Speakers on the first day of the seventh Move.Link.Engage. conference, organized by the Belgrade Open School, concluded that for building trust between civil society and public authorities through dialogue – the most important tool is establishing a quality partnership. This year's Move.Link.Engage. started with the stories from the other side, active citizens who initiate changes as well as those for whom are changes initiated.
Accordingly, conference participants were able to hear from representatives of Mental Disabilities Rights Initiative - Serbia (MDRIS). "Children and adults with disabilities had a very hard time withstanding the period of curfew and the impossibility of leaving their homes and apartments. Curfew disrupted their usual daily rhythm. Parents and relatives did not know how to explain to them why such measures were necessary. Thanks to the pressure of parents, civil society organizations and independent bodies, the ban on movement was lifted, but with a great delay - just before the end of the state of emergency", said Snezana Lazarevic from MDRIS at a panel on the role of civil society on Serbia's path to Europe Union.
The mentioned panel also brought a discussion on the rights and needs of young people. Youth organizations, which monitor the situation in society know that every other young person wants to leave the country because of the need for a dignified life. The speakers agreed that young people are the bearers of change, and so they need to be supported during the fight for policies that regulate their lives.
Speakers on the panel dealing with (un)successful cooperation between civil society organizations and public authorities in Serbia shared their experiences and practical suggestions on how to attract and retain attention of decision-makers on topics such as sustainable mobility, local housing policy, civil protection, child safety. Thus, Igor Juric stated that the government changed its opinion on the adoption of Tijana's law only after it received over 60,000 photos of citizens with the question: "Why did you not support Tijana's law?". The speakers agreed on the idea - the trust of citizens is the key to community mobilization, and then the success of each initiative.
The participants were addressed by the Executive Director Milorad Bjeletic of the Belgrade Open School, with the message that this year's MLE brings the stories of all those who solve problems on behalf of all, while the conversation was moderated by Vladimir Pavićevic, a member of the Board of BOS.
