OSCE Mission, Serb Justice Ministry hold International Donors Conference in Belgrade Central Prison
(OSCE)Justice Minister Zoran Stojkovic inspects the lines at the opening of a Training Centre at Nis Prison in Serbia and Montenegro, 7 September 2004. (OSCE) Photo details
BELGRADE, 3 November 2004 - International donors meet today in the unique setting of Belgrade's Central Prison to discuss funding for urgent modernisation of the Serbian Prison System.
The conference, jointly hosted by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro and the Serbian Justice Ministry, brings together several international donors, including the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Canadian International Development Agency CIDA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and several western Embassies.
They will discuss an issue that has received little domestic and international attention - the poor living conditions for inmates in Serbia's prisons, which suffer from overcrowding and poor medical facilities after decades of low investment by the state.
Opening the conference, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Douglas Wake, praised the current efforts of the Prison Administration to address the urgently needed reforms.
"The very concrete results achieved since the appointment of Milos Jankovic as the new Director of Prison Administration encouraged our organisation to keep investing in prison reform and build on this positive momentum" he said.
The Mission has already been providing extensive training to prison wardens on prison discipline, the rights of prisoners and administration. The Ministry demonstrated its commitment to reforms by opening the first Prison Staff Academy in Nis in September this year.
The OSCE Mission has also been assisting in the drafting of a new Law on Execution of Penal Sanctions which will need the support of international donors.
In order to give donors a direct impression of the challenges ahead in reforming the penal system of Serbia, Deputy Justice Minister Branislav Bjelica appealed to the donor community to help the Justice Ministry to bring the prisons up to European standards. Serbia is obliged to observe international standards and conventions on the treatment of prisoners.
The conference, jointly hosted by the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro and the Serbian Justice Ministry, brings together several international donors, including the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Canadian International Development Agency CIDA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and several western Embassies.
They will discuss an issue that has received little domestic and international attention - the poor living conditions for inmates in Serbia's prisons, which suffer from overcrowding and poor medical facilities after decades of low investment by the state.
Opening the conference, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Douglas Wake, praised the current efforts of the Prison Administration to address the urgently needed reforms.
"The very concrete results achieved since the appointment of Milos Jankovic as the new Director of Prison Administration encouraged our organisation to keep investing in prison reform and build on this positive momentum" he said.
The Mission has already been providing extensive training to prison wardens on prison discipline, the rights of prisoners and administration. The Ministry demonstrated its commitment to reforms by opening the first Prison Staff Academy in Nis in September this year.
The OSCE Mission has also been assisting in the drafting of a new Law on Execution of Penal Sanctions which will need the support of international donors.
In order to give donors a direct impression of the challenges ahead in reforming the penal system of Serbia, Deputy Justice Minister Branislav Bjelica appealed to the donor community to help the Justice Ministry to bring the prisons up to European standards. Serbia is obliged to observe international standards and conventions on the treatment of prisoners.