ICRC’s Cash Assistance Programme (CAP) was launched in December 2003, targeting destitute IDP families falling below the national social security level, with no capacity to sustain themselves and therefore not eligible for any form of income-generation assistance. The programme was designed and implemented with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Welfare of Serbia and Montenegro and the Commissariat for Refugees. It offered a monthly cash assistance in the amount of 30€ - equal to the standard social allowance provided by the state – to 7,500 selected IDP households (approx. 37,500 individuals).

In Serbia, the agreement was that each month, 500 out of 6,000 IDP families supported by the ICRC would be screened by the Ministry and if they met criteria, they would be included in the national social welfare system.

One of the major difficulties IDPs faced when applying for the state social assistance was to collect all required documentation. In order to overcome this problem, ICRC established cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council (Civil Rights Project) for obtaining necessary documents on behalf of IDPs and later on, developed the cooperation with Praxis. Praxis obtained more than 400 hundred documents (mainly excerpts from birth and citizenship registry books) for CAP beneficiaries After 12 months of the programme implementation in Serbia 16% of the initial caseload (5,761 persons) were transferred to the state social welfare system. As many as 57% (2,590 persons) of CAP beneficiaries did not formally apply for it, mainly for the lack of documentation (8%) or income-related reasons (71%). However, among those who did apply (1,961 persons) 47% were included in the social state system.

Read ICRC report from April 2005: The Situation of Internally Displaced Persons in Serbia and Montenegro
Read also: Serbia and Montenegro: the situation of the internally displaced    

Following the gradual withdrawal of the Norwegian Refugee Council from former Yugoslavia, national staff of the NRC Civil Rights Projects established four independent national NGOs:

• Civil Rights Project Vukovar and Civil Rights Project Sisak in Croatia;
• Civil Rights Program Kosovo and
• Praxis in Serbia.

The four above-mentioned NGOs acknowledge their common NRC heritage and the usefulness of regional cooperation and a cross-border/boundary approach to the problems of refugees, internally displaced persons and returnees.

The NGOs have decided to continue their regional cooperation, including the following:

• Exchange of information
• Assistance with the implementation of project activities
• Regional advocacy initiatives
• Fundraising initiatives.

Praxis has been cooperating with DRC in the implementation of its EAR-funded project Support to Cross Boundary Initiatives for IDPs from Kosovo (September 1, 2004 – August 31, 2005). DRC’s Information Offices in seven towns in Serbia and Montenegro provide IDPs with different information and refer those IDPs who need legal assistance to Praxis offices. Beside direct assistance to individual clients, Praxis staff has also been providing training to DRC Information Officers.

In December 2004 DRC and Praxis signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) wishing to continue the longstanding relationship between DRC and NRC in the implementation of projects dealing with assistance to the displaced population and the protection of their legal rights. DRC and Praxis agreed to cooperate closely, share information, experience and knowledge related to issues of relevance for the displaced population and when it is of mutual interest undertake joint advocacy initiatives. DRC and Praxis also agreed to organize joint staff information sessions with the aim of exchanging information and expertise required for the effective removal of the barriers the displaced persons face in accessing their rights.

As a regional follow-up activity to the regional CARDS thematic seminar on the Role of Civil Society in November last year, UNHCR organized a workshop 11-12 April in Sarajevo to facilitate the establishment of a network of NGOs in the Western Balkans. The purpose of the network is to contribute to the capacity-building of civil society in the asylum field on a regional level and help NGOs presently providing legal assistance to displaced persons from the region to change focus to provide legal aid to asylum-seekers from third countries.

The NGOs who were present adopted a memorandum of understanding they drafted during the workshop outlining the goals, guiding principles and main activities of the network.

The Network will create a common regional database on case-law on asylum and country of origin information, advocate for the harmonization of national legislation with international and regional standards, raise awareness and initiate campaigns on the prevention of xenophobia, contribute to the capacity-building of legal aid providers in the region and support the establishment and development of refugee law clinics. The Secretariat of the Network will provisionally be hosted by the BiH legal aid NGO, Vasa Prava ("Your Rights").

The following NGOs are part of the Network: Center of Integrated Legal Services and Practices (Albania), Vasa Prava (BiH), Civil Society Resource Centre Legal Network (fYROM), and Praxis (Serbia), Croatian Legal Centre, SDF (Croatia) and Network of Humanitarian and Legal Aid Centres (SCG).

The name which was adopted for the network is Balkan Asylum Network (BAN).

