CEB Toolkit Application: Serbia

The Toolkit has been adapted to be used at country level to assist UN Country Teams, national constituents and stakeholders, and other development partners to mainstream employment and decent work in national development frameworks. A checklist for use specifically at country-level was developed.

The implementation of the Toolkit in Serbia took place over a four months period in early 2010. The Toolkit was introduced to the UNCT with the assistance and support of the Resident Coordinator who presented the objectives and requirements for its implementation at the UN Heads of Agencies’ monthly meeting.

Initially, the intention was to use the Toolkit as the country was developing its United Nations Country Partnership Strategy (UNCP) for 2011-2015. However, the consultative process was near completion by the time the Toolkit exercise began. The UNCT therefore decided that each agency should carry out a self-assessment.

Focal points for the exercise were appointed in eight agencies, thus creating an informal and temporary Toolkit working group. With technical support from the ILO through individual consultations, these agencies went through the Toolkit checklist: IOM, UNDP, UNECE, UNFPA, UNICEF, and WTO. Briefing materials based on the specificities of the Serbian context were prepared and distributed to the agencies as part of this process.

The main findings and initial results from the Toolkit application were presented during workshops held in June 2010 to workers' and employers’ representatives, donors, the national government, UN agencies and the European Union. This opened the door to possible future collaboration.