Montenegro

The Government of Montenegro signed Country Programme Documents with the UNICEF and the UNDP

The joint signing ceremony of the Country Programme Action Plans (CPAPs) of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund with the Government of Montenegro is an important step towards harmonizing of the work of different UN agencies aimed at fostering Montenegro’s development and integration into the EU.

H.E. Mr. Milan Roćen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro who signed the CPAPs on behalf of the Government, said that cooperation was older than membership of Montenegro in the UN, and that those documents represented development and concretization of UN Agencies’ Programmes in Montenegro. „The documents are a result of active work of Government’s teams and UN Agencies, under coordination of Ministry of Foreign Affaires; and they are the means of implementation of strategic projects in the areas of social inclusion, building capacities for public management, sustainable economic development which includes environment protection, and, primarily, enhancing of child protection systems and improvement of children’s position in Montenegro. The Action Plans are fully adjusted to national development priorities and needs which are defined by our strategic documents on our path to the European integration,“ Minister Roćen emphasized. According to him, the Government is satisfied with the accomplished degree of national ownership upon those documents as well, and they will meticulously fulfill the undertaken obligations. „We are looking forward to strengthening our cooperation with UN Agencies through implementation process, and we are sure that it will contribute to further affirmation of Montenegro, it being the youngest member of UN,“ said Minister Roćen.

*     *     *

UNICEF Country programme Action Plan focuses on strengthening national capacities for the realization and protection of the rights of all children, especially the most vulnerable.  Children are the most valuable resource that any country has and ensuring that they achieve their full potential is the best investment a country can make.  Through an emphasis on the strategic leadership areas of child protection and social inclusion UNICEF will support the government and civil society to bring positive, lasting and sustainable changes for children, Montenegro’s first and future generations of European citizens.

“Today is a very important day both for UNICEF and UNDP in our respective programmes of cooperation with the Government of Montenegro. As the UN, we aim to ‘Deliver as One’ and I am delighted that we have been able to organize this joint event,” said Ms. Noala Skinner, UNICEF Representative to Montenegro. “For our part, the signing of the UNICEF Country Programme Action Plan, which has recently been revised following an extensive Mid Term Review marks a milestone in our partnership for children’s rights. This Plan presents another clear confirmation that children are indeed central to the national development agenda in Montenegro. Children are the most valuable resource that any country has. Ensuring that they achieve their full potential is the best investment Montenegro can make.”

“As Montenegro charts a firm path to European Integration, the programmes articulated in the UNICEF Action Plan mark a transformed engagement for children – an engagement based on placing them at the heart of the accession and reform processes – on meeting the Copenhagen Criteria … for children. The UNICEF CPAP focuses on strengthening national capacities for the realization and protection of the rights of all children, especially the most vulnerable – children affected by poverty, children with disabilities, refugees, Roma, children in conflict with the law, children victims of violence, abuse and neglect and children without parental care. Through an emphasis on the strategic leadership areas of child protection and social inclusion UNICEF will support the government and civil society to bring positive, lasting and sustainable change for children, Montenegro’s first and future generations of European citizens. The signing of this document demonstrates our joint and unequivocal commitment to ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life and the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. UNICEF has been working in this region since 1947, and we are entering an exciting and momentous period of our cooperation. I look forward to our continued work with our partners and to leading UNICEF the team through the implementation of our common programme for the benefit of all Montenegro’s children,“ Ms. Skinner concluded.

*     *     *

UNDP Country programme Action Plan focuses on the key strategic goal of Montenegro to become a prosperous state, and a fully fledged EU member.  It reconciles the needs of the country for more equitable human development and stronger institutional capacity development.  The proposed programme is divided in three major areas: 1) Social inclusion and poverty alleviation; 2) Enhanced capacity development for public management; 3) Sustainable development with focus on economic growth and environmental protection.  The programme is to be implemented in partnership and coordination with the Government, civil society, private sector, international partners and other relevant stakeholders.

Mr. Alexander Avanesov, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro said: “For us at the UNDP this is a road map for our work in Montenegro which will be carried out in closest cooperation with all our partners, starting with the Government, civil society, media, private sector; international partners and donors. The Country Programme Action Plan is a business plan for implementation of the Country Programme Document and it addresses key national development priorities and strategic goals of Montenegro for the coming years. The action plan aims to assist the efforts of Montenegro to address key national priorities and comply with its international commitments, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration and European accession standards. Within the CPAP, the social inclusion framework UNDP will support vulnerable and social groups at risk of exclusion – especially Roma - in their efforts to access public services, employment and development opportunities; contribute towards effective implementation of  the National Programme against Corruption and its Action Plan and compliance to the UN Convention against Corruption ; continue to encourage participation of women in business, politics and governance; in line with the Millennium Development Goals, one of our largest programmes will focus on effectiveness of HIV prevention programmes. In domain of capacity development, UNDP will strongly focus on strengthening administrative and institutional potential of key national institutions at central and local level to increase their effectiveness and efficiency to better respond to the needs of citizens. We will also continue to promote donor cooperation to address emerging development priorities, with special attention to strengthening coordination of the UN system at the country level to assist the Government to address effectively national development priorities. Our Economy and Environment sector will work on promoting environmentally responsible economic development through sustainable planning and use of natural resources, using information technology (GIS),  with special focus on spatial planning, renewable energy, sustainable tourism development, biodiversity conservation in underdeveloped areas and development of public-private partnerships, e-governance, etc..”

Mr. Avanesov also pointed to the one of UNDP’s most important strategic directives: „The UNDP has in the past, and will in the future support national processes to accelerate the progress of human development with a view to eradicate poverty through development, equitable and sustained economic growth, and capacity development. This means that all UNDP policy advice, technical support, advocacy, and contributions to strengthening coherence in global development must be aimed at one end result: real improvements in people’s lives and in the choices and opportunities open to them. UNDP especially  appreciates the ongoing support of the Government of Montenegro and is very much looking forward to future partnership in order to successfully implement the agreed actions.“