Our Results

For a democratic and European Serbia, civic participation, respect for human rights, solidarity, sustainable development...

In 2023, we contributed to the improvement of the quality of public dialogue on political, economic, and social issues, advocating for European values and promoting European integration in Serbia and the Western Balkans. We aimed to enhance public policies for sustainable development while respecting human rights, solidarity, and the "leave no one behind" principle.

We collaborated with youths, women's organisations, members of various vulnerable groups, trade unions, representatives of state institutions, the academic community, independent institutions, international organisations, the business sector, media, and friends from civil society. We established new partnerships in Serbia, the region, and Europe, initiating new and significant topics with nearly 1,000 participants in our programmes and public events.

In 2024, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Center for Democracy Foundation. We continue to advocate for a democratic and European Serbia, empowering citizens to participate in community development decisions. We uphold the principles of solidarity and sustainable development while advancing economic and social rights.

CDF 2023 Results:

We empowered 38 young people from the Western Balkans for civic activism at the regional Politeia school and thematic sessions, together with 24 lecturers/trainers.
We contributed to the improvement of public dialogue on political, economic and social issues through 13 debates and roundtables with 711 participants.
We supported the promotion of human rights, equality and social inclusion of vulnerable groups at 2 National conferences with 224 participants.
We strengthened the capacities of local civil society organizations and activists through 9 educational trainings, seminars and workshops with 158 participants.
We participated in the preparation, design and analysis of public policy documents as members of 12 working bodies mandated for preparation and monitoring of public policies.
We influenced raising the level of understanding and knowledge on public issues by issuing recommendations and findings within 7 researches, studies and publications.
We have established cooperation and coordinated activities in the area of social development with 22 new partners at local, regional and European level.
We involved 115 experts in the work on our programs and project activities, expanded the network of partners by implementing 7 projects out of a total of 13 designed projects.
We informed the interested public and citizens on our work and views through 18 announcements, 22 interviews and media appearances, 11 e-newsletters, 6 blogs and over 200 media announcements about CDF activities.

The Most Successful Projects 2023:

Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe
Sustainable Development Goals for All Platform
Promoting human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD)
Mentoring and Monitoring for Real Impact
Centre Dialogue – Social Forum
Labour Rights are Our Rights: Social and Economic Rights and Sustainable Development
Social Inclusion and Economic Empowerment of Roma Men and Women and Other Marginalised Groups
Extending Social Protection to families in Serbia with enhanced shock-responsiveness
New Quality in Education for Gender Equality (LAWGEM)
SMELT - Skilled Marginalised People to Enter the Labour Market
Coordination of the Working Group for Chapters 2 and 19 at National Convention on the European Union and the Intersectoral Regional Cooperation Working Group of the NCEU

The Most Successful Projects 2020-2022:

Sustainable Development Goals for All Platform
Labour Rights are Our Rights: Social and Economic Rights and Sustainable Development
Policies Beneficial to All - Improving Monitoring of the Impact of Economic Policies on Society
Regional Youth Compact for Europe
Connecting the dots
Dialogue in the Center – Social Forum
Coordination of the Working Group for Chapters 2 and 19 at National Convention on the European Union
Extending Social Protection to families in Serbia with enhanced shock-responsiveness
SMELT - Skilled Marginalised People to Enter the Labour Market
New Quality in Education for Gender Equality (LAWGEM)
Strenghtening gender equality in Serbia

Dedicated to Promoting EU values in Serbia

Along 25 years of operation, CDF has advocated for integration of Serbia into the EU, through strengthening of human resources and institutional capacities for democracy, rule of law and human rights.

CDF is highly competent in promoting EU values and policies on local level, with experience in development of human resources and institutional capacities.

It has a significant track record in advocating for public administration reform, particularly in the areas which are mostly important for citizens (good governance and EU standards implementation in local government, inspections reform, and recruitment and hiring practice in public sector).

Key Achievements 2017-2021

Public Reading of the EC Report on Serbia – Setting the Tone for Debating the Report, in cooperation with the EWB, (2019-2021)
Elected coordinator for the cross sectorial working group for the Berlin Process at the National Convention on the EU (NCEU) in 2021
Contributions for the EC Report on Serbia (annually)
Politeia Goes Regional organized in ReSPA for students from WB (2019-2021)
Established Regional Youth Forum through RYCE Project (2019)
Study visit to National Convention on the EU for BNLD (Balkan Network for Local Democracy) members as exchange tool for lessons learned in monitoring EU accession negotiations (2018)
International Conference Call to Europe in the Western Balkans on EU Elections Impact on the WB in cooperation with FEPS – Brussels (2018)
Launched advocacy initiative “European Social Fund for the WB” – amendment based on our initiative adopted by the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the EP and the NARS (2018)
Public campaign Justice Above Politics – Pravda iznad Politike® (2018)
National conference Towards a Democratically Change of the Constitution:Key stakeholders debating the change of the Constitution, with YUKOM, Belgrade Center for HR, Association of Judges, FOS and IPSOS (2017)
Monitoring report and recommendations on Employment and Fight against Corruption in Public Administration (2012-2017)

Advocating for a Stronger Social Dimension of the EU integration process

CDF is one of the leading organizations active in Serbia in the socio-economic field where CDF advocates for the policies of sustainable economic and social development policies, through a wide network of partners and associates, from trade unions to employers, and from academia to civil society.

