As the closing year of the Integrated UN Programme for Montenegro (UNDAF) 2017-2022, previous year offered an opportunity to recap some of the major accomplishments during that cycle. Some of the groundbreaking achievements of the UNDAF lifespan would definitely include reduction of at-risk-of poverty rate from 24 to 21,2%; the increase of 50% in the number of children with disabilities in mainstream education and 30% more children enrolled in preschool education. In the area of environmental protection, the extent of the nationally protected area has been steadily increasing. A decision was also made to declare 1% of the total marine area as the first marine protected area in Montenegro. Moreover, the planned goal of reducing emissions by 30% compared to the 1990 has already been met, while the national goal of 33% energy demand from renewable sources has been surpassed. “Together with more than 50 partners, progress has been made in accelerating 2030 Agenda through advancing human rights, gender equality and women`s empowerment, social protection and access to education and health, addressing impact of climate change, enhancing sustainable economic development as well through supporting governance capacities, digitalization and social cohesion,” said Peter Lundberg, UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro. In the year which has been marked by strong and multiple effects of Russian invasion on Ukraine, collective efforts were invested in supporting public administration at local and national level, to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency, including through improved digital governance framework. “Once again, our programme tested its ability to respond to emerging challenges – this time by helping national authorities in providing immediate response to the impact of invasion of Ukraine, where Montenegro prides itself on being one of the top countries for providing home to the largest number of refugees per its population size,” Lundberg concluded, highlighting that the annual UNCT Country Results Report 2022 provides a good overview of key results achieved in Montenegro in the course of 2022.

  March 2023 Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than 13 million people remain uprooted from their homes, causing one of the largest population displacements in Europe since the Second World War.  With no end of the conflict in sight, many European countries have wholeheartedly provided assistance to people forced to flee, including a small country on the Balkan peninsula, Montenegro. On 11 March 2022, the Government of Montenegro activated the Temporary Protection (TP) for persons fleeing Ukraine for up to 1 year.   Although Montenegro does not share its borders with Ukraine, since 24 February 2022, over 95,000 Ukrainians arrived in the country. Cultural similarities, people’s altruism and Montenegro’s open-door policy created a feeling of safety for more than 34,000 Ukrainians who decided to stay – a staggering 5% of the country’s population, out of whom more than 8,000 applied for temporary protection. For sense of scale and burden on Montenegro, a country that does not have access to the EU funds as it is not an EU member state, this would equal to Poland hosting 1.9 million refugees or France hosting 3.4 million refugees. On 15 February 2023, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Decision to extend the TP for Ukrainian refugees until 11 March 2024 and expand the scope of people benefiting from this protection regime. Beside the Ukrainian citizens, persons granted international protection in Ukraine and persons granted stateless status in Ukraine, as per the new Decision, Ukrainians who used to have some residence in Montenegro prior to 24 February can now also apply for temporary protection. In line with the new Decision all TP holders are invited to approach the Ministry of Interior (MoI) branch offices, in their place of residence, to replace TP certificates. UNHCR, in close collaboration with its partners, local NGO Civic Alliance and Red Cross of Montenegro, as well as through the network of Ukrainian volunteers organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in Montenegro, increased field presence to spread the information to all TP holders and to support both TP holders and MoI to complete the procedure in a timely manner. On 3 March 2023, UNHCR organized the transportation for 30 refugees from the state-provided accommodation, the Hotel Sato in coastal city of Sutomore to the local branch offices of the Ministry of Interior in the neighboring city of Bar. The assistance by UNHCR and its partners was critical in ensuring the refugee population does not fall into legal precarity if they do not meet the deadline for extension. Olga, a 38-year-old refugee mother from Ukraine, said: “We cannot be thankful enough to people and the state of Montenegro for providing us warm and safe home for the past one year. Leaving Ukraine was the hardest decision I had to take, but safety of my children was indisputable. Montenegro, we see as our second home and we will never forget the kindness and generosity shown to us, as well as today when extending our stay.” Since 24 February, UNHCR Montenegro has provided support both to the authorities and to all people seeking shelter in the country due to the war in Ukraine. The office has supported the authorities in the response to the refugee crisis, strengthening its capacities and ensuring timely processing of TP applications, while ensuring Ukrainian refugees have unimpeded access to rights, particularly healthcare, education, employment and social care as well as psychosocial assistance. “Montenegro took a tremendous burden amidst the growing global economic uncertainties by maintaining the open-door policy to those persons forcibly fleeing from Ukraine. The decision to trigger the Temporary Protection regime in 2022 and its recent decision to extend it for another year, to provide a sound legal basis for the protection and inclusion of Ukrainians, have been a remarkable example of humanitarianism. These results testify to the indispensable partnership between UNHCR and Montenegro in upholding the international humanitarian law and the respective high ambitions for protecting those forced to flee” said Jean-Yves Bouchardy, UNHCR Representative in Montenegro. UNHCR will continue supporting the Ukrainian population opting to seek safety in Montenegro, as well as cooperating with the state institutions and partners to ensure that no one is left behind. For more information about UNHCR's work in Montenegro please visit: UNHCR - Montenegro.   By Teodora Lađić  

