Civil Society Advisory Committee (CSAC )

The main goal of the CSAC is to enhance the cooperation between the government and non-government sector, and to enable civil sector participation in the development and implementation of strategic documents related to poverty reduction.

The Committee was established in autumn 2002. It comprises representatives of 11 non-government organizations nominated by three largest networks of non-government organizations in Serbia (Civic Initiatives, the Center for the Development of Non-Profit Sector and Serbia Without Poverty Network). The CSAC represents poor and vulnerable social groups and covers the following fields: economic development, decentralization, development of local communities, gender equality, education and ecology.

T he CSAC mobilized around 250 Serbian non-governmental organizations in the consultative process during the preparation of the PRS document. With permanent and expert support provided by UNDP, the SCAC prepared conclusions and recommendations based on the provided comments, and submitted them to the expert working group that was tasked with drafting the PRS document. During 2003, the CSAC was also active in PRS local initiatives. The goal of this activity was to develop national ownership over the PRS document. Among other activities during the PRS preparation, the CSAC promoted the idea of civic activism in the fight for exercising the human right to a dignified life. The CSAC recognizes this as their most important contribution to the final PRS document.

During 2004 the Civil Society Advisory Committee continued to actively promote the PRS as a national development document in their member organizations and local communities and regions, as well as in the work of the Committee itself.

In January 2005 the CSAC organized nine round tables on the territory of Serbia, in cooperation with the Deputy Prime Minister's PRS Implementation Focal Point, and with the financial support provided by DFID. The goal of this activity was to promote the PRS and mobilize poor citizens and all government and non-government institutions and organizations toward an active approach in solving the problem of poverty, using the PRS as a basis for their activities. As a result of these round tables, the Civil Society Advisory Committee published a brochure on the participation of civil society in poverty reduction in Serbia, from the point of view of different sectors, with the review of case studies.

Presentation of the CSAC at the Conference on Poverty Reduction in Serbia held in Plandište, in February 2005. [ ppt ]

The SCAC brochure [ doc ]

Role of NGOs in the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy in Serbia [ ppt ]