Second Week Report of Former Yugoslavia Study Tour

Serbia
August 29th, we visited UNHCR Office in Zagreb. Firstly, Japanese staff explained us their target people and their activities against them. After that two other staffs gave us briefing on the history of the UNHCR Serbia Office and the activities; Joint Program, Facility Assistance, Reunification Program and the difficulties. Their main job is legally assistance for refugee. After Q&A session, they showed us the promotion video that one of their recently assistance projects.




August 30th, we visited World Bank Belgrade Office and got a lecture on activities of WB in Serbia and other former Yugoslavia countries. According to the lecture, they started the reconstruction program after the Yugoslavia conflict. As development assistance, they firstly focus on budget support of the government through technical assistances, and constructing the economy system, then they shift to more concrete programs. In Q&A session, they indicated their prospect against the affiliation of Serbia to EU. (Kotaro Takahashi)




Bosnia and Herzegovina
September 1st, we visited UNICEF Office in Sarajevo. The Office was opened 1992, during former Yugoslavia Conflict. From 1996 to 2001, UNICEF had worked on ‘Emergency Aid Supplies’, following three years to 2004, they had ‘Child Friendly Service Program’. It shows that their activities had gradually moved from ‘emergency’ to ‘capacity building’. Nowadays, the country has three types of problem; poverty, unemployment and limited access to social services. UNICEF Bosnia held some workshops, such as puppet show, which make children knowing each other. UNICEF works with not only the government, but also NGOs, schools, parents and students to improve above problems. (Nanami Ito)




September 2nd, we visited UNDP Office in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We learned UNDP activities that are developing programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The staffs explained them in detail and answered for our questions. They have 30 projects which based on four pillars. In other words, UNDP covers wide range of problems. The end of the briefing, we had Q&A session with the staffs. (Ken Hirata)




Croatia
September 5th, we visited Japanese embassy in Croatia and got a briefing. We got a briefing by X and discussed about Croatian politics, environment, global problem, domestic problem, and relation with foreign countries. Croatian most powerful industry is tourism. As a result of that the government positively forwards tourism industry, lots of tourists have come to Croatia mainly from Europe. It already determined, Croatia will join European Union in 2013. In the embassy, lots of gifts or messages from Croatian people include children, which prayed for Japan regarding the disaster March 11th, are displayed. (Soichiro Hirabayashi)