By constantly increasing its expertise and experience in the monitoring of economic, social and labor rights in a changing economic environment and in the context of the development perspective, CDF influenced public policies through recommending modification of legal and institutional framework.

This expertise earned the CDF a position of a Chair of the Working group for monitoring Chapters 2 and 19 (Freedom of Movement for Workers and Social Policy and Employment) within the National Convention on the EU (NCEU), the largest CSOs umbrella organization in Serbia.

CDF directs its activities in the field of economic and social rights to the needs of vulnerable target groups, such as women, young people, elderly citizens, members of the LGBT community, etc. The Foundation has provided direct legal advice to more than 20,000 people.

Key Achievements 2017-2021

Annual Report and recommendations on the negotiation chapter 2 (Free Movement of Workers) and 19 (Social Policy and Employment), with the National Convention on the EU https://eukonvent.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Knjiga-nacionalnog-konventa-2020_Web.pdf
Analysis: National Employment Strategy (2021)
Annual Reports on the Status of Labour Rights in Serbia (2018-2020)
Launched Society Wide Platform for SDGs in 2020 followed by analyses, reports, extensive work in local communities
Project cooperation with GiZ on the project Inclusion of Roma and Other Marginalized groups (since 2020)
Analyses of the impact of Covid19 Crisis to employment in Serbia: “The Impact Of The Covid-19 Epidemic On The Position And Rights Of Workers In Serbia” published with the UN Team for Human Rights, 2020
Monitoring Report on measures introduced during the state of emergency in the areas of social policies and employment, public health and consumer protection and education, published in 2020, http://www.centaronline.org/userfiles/files/publikacije/nkeu-analysis-covid-3-social-policy.pdf
The Rule of Law in the Chapter 19 - Social Policy and Employment, report published with the National Convention on the EU (2020), http://www.centaronline.org/en/publication/1825/the-rule-of-law-in-the-chapter-19-social-policy-and-employment
Analysis: Draft Action Plan for Chapter 19 – Employment and Social Policy (2019)
On-field survey “Precarious work in Serbia – report from a research”, 2019;
Coordination of a coalition of NGOs for the National Strategy of Social Protection (2019) for the modification of the Social Protection Law and of the draft Strategy
Initiative for Intergenerational dialogue through workshops and focus groups (2019)
Analysis: Treatment of Older workers in European and national documents, legal and other regulations and the media, 2019.
Launched Platform against Cheap Work (2018) addressing the need for improved social dimension of the reforms
Analysis: Employment policies in Serbia - Encouraging (non) Decent work, 2018;
Statistics and Decent Work - A Critical Analysis of the Political Interpretation of Labour Statistics, 2017;
Desk Research: Women in Labour Market 2017;
Profiles of the Employed through Private Employment Agencies, in cooperation with the SIPRU Team for Social Inclusion and Reduction of Poverty (2017)
Pilot Platform for Monitoring of the Implementation of the Economic Reform Program- ERP and the Employment and Social Reform Program-ESRP (2017)

Promoting Public Dialogue

We bring together policy makers, experts, businessmen, journalists and social activists. Together we engage in debating key issues and search for common approaches in finding solutions.

The CDF Platform Dialogue in the Center is a place for public dialogue, where scholars, activists, politicians and analysts exchange their views on key strategic issues and development challenges

We participate in all relevant EU accession-related fora and events, such as in the meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee EU-Serbia on civil society and annual briefings at the EU Delegation on the EC report on Serbia.

Key Achievements 2017-2021

136 Public Debates since 2007 with 2950 participants
Through Synergy to Enlarged Impact in Youth Related Programs:established dialogue among CSOs networks in the Western Balkans (2018)

Issues Addressed:

Two Decades of Social Dialogue in Serbia
Patronage Appointment and Discrimination
Fair Energy Transition in Serbia and Potential Social and Economic Consequences
(Un)Dignified Ageing and Old Age
Social Rights and the Media
Position of Foreign Workers in Serbia
New law on Gender Equality
Where are Labour Rights on the Agendas of Political Parties?
Violence Against Women in the Public Space
Poverty and the Environment
Towards a Political Solution - Civic Protests as a Response to a Deficit of Justice and Weak Institutions
Europe ahead of Elections – The New Session of the European Parliament
Today’s Civil Society – NGO or GONGO, Watchdog or Strategic Partner, Think-Tank or Do-Tank