On December 16, the Belgrade Open School, with the support of partners within the Platform "SDGs for All", organized a Regional Conference "Cooperation to Sustainable Development at the Local Level - Bor, Zajecar and Knjazevac". The aim of the conference was to promote regional cooperation in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and regional development at the local level. The conference gathered experts from the Bor and Zajecar districts to present challenges and potentials, as well as examples of good practice regarding the three dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The event was organized through three panels, covering events from the social and economic dimension and the dimension of environmental protection.

The first panel discussion "Education for the Future" focused on Sustainable Development Goal number 4 - Quality education. The panel had focus on the development of education in the Bor and Zajecar districts. The panelists emphasized the importance of close cooperation between high school teachers in the region, the importance of education for the further development of the Timok region, as well as the importance of dual education, especially within technical schools, for achieving Sustainable Development Goals at the local level. The normalization of the educational system after the pandemic was also pointed out as one of the priorities. Goran Stankovic, principal of the Technical School in Zajecar, Dejan Tomic, director of the Regional Center for Professional Development Knjazevac, and Milena Djordjevic, from IT Bootcamp training program, spoke at the panel. The panel was moderated by Ivana Zivic from the Office for Local Economic Development Zajecar.

The second panel "Potentials for the development of rural tourism in Knjazevac, Bor and Zajecar" dealt with the topic of rural tourism as an opportunity for the economic development of the region. The importance of nature conservation for the development of rural tourism was emphasized. Furthermore, it was proposed to establish cooperation in the region, as well as exchange of experiences, through the organization of study visits. Speakers at this panel were Bora Stankovic from the Tourism Office Bor, Danijela Arsic, from the Tourism Office Knjazevac and Sanja Ankucovic from the Country House C'est La Vie – Rajac Wine Cellars. The panel was moderated by Vladan Jeremic director of the RARIS-Regional Development Agency Eastern Serbia.

In the third panel “Environment and/or Economic Development”, participants had the opportunity to hear more about the relationship between economic development and environmental protection. Special attention was paid to the air and water quality, and nature protection. The city of Zajecar is recognized as an example of good practice in the field of water quality and protection, and the importance of public participation in the fight for cleaner water was emphasized through local initiatives, which can lead to major changes at the local level. The Djerdap National Park and the Stara Planina National Part, the most important protected areas in this region, were taken as an example in nature protection. The importance of protected areas were emphasized, because they represent the main model of nature protection in the Republic of Serbia, but also the potential for the development of sustainable tourism. Speakers at this panel were Toplica Marjanovic, the Association of Young Researchers Bor, Boban Pogarcic, the Association ZA Drinking Fountains, and Ivan Svetozarevic, the Association Manifesto. The panel was moderated by Milica Radanovic, from IUCN ECARO.

The event initiated a dialogue on local challenges and their connection with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and provided an opportunity to establish cooperation in overcoming common challenges.

The conference was organized within the framework of the Sustainable Development for All Platform, supported by the Governments of Switzerland and Germany, and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The project partners are the Belgrade Open School, Foundation BFPE For a Responsible Society, the Center for Advanced Economic Studies, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, the Center for Democracy Foundation, the Timoc Youth Cente and Smart Kolektiv..

The Sustainable Development for All Platform implies the establishment of a public dialogue among the most important non-state actors in Serbia, such as civil society, corporate sector, academic and research community, professional associations, media, and citizens, on aligning Serbia’s development priorities with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The idea is to facilitate interaction with decision-makers on aligning Serbia’s development priorities with the goals contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Author of the photo: Belgrade Open School