Serbia signed a Country Partnership Strategy with the United Nations worth an estimated 250 million U.S. dollars on Friday, according to the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vuk Jeremic, Serbian minister of foreign affairs, and William Infante, UN resident coordinator, signed the five-year agreement in Belgrade. The strategy will implement programs and activities from 2011 to 2015 in the areas of governance, sustainable development and social inclusion, and regional stability and cooperation. The program was conceived by the Serbian government and its stakeholders.
"The strategy signals a new era of partnership between the government and people of Serbia and the United Nations," stated Jeremic.
The Country Partnership Program aims to assist Serbian with its European Union membership ambitions, while meeting the UN's Millennium Development goals.
"The strategy will draw on the skills and expertise of more than 24 resident and non-resident agencies that will deploy high- level policy advice and capacity-building expertise, deliver tangible results, and further position Serbia as a regional leader, "said Infante.
Five core principles define the UN's interests worldwide, according to Infante: gender equality, environmental sustainability, human rights, capacity development, and results- based management.