• 2025-10-17

CDF: Urgent Need for Concrete Measures to Expand Social Assistance Coverage

Statement by the Center for Democracy Foundation on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Center for Democracy Foundation calls for the urgent adoption of the Law on Social Protection and the Strategy on Social Protection, as well as the implementation of concrete measures to expand the coverage of social assistance.

In Serbia, according to the latest data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS), almost one-fifth of citizens are at risk of poverty (19.7%), while the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate reaches as high as 24.3% (in 2024). The highest risk of poverty is recorded among unemployed persons, while by age group, those over 65 years old (23.6%) are the most exposed. Access to healthcare services is increasingly becoming a factor of inequality. Equal education for all, as one of the Sustainable Development Goals, remains an ongoing challenge for societies that should open new perspectives for young people and develop knowledge-based economies. The poor are also exposed to various forms of discrimination, and the fight for the protection of equality must remain a priority task of the state.

The Center for Democracy Foundation advocates for the implementation of the European Union (EU) acquis in the field of social policy and employment, in order to ensure that the citizens of Serbia can fully and unrestrictedly exercise their right to the highest standards of social protection. Effective implementation of youth and socio-economic policy plans is also essential.

Systemic reforms of social policy and the development of the social protection system are needed. The new Strategy on Social Protection must be based on social rights guaranteed to citizens by the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, as well as those prescribed by ratified international instruments.

Center for Democracy Foundation 

Illustration: UN.org

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