Belgrade, 15 April 2024 – In cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) donated 20 notebooks to the Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Serbia. This donation will be distributed by the Association to local deaf and hard-of-hearing associations.  

The notebooks’ donation ceremony was attended by assistants to the Minister Slavica Jelača and Biljana Barošević. Assistant to the Minister in the Department for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities Biljana Barošević thanked UNDP Serbia on behalf of Minister Selaković for the donated computers and said that the Ministry has dedicated to the Association of Deaf and Heard-of-Hearing of Serbia the funds for 2024 in the total amount of 25,350,000.00 RSD, as well as additional 12,400,000.00 RSD to the Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Vojvodina, which amounts to 37,750,000.00 RSD for operation of the 39 local societies that make the Association. 

Irena Cerović, UNDP Team Leader for Good Governance said that the United Nations Development Programme works together with the Government and provides full support to digitalisation and digital transformation initiatives. Cerović emphasised that UNDP prioritizes improving digital inclusion, so that all the citizens can fully enjoy the benefits of digitalisation. 

The ceremony was also attended by the Chair of the Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Serbia Mihailo Gordić, as well as Secretary of the Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Vojvodina Jadranka Raletić. 

The Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Serbia includes 27 local associations, while the Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing of Vojvodina involves 12 local associations. 

The notebooks were donated within the project “New Skills for Emerging Industries – National IT Retraining Programme”, implemented by UNDP with the support of the Government of Serbia and in partnership with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs.