The Republic Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs and the Cabinet of the Minister without portfolio responsible for demographics and population policy have on 21 February 2018 organised a conference entitled „Intergenerational Solidarity and Ageing with Dignity” in the Serbian National Assembly. The main purpose of the Conference was to raise awareness on the importance of intergenerational solidarity, not just to call for equality and intergenerational responsibility but to point at them being complementary and that this will help us create public policies that will bridge social gaps and create preconditions for building a society for all ages.

The speakers at the Conference were: Maja Gojkovic, Chairperson of the Serbian National Assembly, Dragana Kalinovic, Head of the Republic Fund for Pension and Disability Insurance (“Pension system in Serbia based on the principles of intergenerational cooperation and solidarity”), Prof. dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Minister without portfolio responsible for demographics and population policy and the Chairperson of the Government’s Council for Improving Intergenerational Cooperation and Solidarity (“Active and dignified older age”), Zoran Djordjevic, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (“Governmental care for older people and promotion of pensioners’ cards for all the pensioners in Serbia”), Suzana Misic, Head of the Gerontological Centre Belgrade (“Improving the quality of life of the beneficiaries of the Gerontological Centre Belgrade through programme of improving personal competencies and skills”), Gordana Bjelobrk, Statistical office of the Republic of Serbia (“New challenges in the changing age structure of the population of the Republic of Serbia”). The Conference was also attended by 150 participants of different generations.

The Conference also included an awards ceremony for the most distinguished volunteers and older people who participated in the story/ poem contest of the “Voice of the pensioners” magazine, with stories and poems focusing on solidarity among generations. One of the awarded volunteers was Slavisa Petrov, a volunteer of the Red Cross of Paracin branch’s Home care for older people programme for many years. Through Slavisa’s volunteering activities, he regularly visits 15 older persons, giving them 15 to 20 hours of his time per week, motivated by his altruism and a wish to help the people who need help, promoting intergenerational cooperation in his community.

After the Conference, a constitutive session of the Government’s Council for Improving Intergenerational Cooperation and Solidarity was held at the Government’s premises. Representative of the Red Cross of Serbia, Natasa Todorovic is a member.