Foreign High Level Delegation Visiting Bijelo Polje, Champion Municipality for Children
BIJELO POLJE, October 23, 2008 - Kevin Lyne, Her Majesty's Ambassador, Bernard Garancher, Ambassador of France, Clive Rumbold, Charge d’Affaires of the European Commission’s Delegation and Noala Skinner, UNICEF Representative, visited Bijelo Polje, champion municipality for children in Montenegro.
Mr Tarzan Milosevic, Mayor of the Municipality of Bijelo Polje, presented projects and good practice models for children and young people which have been implemented successfully so far.
“Thanks to UNICEF support this municipality has become a leader in supporting young people and especially the ones with special needs.” said Mr Tarzan Milosevic, Mayor of Bijelo Polje, at a press conference in the municipality building on Thursday, October 23. “I hope that after today’s visit of the high delegation Bijelo Polje will have full support from EU, so that we continue working on high quality projects for children and young people and particularly the ones with special needs.”, he added.
“Child protection standards that are respected here are very close to the ones in EU and you can be a model of good pratice to many municipalities in my country too. We are all one family and children need us.” said Mr. Bernard Garancher, Ambassador of France, at the press conference after the meeting with the Mayor of Bijelo Polje.
Mr Kevin Lyne, Her Majesty's Ambassador, noted that the local authorities engaged in implementing these projects long before Montenegro started expressing ambitions to join the EU. The local community can be proud of that and hope for even better results in future, he concluded.
After the introductory meeting with the Mayor, the delegation met with the members of the Management Team for the implementation of the Local Plan of Action for Children in Bijelo Polje. According to Mr Clive Rumbold, Charge d’Affaires of the European Commission’s Delegation, results achieved through the implementation of the Local Plan of Action for Children are a good confirmation of Montenegro for the European Commission.
“Children of Bijelo Polje and Montenegro are the first and future generations of European citizens. Their future depends on being healthy, educated and protected. The European Commission refers to the questions related to child rights and child protection in its recent documents. I am glad that we are in Bijelo Polje today, as this municipality is truly a good model for protecting and promoting child rights.” said Ms. Noala Skinner, UNICEF Montenegro Representative on Thursday, October 23.
The high level delegation visited the Day Care Center for children with disabilities “Tisa”, the first and only one in Montenegro at the moment and a good practice model in the region. They also visited the recently opened Centre for Children and Family Support, where they learned about the introduction of mediation in family disputes and juvenile justice. The Centre also serves as a temporary shelter for women and children victims of violence.
Finally, the high level delegation engaged in an interactive discussion with children and young people on EU integration in the high school “Miloje Dobrasinovic”. “What are the benefits of becoming an EU member”; “Will Montenegro preserve its identity in the EU”; “Are the rights of small countries protected as much as the ones of bigger EU members”; “What is the status of Roma community in EU countries”; “Will Montenegro’s education certificates be recognized equally in EU” – these were some of the questions that children and young people of Bijelo Polje raised on this occasion.
“This is not the first time that we organize a discussion with children and young people on EU integration. Mr. Lyne, Her Majesty's Ambassador and Mr. Garancher, Ambassador of France, engaged in a similar discussion during a conference on EU integration for young people from all over Montenegro at the beginning of this month. However, I would like to express special thanks to you today, because you managed to challenge us with your opinions and questions and you definitely made this discussion the most interesting so far.” concluded Ms. Noala Skinner, UNICEF Montenegro Representative.
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Foreign high level delegation engaged in an interactive section with children and young people on EU integration in the high school “Miloje Dobrasinovic” |
