The Joint UN Programme PRO - Local Governance for People and Nature (Programme) is designed to contribute to improving the well-being and quality of life of citizens through improved local governance, social inclusion, and environmental protection in 110 cities and municipalities throughout Serbia. The Programme is jointly implemented by the United Nations Serbia organisations - UNOPS, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNEP, in cooperation with the Government of Serbia, and with the financial support of the Government of Switzerland, in the period from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2026.

The Programme will also provide support to informal waste pickers, affected by the modernisation of the waste management system on the territory of those LGs covered by the Solid Waste Programme, co-financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the French Development Agency (AFD). This output of the Programme (output 2.5) aims at enhancing livelihood recovery and access to public services relevant to social inclusion such as health, education and social protection.

The Solid Waste Programme (SWP) will upgrade Serbia's waste management system through the closure of 15 municipal dumpsites and the development of six regional waste management centres serving a total of 42 municipalities, as well as a multi-regional primary sorting system. The waste will be redirected to six new Regional Waste Management Centres (RWMC), causing many informal waste pickers to lose their primary source of income. Within the SWP, the Livelihood Restoration Plan (LRP) was developed, in line with national legislation as well as the Environmental and Social Policy of EBRD and AFD. The LRP served as a basis for the development of this activity.

Despite limitations related to access to reliable statistical data about waste pickers, it is assessed that between 30,000 and 50,000 individual waste pickers are active in Serbia, mostly members of the Roma population, whose activities contribute most of 80% of the country’s total recycling activity.1 Waste picking provides important opportunities to people who have few or no marketable skills and low-level education. However, their status on the labour market remains informal since they are not officially employed as workers, nor part of a registered waste or recycling enterprise or cooperative. In addition, besides dangerous working conditions due to hazardous waste, their living conditions are also difficult with limited access to healthcare, education and social protection services, which leads to further social stigmatisation. Finally, although there are municipal benefits from waste pickers` work, LGs often lack the capacity to include informal waste pickers into a municipal waste system and to develop inclusive policies focused on legal and social recognition of waste pickers.

The LRP census recorded up to 150 individuals engaged in waste picking and up to 250 of their household members i.e. total of 75 households that will be impacted by the SWP with a place of residence in 12 LGs (Obrenovac, Ub, Valjevo, Apatin, Odžaci, Kula, Bač, Sremska Mitrovica, Loznica, Prijepolje, Ruma, Šid), which represents a priority target group of this activity.

UNFPA CO Serbia is engaging an Implementing Partner (IP) to organize a series of peer-led empowerment sessions.2 These sessions aim to raise awareness and strengthen knowledge about access to health services, safety, and occupational health, supporting informal waste pickers in improving their employability and securing more sustainable livelihoods. This support is particularly important, as the closure of 15 municipal dumpsites and the opening of six Regional Waste Management Centres (RWMCs) will result in many informal waste pickers losing their primary source of income.

This activity will have three parts:

1) Training of Trainers (ToT) for Peer Educators: The ToT for peer educators (Roma health mediators, Roma students or Roma CSOs representatives) will be organized in partnership with Roma organizations active in the field of health, social inclusion and/or safety and occupational health issues within the Roma communities. The ToT will be organized in the order to prepare trainers for upcoming workshops and direct work with the beneficiaries.

2) Empowerment Sessions for Roma Families: Peer educators will conduct a series of empowerment sessions for the priority target group. These sessions aim to raise individual and collective awareness around access to health services and promote health-seeking behaviours that support long-term well-being and employment readiness.

In relation to health services, empowerment sessions for families will include at least the following topics:

- Reproductive Health, Family Planning and Preventing Adolescent Pregnancies: emphasizing the importance of a healthy pregnancy as a foundation for other life events, including employment;

- Girls' Education and Empowerment: encouraging independent decision-making in sexual and reproductive health;

- Regular Medical Examinations: stressing their role in preventing reproductive health and serious diseases, including reproductive cancer;

- Lifestyle Risks and Age-specific Prevention: Addressing factors affecting health, with a focus on regular medical check-ups for individuals over 50;

- Targeted Support for Older Roma Women: specialized sessions will be tailored to address the health concerns and needs of older Roma women who are the most neglected even among the Roma population, ensuring that they receive adequate attention and care.

On average, at least three sessions will be organized for each family, based on composition and needs. In each session will participate at least 2 peer educators (male and female educators), to enable separate discussions (or parts of the session) for women and men of various ages. All sessions will be chosen and organized in close cooperation with family supporters from the LGs.

3) Safety and Occupational Health Workshops: In addition to the existing empowerment sessions, the Programme will introduce workshops focusing on safety and occupational health, especially related to waste management and other potentially hazardous occupations. These workshops will educate family individuals seeking employment on the importance of workplace safety measures, handling waste safety, understanding environmental hazards, and adopting practices that reduce health risks related to occupational exposure.

Timing / Schedule

Overall supervision of all processes related to the UNFPA Country Office is performed by the UNFPA CO Serbia Head of Office, while direct daily coordination will be exercised by the PD Programme Analyst and SRH and Youth Programme Analyst.

Expected duration from: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.

In-country travels will be organized in accordance with planned activities and expected deliverables.

For all delays in the completion of the tasks, the IP should notify the UNFPA Serbia Head of Office, PD Programme Analyst, SRH and Youth Programme Analyst stating the reasons for the delay and proposing alternative actions or dates for completion of the deliverables.

Non-governmental organizations interested in participating should send their submission, including the completed Attachment 1, via email marked “NGO Invitation for Proposals” to: serbia.office@unfpa.org, no later than 16 June 2025.

For more information, please download the full Invitation for Proposals and Attachment 1 from the Documents section in the upper left corner.