  OpEd by the UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres Around the world, progress on women’s rights is vanishing before our eyes. The latest forecasts estimate that on our current track, it will take another 300 years to reach full gender equality. Today’s cascading crises, from the war in Ukraine to the climate emergency, affect women and girls first and worst. And as part of the global pushback against democracy, women’s rights over their bodies and autonomy over their lives are being questioned and denied.   Two statistics make our failure very clear: Every ten minutes, one woman or girl is murdered by a family member or intimate partner. And one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth. Most of those deaths are entirely preventable. On International Women’s Day, we must commit to doing better. We need to reverse these horrific trends and stand up for the lives and rights of women and girls, everywhere. This is one of my core priorities and a central plank of the work of the United Nations around the world. From South Sudan to Myanmar, we are supporting women and girls in crisis and making sure their voices are heard in peace processes. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, recently visited Afghanistan with a message for the authorities: women and girls have fundamental human rights, and we will never give up fighting for them. This year, International Women’s Day focuses on closing gender gaps in science, technology, and innovation. Globally, men are 21 percent more likely to be online than women — and over 50 percent more likely in low-income countries. But even the richest countries lose out because of gender-based stereotypes and historic bias. In the tech industry, men outnumber women two to one.  In Artificial Intelligence, it’s five to one. Big data is the new gold, and the foundation of today’s political and business decisions. But it often ignores gender differences – or turns a blind eye to women altogether. We should all be alarmed by products and services that bake in gender inequality right from the start, and digitize patriarchy and misogyny. The Silicon Valleys of this world must not become Death Valleys for women’s rights. Medical decisions based on data from men’s bodies can not only harm women; it can be deadly. Discrimination against women in science and technology is the result of centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and damaging stereotypes. Women account for just three percent of Nobel Prize winners in scientific categories since 1901. And women online – including scientists and journalists – are often targeted for sexist hate speech and abuse designed to silence and shame them.   But they will not be silenced. Women and girls everywhere are demanding their rights, and their words reverberate around the world. We need action on several fronts to make sure women and girls can make their full contribution to the world’s knowledge through science and technology. We must break down barriers — from discriminatory data to stereotypes that push girls away from studying scientific subjects at an early age. Decisionmakers of all kinds must broaden women’s participation and leadership in science and technology, through quotas if necessary. They should be creative, widening the recruitment pipeline and hiring for skills. And they must be persistent. Gender equality will not happen by itself; it has to be prioritized and pursued. This approach is getting results at the United Nations, where we have our own strategy for gender parity among our personnel. We also need action to create a safe digital environment for women and to hold accountable both the perpetrators of online abuse, and the digital platforms that enable them.  The United Nations is working with governments, civil society, the private sector and others on a Code of Conduct aimed at reducing harm and increasing accountability on digital platforms, while defending freedom of expression. Women’s rights are not a luxury that can wait until we solve the climate crisis, end poverty and create a better world. Investing in women and girls is the surest way to uplift all people, communities and countries, and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Together, let’s work for a more inclusive, just, and prosperous world for women and girls, men and boys, everywhere.

Podgorica, 7 February 2023 The Prime Minister of Montenegro Dritan Abazović, the UN Resident Coordinator Peter Lundberg and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Montenegro Urs Schmid signed an agreement today on the allocation of 2,5 million EUR for the Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund. The Fund is a new generation financial tool established by the UN team in the country, which seeks to pool donor funds that will be directed towards development initiatives. The Government of Montenegro allocated EUR 1 million for the Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund, while the Government of Switzerland supported this initiative with EUR 1.5 million. Previously, the contribution to the Fund was determined by the Government of Luxembourg. "The idea and vision of this Government is to make Montenegro a white and green destination. It is not an easy job, because we have to change a lot, and we have to have sustainable projects. I am more than sure that this Fund will give us a chance to find a good project and that after its implementation we will have a much better situation in terms of sustainable development,“ said Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović. Montenegro's contribution to sustainable development through this funding modality is particularly significant from the perspective of the country's size and economy. Montenegro hereby invests €1.3 per capita in sustainable development through the Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund, which is more than all countries in the region. This also stands as clear indicator of Montenegro's strategic orientation towards sustainable development and cooperation with the United Nations. UN Resident Coordinator Peter Lundberg pointed out that the Fund has been designed as a powerful catalyst for accelerating SDGs implemetation in the country. "The Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund is a common vision of accelerated achievement of Agenda 2030. Considering the enormous development potential, the Fund can be an important tool for country’s development and achievement of national priorities, primarely country's accession to the European Union," said Lundberg, adding that the Fund is the result of a true development partnership. Urs Schmid, ambassador of Switzerland, which is currently the largest donor to the Fund, pointed out that bilateral relations between Switzerland and Montenegro are very dynamic and that Switzerland is among the five largest foreign investors in Montenegro with around 800 million euros invested since 2003. "Switzerland's participation in the Montenegro SDG Acceleration Fund will further improve relations between our two countries and I believe that our contribution will encourage other countries and development partners to join this innovative financial mechanism and to contribute that way to acceleration of reforms in Montenegro," said Schmid. By consolidating and directing funds towards targeted development interventions, the Fund will be catalyzing not only SDGs but also acceleration of Montenegro's accession to the EU, given the high level of alignment between the Agenda 2030 and the EU accession process. The Fund is designed to support strategic initiatives in three priority areas of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027: 1) inclusive economic development and environmental sustainability, 2) human capital development, reducing vulnerability, social inclusion and 3) social cohesion, people-centred governance, rule of law and human rights.