This five-year project will improve the civil society enabling environment, create space for civil society to participate in public policy processes, bring citizens and civil society together over common issues and foster dialogue between civil society and government. The total value of the project is $9 million dollars, out of which $3 million is co-financed by the Swiss Government.

Given that a vibrant civil society sector is an important part of any democratic society, the project will engage 25 local civil society actors across Serbia, five in each of Serbia’s five regions, which will serve as hubs to support a network of more than 300 CSOs, movements, activists and informal initiatives throughout Serbia.   

“Civil society has an important role in mobilizing citizens, participating in policymaking and promoting democracy. Therefore, we look forward to strengthening our collaboration with civil society and the Government in order to improve the environment for civil society,” said Richard Kohli, Head of Cooperation of the Embassy of Switzerland.

"Civil society cannot succeed alone. Rather, civil society, media, the private sector and government must work together on initiatives that are important to the interests of the people," said Brook Isham, USAID Mission Director to Serbia, at the presentation of the project.

Gordana Čomić, Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, spoke of the role the project plays in fostering a culture of dialogue in Serbia, saying that “when we ourselves, without the help of civil society or government bodies, do not want to sit down as humans to talk, then for the sake of the future of our society, we are grateful when people who work in civil society and are knowledgeable and skilled in dialogue and committed to their values, reach out to the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue to partner with us on such issues.”