Belgrade, Feb 19, 2004 - The Belgrade City Library will be the first facility to be refurbished as part of the Beautiful Serbia project carried out by the Serbian Ministry of Labour and Employment, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Works on the Belgrade City Library will start in early April. The government has already invited bids from construction companies and is due to launch a tender for locations in Zeleni Venac.
UNDP has initiated the Beautiful Serbia project to help ease the impact of economic transition on unemployment until the country creates the conditions for sustainable growth and the local economy becomes capable of providing jobs for the unemployed, said UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia-Montenegro Francis O'Donnell.
Beautiful Serbia has already started in Serbia's three largest cities - Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis, said O'Donnell, adding that the project will expand to many other cities in the country.
The project concerns vocational training in construction skills. Jobless workers will be temporarily engaged in firms contracted by Beautiful Serbia to refurbish buildings, parks and squares across the country.
The project will not only provide temporary employment for thousands of unemployed people, but will also help make Serbian cities more beautiful.
The project is funded by the governments of Canada, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece, as well as UNDP. Belgrade, Nis and Novi Sad, as well as the Ministry of Labour and Employment, will add a further $2 million.
UNDP has launched a similar project in Bulgaria. The Beautiful Bulgaria project is currently being implemented in 102 municipalities.
