Initiative for Development and Cooperation

Association of citizens Initiative for Development and Cooperation Serbia (IDC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to social and economic inclusion of vulnerable groups and protection of human rights. IDC is formally registered in April 2007 as an Association of citizens. IDC inherited experience and is continuing initiatives and guidelines set by international organization from Spain, Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL), where the founders of the IDC actively worked from 2002 to 2007. From 2000 until 2010 Spanish organization MPDL had an office in Belgrade, where founders of IDC worked on projects concerning response to the post-war humanitarian crisis (provision of free legal aid to the refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and internally displaced persons from Kosovo, and economic empowerment of refugees and IDPs). IDC started as a 'spin-off' of MPDL, but now IDC has established itself as a prominent organization in Serbia, with the main office in Belgrade. Currently, IDC has 13 employees, and a large network of associates, volunteers and members of the association that share IDC’s vision. IDC currently implements projects in 10 different cities and municipalities in Serbia, and has experience with project implementation in more than 40 cities in Serbia. IDC’s staff has extensive experience in vocational training of the adults, start-up business training and active job searching training, development of community-based social services, organization of seminars. IDC’s team has also extensive experience in project management, and development and implementation of various projects, in particular of the projects financed by the EU. Since its establishment IDC has operated all over Serbia within its four most important programs: 1. Program Equal rights for all is dedicated to the promotion, realization and protection of human rights of vulnerable groups of people. The main objectives of the program imply enabling access to justice, and reduction of exclusion from the society of vulnerable categories of population, through instruments of free legal aid, and improving public policy and institutional practices in order to strengthen the rule of law in the Republic of Serbia, and thus indirectly in region. 2. Economic Development Program includes development of informal education and economic empowerment of vulnerable social groups in order to increase degree of their social inclusion. Projects that are currently being implemented within this program are focusing on the problem of employment of members of vulnerable groups, providing permanent housing solutions for refugees, internally displaced persons, as well as their economic empowerment through training on business skills, provision of start-up grants and encouraging self-employment. 3. Social Development Program aims towards strengthening social inclusion and support to the development of social entrepreneurship and accessible social services for all of the vulnerable social groups, promotion of volunteering and active social inclusion. 4. Volunteering Program, developed in 2014, aims at promoting volunteering, youth mobility and active citizenship among youth. IDC’s active engagement in the fields mentioned above resulted in membership in many national, regional and European networks. Since 2013 IDC administrates SENS (Social Economy Network of Serbia), the only national network of social enterprises, but is also a very active member of Anti-poverty network and Coalition for Promotion and Development of Social Entrepreneurship (which IDC founded). IDC is the only Serbian NGO member of large European networks such as: SOLIDAR, European Civic Forum (ECF), SAM.I (Samaritan International) and ENSIE (European Network of Social Integration Enterprises). IDC is also a member of a network of civil society network called Human Rights Network, which was established with the support of the OSCE and Group 484. The network encourages dialogue in the region, networking of local, regional and international CSOs dealing with refugee issues and migration. IDC is also a very active member of SOLIDAR’s Advisory group on migration and fundamental rights, and a member of the Working Group on Asylum in the framework of the project "Networking and capacity building for effective migration policy- sequel ", implemented by Group 484 in Serbia. IDC’s program priorities are directed towards the fulfilment of IDC’s mission - development of programs for the support of the most vulnerable groups of people through enabling respect and protection of human rights, innovative socio-economic solutions, and building a just and responsible society that respects diversity and allows equal opportunities, but also IDC’s vision – satisfied people in a just society.