Guex stated. He also added that the finding of the report should be widely shared and discussed in order to lead to more targeted and evidence-based policies. “Further efforts are needed to improve institutional cooperation in the field of social inclusion at all levels, including cooperation between central and local authorities. The civil society should have an important complementary role in this process”, concluded the Swiss Ambassador.

The process of drafting the Third National Report was coordinated by the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit (SIPRU) affiliated to the Office of the Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia. Committed to enabling all interested parties to contribute to the Report, SIPRU carried out broad consultations to achieve national consensus with regard to key findings and priorities in the forthcoming period. The consultation process involved representatives of the Government, the National Assembly and other institutions at the central level, local self-governments, civil society, social partners, independent experts, scientific and international institutions, as well as the general public.

The Third National Report, as well as the entire social inclusion and poverty reduction process, have been implemented with the support of the Government of Switzerland within the Project “Support to Improve Social Inclusion in the Republic of Serbia” in the amount of EUR 4 million.