Accessibility as a precondition for development

 The round table "Improving accessibility policies and building a society for all" was organized in Belgrade within the project "EU for Accessible Public Facilities", funded by the European Union.The event brought together representatives of national institutions and decision makers at the local level and was dedicated to topics related to accessibility policies and improving the position of persons with disabilities, processes of building an inclusive society and challenges faced by local governments in implementing the concept of accessibility. 

"All people have the right to enjoy the community equally. Various institutions, parks, shops and other public spaces must be physically accessible, as well as offer all citizens equal and non-discriminatory access to various services. One of the main preoccupations of people with physical disabilities is social exclusion. It refers to circumstances in which individuals or groups of people cannot participate in activities or access goods, services or opportunities that are available to others as a basic part of society. Discrimination in this way is a form of social exclusion. Respect the differences, do not be afraid of them”, said Mateja Norčič Štamcar, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia. “Currently, there are about 120 million citizens in the EU with some form of disability. They still face significant barriers in accessing health care, education, employment, recreation, and participation in political life. 68% of them are at risk of poverty without social assistance, allowances or pensions. That is why the EU continues to support Serbia in improving policies and greater efforts to integrate people with disabilities. The EU has donated more than 6 million euros of direct aid to Serbia only for people with disabilities in various areas”, Norčič Štamcar concluded.

Estimates of international studies show that more than 40% of the world's population has needs in terms of accessibility of public facilities, public transport, information, products or services. Accessibility and Design for All are regulated by laws and bylaws of the Republic of Serbia, and the provisions of international documents, primarily the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, have been introduced into domestic legislation.

"We are witnesses that a large number of our citizens today live in an environment that is not accessible enough, and this does not relate only to people with disabilities, with whom this topic is most often associated in public, but also other groups such as the elderly,  parents with children, pregnant women. On a daily basis, they face numerous physical, communication, service and other obstacles that make it difficult for them to participate in society or his situations completely exclude them. In this way, our society is deprived of the potential, talent and contribution that these people can give to their community. The task of all of us in local self-governments is to overcome these challenges and ensure the accessibility of public facilities, services of local administrations and public transport", said Marija Obradović, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

"The Ministry I lead recognized the importance of the existence of equal opportunities for all and strives to contribute to the realization of practical solutions in the best possible way within its competencies. Our activities within this project are aimed at improving the accessibility of public facilities for people with disabilities through the reconstruction and adaptation of public facilities in local governments in the Republic of Serbia, as well as increasing the implementation of the existing legal framework and administrative capacity at the local level. Through this initiative, we will provide more adequate accessibility in one part of public institutions in accordance with the highest European standards, and I sincerely hope that this project will serve as an example of good practice for further raising awareness on this important topic" said Tomislav Momirović, Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure.

The round table was a platform for pointing out possibilities and good practices for the application and control of the application of accessibility measures on the buildings of public institutions, taking into account the regulations in the Republic of Serbia, but also relevant international documents and EU practices. Since the goal of the project is to improve the knowledge, skills and raise awareness of local governments, civil society organizations and engineers about the importance of improving the accessibility of public institutions, in the coming period project team will organize set of educational events that should contribute to this goal.