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) was established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, as the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal displacement worldwide. It has been hosting an IDP Network with the purpose of raising the profile and diversity of various initiatives taking place by and on behalf of internally displaced persons worldwide.

Through this directory of IDP network members, the IDMC strives to facilitate communication among IDP communities and related organizations. The Network consists of national IDP organizations which have become members by signing up to a code of conduct. It provides a platform for members to share contact details, descriptions of their work and experiences.

The MPDL is a Spanish non-governmental organisation working on assisting and promoting the sustainable return process in the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, including Kosovo, and Montenegro. MPDL provides coordinated services of legal and social aid to refugees, returnees and displaced people.

Praxis and MPDL have established close cooperation and agreed to collaborate on behalf of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons, to facilitate the voluntary return processes, support stabilization programs for minority communities, and address local integration issues in both proper Serbia and Kosovo to reduce tensions.

In July 2007 Praxis became a member of the European Roma Information Office (ERIO) Network , thus accepting its goals and committing to assist Roma in improving quality of their lives, reducing poverty and level of social vulnerability.

The European Roma Information Office (ERIO) is an international advocacy organization, founded in 2003, which promotes political and public discussion on Roma issues by providing factual and in-depth information on a range of policy issues to the European Union institutions, Roma civil organizations, governmental authorities and intergovernmental bodies. ERIO cooperates with a large network of organizations and acts to combat racial discrimination and social exclusion of Roma through awareness raising, lobbying and policy development.

As a member of ERIO Network, Praxis will be informing ERIO about its Roma related activities and obstacles encountered by Roma population in accessing their fundamental rights. Praxis will also cooperate and exchange information with other members of the network regarding the implementation of activities set up by ERIO and the realisation of the overall goal of the network.

Praxis became a member of Federation of NGOs in Serbia (FeNS). FeNS is the network of NGOs, which was founded at the annual conference of the Civic Initiatives in February of 2003. Namely, a number of non-governmental organizations initiated forming of a network of non-governmental organizations, with the aim to clearly define legislative framework within which to work and define financial and institutional support. They realized that only through joint activity by means of this legitimate body, could they improve their working conditions and develop a strategy for survival of this sector in Serbia.

Today, FeNS comprises of 513 member organizations from 102 municipalities in Serbia.

HELP is a German non-governmental relief organization, founded in 1981 by the members of German Parliament. HELP started its work by providing humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees that have fled to Pakistan. Today, HELP is engaged in emergency assistance, as well as in rehabilitation and development projects worldwide.

HELP has been operating in Serbia since 1999, providing socio-economic support for vulnerable individuals – refugees, IDPs, local social cases and Roma population. HELP has been implementing a large number of humanitarian projects in Serbia: socio-economic support programmes and micro-enterprise development through income generation assistance; support to the closure of collective centres by providing alternative housing solutions; trainings and support for start-up businesses; construction and rehabilitation projects; humanitarian relief projects such as distribution of food, hygienic items and firewood, etc, thus supporting implementation of several National Strategies.

Praxis and HELP signed the Memorandum of Understanding, thus establishing close cooperation with the aim to contribute to recognition of displaced persons and members of ethnic minorities before the law and their enjoyment of individual rights on an equal and non-discriminatory basis. The organizations also agreed to share information, experience and knowledge related to issues of relevance for the displaced population and, when it is of mutual interest, undertake joint advocacy initiatives for removal of barriers the displaced face in accessing their rights.

HELP is currently implementing the Project “Housing and Income Generating Support to Refugees and IDPs in Serbia”, with the overall objective to support the implementation of the National Strategy for Resolving the Problems of Refugees and IDPs of the Republic of Serbia through facilitating the closure of collective centres and contributing to the overall living standard enhancement in the target areas. Within the MoU, Praxis agreed to assist HELP in obtaining documents for the displaced, needed for successful implementation of this project.

You can obtain additional information on the activities of HELP in Serbia at www.help-serbia.org.rs.  

On 24 March 2009, Praxis and NGO Centre for Youth Integration signed a Memorandum of Understanding, thus establishing cooperation of the two organizations with the aim to provide free legal assistance to “street children and youth”. Centre for Youth Integration aims to contribute to social integration of youth by raising awareness about the importance of their active and constructive involvement in the community. The Centre began its programme of working with children and youth living and working in the street in 2005 through field work in the central municipalities in Belgrade and, afterwards, the Drop-in Centre for street children was opened within this organization.

Centre for Youth Integration and Praxis have established cooperation with the aim to provide “street children and youth”, beneficiaries of the Drop-in Centre, with personal documents, which will enable them to access their basic human rights.