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CULTUREANDDEVELOPMENTCULTUREANDDEVELOPMENT The Post2015NationalConsultationsinSerbia Mural themed “The Serbia We Want“ made by young street graffiti artists “C6H6 KIDS” from Pancevo Mural themed “The Serbia We Want“ made by young street graffiti artists “C6H6 KIDS” from Pancevo Acronyms BFPE Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence CSO Civil Society Organization EC European Commission ESS European Social Survey EU European Union EUROSTAT Statistical Office of the European Union FGD Focus group discussion GDP Gross domestic product HIV Human immunodeficiency virus HDR Human Development Report HS Human security ICT Information and Communications Technology IDP Internally displaced person ILO International Labor Organization IOM International Organization for Migration LGBT Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LSMS Living Standards Measurement Study MDG Millennium Development Goals MoI Means of implementation NGO Non-governmental organizations PWD Persons with disabilities SKGO Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities SORS Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia UN United Nations UNCT UN Country Team in Serbia UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women WB World Bank WHO World Health Organization EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 7 INTRODUCTION. 11 PARTNERS. 12 SYNERGIES . 13 THE IMPACT . 15 REPORTS AND OUTPUTS. 15 CONSULTATION METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS . 16 METHODOLOGY OF THE PROCESS. 19 CHRONOLOGY OF THE PROCESS . 22 CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN SERBIA . 25 THE RELEVANCE OF CULTURE FOR DEVELOPMENT IN SERBIA . 25 CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURAL POLICIES . 26 CONSULTATION RESULTS . 32 SUBTHEME 1: CULTURE AND POVERTY REDUCTION . 39 SUBTHEME 2: CULTURE AND EDUCATION . 49 SUBTHEME 3: CULTURE, GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT. 55 SUBTHEME 4: CULTURE, SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND URBANIZATION . 63 SUBTHEME 5: CULTURE, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE . 72 SUBTHEME 6: CULTURE, INCLUSION AND RECONCILIATION. 78 CONCLUSIONS. 85 MAJOR CHALENGES . 86 RECOMMENDATIONS . 88 ANNEX . 91 ANNEX 1 Survey sample description. 91 ANNEX 2 Visibility and visuals . 93 The United Nations Day celebration . 94 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY n June 2014 the UN Country Team in Serbia, led by UNESCO, UNFPA and the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia, initiated a new round of national consultations on culture for development. This second phase of the Post-2015 consultations was implemented in close co- Ioperation with the Government of Serbia, through a working group led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A structured dialogue with NGOs was also held during the process. The general objective of Phase 2 of the Post-2015 Consultations was to integrate culture into the Development Agenda, including its role as a critical element of a human rights based approach. Serbia is characterized by ethnic and cultural diversity, with almost 18% of its population belong- ing to ethnic minorities (Hungarian, Bosnjak and Roma being the largest three) and migration flows are very intensive (internally displaced persons from Kosovo1, Serbian refugees from Croatia and BiH, immigrants from Asia and Africa). For this reason, identity formation in Serbia is complex and often contradictory. Understanding these identities, and consequently the practices framed by them, is inherently linked to the understanding of cultural heritage, normative frameworks and value orientations. Serbia is a country with an institutionalized cultural policy and diversified cultural production. However, the relation between culture and (sustainable) development has not yet been wide- ly recognized and institutionalized. As stated in the National report on implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Serbia, the principles of cultural development defined by the Law on Culture (Article 3, item 5 and Article 3, item 10, respectively). These principles include the integration of cultural develop- ment into the socioeconomic fabric, the political long term development of democratic society, as well as fostering the sustainable development of culture as an integral part of the living environ- ment. According to the database of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia, 85 out of 145 local self-governments have their own strategies of local sustainable development, but culture is not represented in these documents in a viable way. On the other hand, there is a growing number of cities and municipalities which start initiatives, create local plans for culture development or already implement them (Pančevo, Valjevo, Niš, Užice, Zrenjanin, Pirot, Novi Sad, Vranje, Sombor, Kragujevac, Šabac) 1 This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 7 The methodology of consultations was designed to allow the gathering of opinion and recom- mendations from a wide range of stakeholders. Besides ‘traditional’ methods, such as surveys and focus group discussions, more innovative ways of opinion polling were used, including World Café discussions and debates on social networks. Consultations tackled many important issues relevant to the relationship between culture and development, including the relevant actors, resources, policies, creativity and use of technologies, but focus was sharpened on 6 specific subthemes: culture and poverty reduction; culture and education; culture; gender equality and women’s empowerment; culture, sustainable cities and urbanization; culture, environment and climate change; culture, inclusion and reconciliation. The consultation methodology was comprised of the following sub-components: a) Opinion poll on a representative population of Serbia, age 15 and more; b) Web survey c) Social media consultations (Facebook and Twitter) d) Face-to-face consultations (focus group discussions, workshops, World Café sessions, in- depth interviews) The impact of the consultations was highly positive. As in the previous round (2013) the number of responses to various consultation events and tools was very high, reaching over 300,000 contacted individuals by the end of October. Besides that, a significant number of other important actors were mobilized: dozens of CSOs (NGOs, Trade Unions), several artists, entrepreneurs, representa- tives of academia and, last but not the least, representatives of different governmental institutions and bodies. Concerning the later, it should be emphasized that the issue of “culture and develop- ment” was brought to the attention of not only people from institutions dealing with culture, but also of those who primarily deal with education, social inclusion, urban planning, health and economic development. The level of readiness of various actors, and in particular the citizens of Serbia, to participate in the process and provide their voice was impressive. Finally, the issue of culture and development was widely promoted through media, social networks and on several other occasions (a session with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, a United Nations Day celebration, International Day of Eradication of Poverty, etc.). In 10 weeks we had more than 295,000 visits of 18 posts set on Facebook and Twitter, 1,377 citizens over 15 were interviewed through the opinion survey, 100 people filled out an on- line questionnaire, 5 focus group discussions met with more than 40 people, 7 workshops gathered over 50 organizations and individuals, 5 World Cafe sessions attracted more than 50 participants and, last, 17 in-depth interviews were held. In summarizing all the information, opinions and comments gathered during consultations several key messages were revealed. 1. Concerning culture and development in general, it is necessary to mainstream culture in strategies of sustainable development and to complete strategies of cultural development. It is especially important to support these processes at the local level, where most of the interaction between different actors occurs. Next, it is important to increase financing of cultural policy both at the national and local level, but also to diversify sources of financial support through access to European Union funds and strengthening of public-private part- nerships. Basic cultural infrastructure should be improved and maintained if culture is to have an increasing role in employment and income generation. Finally, it is necessary to form a cross-sectoral approach in order to build fruitful synergies as a basis for sustainable growth and increased visibility of cultural determinants of development. The people of Serbia suggested that media should play a huge role in creating and sprea ding values that provide social cohesion. With this in mind, more efforts should be initiated in the 8 media sphere, since this important tool of cultural reproduction is perceived by citizens of Serbia as primitive, submissive and having a negative impact on cultural patterns. 2. Concerning the relation between culture and poverty reduction, the key message is that cultural industries in Serbia are growing, but they need adequate promotion and support in order to create