UNHCR and GIZ on the same job

21 May 2018

Belgrade, 21 May 2018

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) and the German Organisation for International Cooperation GIZ, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on establishment of cooperation aimed at promoting and supporting inclusion of refugees and migrants who obtained the required legal status in Serbia in the labour market.

As set out in the MOU, the Signatories will coordinate the activities with the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia in all the aspects of mutual cooperation, including creation of an environment conducive to employment and new job creation for returnees, refugees, asylum-seekers and persons granted international protection.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Hans Friedrich Schodder, UNHCR Representative in Serbia, Gerhard Sippel, Country Director in Serbia and Heinz Dieter Harbers, Project Manager of the GIZ “Youth Employment Project”.

"UNHCR is grateful for the opportunity to advance our global partnership with GIZ. We look forward to the possibility to jointly support the Serbian authorities in strenghtening the local labour market and employing refugees and asylum-seekers", Schodder said after the signing.

“We believe that the great efforts of UNHCR to help young migrants in Serbia, coupled with the experience of GIZ in implementing professional advancement programmes for youth and marginalised groups would contribute to their faster and sustainable social and economic integration,“ explained Sippel and added that UNHCR and GIZ implement international programmes and that the strategic cooperation of the two organisations in Serbia is natural and necessary.

The high unemployment rate and lack of opportunities on the labour market, the generally unfavourable economic situation, inadequate or insufficient professional training as well as discrimination on the labour market are but a few of the problems faced by refugees and asylum-seekers.

Within the framework of the Sustainable Growth and Employment Programme in Serbia of the German-Serbian Development Cooperation, implemented since 2015, GIZ has been managing successful vocational projects for youth and members of marginalised social groups. The MOU confirmed that UNHCR would support GIZ to implement these activities in order to contribute to professional development, raising the level of knowledge and skills, accessibility of information about the vacancies and possibilities of employment of refugees and migrants.

Joint work will also include mapping of their capacities, and cooperation with private socially responsible companies and public institutions in the sectors of employment, corporations, SMEs, microfinancial institutions, investment funds, trade unions, employers‘ associations and association of employees, with a view to information exchange and mediation in harmonising needs.

Within their respective mandates, the Signatories will coordinate their activities aimed at identification of potential obstacles, promotion of corrective measures and best practices in the domain of improvement of sustainable socio-economic.