In a bid to promote greater social and cultural cohesion among Serbian youth, as well as to prevent further knowledge and skills loss of the youth through regular and irregular migration, IOM has begun a three-year capacity building project in 10 target municipalities in close cooperation with the Ministry of Youth.

This 1.1 million Euro project funded by the Italian Foreign Ministry will allow for the establishment of a network of regional and local youth offices through which activities encouraging social cohesion will be implemented. Such activities will include creative workshops, drama, training to develop motivational and negotiation skills as well as group discussions on social values, migration and tolerance and respect between different cultures.

High rates of youth unemployment, in excess of 40 per cent in 2005, combined with limited possibilities to travel abroad have resulted in Serbian youth seeking to migrate by all means. It is estimated that some 500,000 young Serbian citizens have emigrated from Serbia since the 1990s.

Because of poor economic and social conditions and limited exposure to other cultures, those who stay behind have become disillusioned about the future.

The project is implemented in support of the National Youth Strategy and "will bring much needed attention to the cause and effects of youth migration, an area which has been little researched and addressed to date" according to Gregoire Goodstein, IOM Chief of Mission in Belgrade.

For further information, please contact:

Lidija Markovic
IOM Belgrade
Tel: +381 11 240 42 28
E-mail: lmarkovic@iom.int