Ten citizens’ associations from different parts of Serbia were selected for support in the first cycle of the “Citizens for the Environment” program, which is implemented as part of the “Volunteers for Nature” project. In the competition of 76 registered initiatives, projects were selected that will contribute to the protection of nature, improvement of the quality of the environment and greater participation of citizens in solving environmental challenges through local actions and advocacy activities.
The project “Volunteers for Nature” aims to improve the preservation of biodiversity and nature protection through the active participation of civil society and informed citizens, in order to transform the Republic of Serbia into a climate-neutral and resource-efficient society.
The “Citizens for the environment” support program, which was launched in the second year of the project and will be implemented through two competitions in 2026 and 2027, gives citizens’ associations the opportunity to make a change – to contribute to solving problems, challenges, obstacles, but also to improve what is good and share it with others. Citizens’ associations that deal with environmental protection, and for which this competition is intended, play an important role in strengthening participatory democracy and the system of good environmental management.
Results of the first cycle of the Support Program “Citizens for the Environment”
The invitation recorded the greatest interest in participating in the program, within all previous cycles of support for the Young Researchers of Serbia, from associations that deal with the environment. A total of 76 applications were received for the competition. The selection process in such strong competition once again showed the diversity of problems, but also the need for support in the sustainability of the civil sector of environmental protection in Serbia. After the administrative verification procedure, 57 project proposals were evaluated in detail. The process was very demanding due to the good quality of project ideas submitted in the applications.
The 10 best-rated project proposals, which receive support in the first cycle of “Citizens for the Environment”, are thematically diverse (waste management, nature protection, water management, participation in environmental decision-making, policy work and dialogue with institutions) and are geographically distributed from Subotica and Bački Petrovac, through Kučevo, Kragujevac, Paraćin, Zaječar, to Kraljevo, Prokuplje, Ivanjica and Sjenica.
List of selected civic associations for support in 2026 with locations of project implementation:
- “Educational humanitarian organization EHO” (Prokuplje and Blace, 12 villages)
- “Institute for Sustainable Development and EnvironmentalProtection -The Green Circle ” (Bački Petrovac)
- “Association Eco East” (Zaječar, Boljevac, Knjaževac, Sokobanja and Negotin)
- “NGO Eco Infinity” (Sjenica)
- “Citizens’ Association Kraljevo Development Center” (Kraljevo)
- “Citizens’ Association “Pridruži se” (“Join”)” (Paraćin)
- “The Assocation of Rudno household owners” (villages Rudno, Kraljevo and Devići, Ivanjica)
- “Association TERRА’S” (Subotica)
- “Association for the promotion and ecological marketing of natural values – EKOMAR” (Knić, Kragujevac)
- “Green oasis Kučevo” (Kučevo)
The activities of these 10 projects start at the end of June and will last until the end of the year. More information about the supported projects will follow in the coming period, after the Introductory Training for the winners of the support.
Program support „Citizens for the environment“ are carried out within the project “Volunteers for Nature,” implemented by Young Researchers of Serbia in partnership with Team 42 and Environment Engineering Group. The project is funded by the European Union.
