Meeting with the first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia

On 24 August 2012 Mr. William Infante, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Serbia, met with the first Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Aleksandar Vucic. Among other topics they discussed the progress and future of two joint UNDP and the Ministry of Defence projects, implemented by SEESAC, namely the Capacity Development Programme for Conventional Ammunition Stockpile Management in Serbia (CASM Programme) and Support to the Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans.

Deputy Prime Minister Vucic said that the high quality of UN engagement, as well as that of its specialized agencies, in the collaboration with the Ministry of Defense has great importance for the continuation of reforms and is particularly important for Serbia’s progress towards full membership in the European Union.

In the upcoming period, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will make its priority to address the issue of surplus ammunition and to improve stockpile management of conventional munitions in Serbia. In these efforts, the Ministry will closely collaborate with UNDP/SEESAC which aims at reducing the risk of misuse of weapons.

Mr. Vucic thanked Mr.Infante for UNDP’s support to the joint MoD/UNDP/OSCE Programme aimed at improving stockpile management of conventional ammunition by enhancing security and safety of conventional ammunition storage facilities, disposing of surplus ammunition and strengthening demilitarization capacities of the MoD. Mr. Vucic emphasized their willingness to show that in the field of disarmament and arms control Republic of Serbia adheres to the standards, criteria and procedures of the UN and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

It was also stressed that the Ministry of Defence successfully cooperates with the UNDP/SEESAC on the issues of  gender equality and empowerment of women in the military, by working together on the project Support to the Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans. The goal of the project is to support ongoing efforts of the Ministries of Defence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to integrate gender equality into their policies, procedures and practices through regional cooperation, by implementing National Action Plans, according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.