Belgrade – On Jun 20, 2016, the 15th official World Refugee Day, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), presented the results of the first public opinion survey on Serbian citizens’ attitudes towards the ongoing migrant and refugee crisis.

According to the survey, 45 percent of citizens have a positive attitude towards the refugees. Almost 80 percent of participants noted that they have a lot of empathy for the suffering of refugees, and more than 60 percent are ready to help them.  Still, 55 percent of participants expressed either fear or a negative attitude.   

“Serbian citizens have demonstrated a high level of empathy and compassion towards refugees. Nevertheless, a significant number of citizens demonstrate fear and distrust towards refugees. Therefore, through the Support for Local Response to Refugee Crisis Project, the Divac Foundation with support from USAID, will work to contribute to the creation of an open society, ready to accept diversity”, said Ana Divac, President of the Divac Foundation Board.

The mayors of the seven municipalities most affected by the crisis (Sjenica, Tutin, Dimitrovgrad, Loznica, Preševo, Šid, Subotica) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their participation in the Support for Local Response to Refugee Crisis Project.   

“We recognize the tremendous work taken on by local governments, civil society groups and volunteers to address the needs of refugees and migrants in their communities.  This collaboration at the local level has played a vital role in Serbia’s overall response to the crisis.  Your joint response has highlighted the generosity and empathy of the Serbian people,” said Kyle Scott, the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia.   

Nenad Ivanišević, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy, emphasized the importance of cooperation between state institutions and civil society organizations.  Vladimir Cucić, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, added that “the state has done everything it could and in accordance with international standards to help these people. I think we did a very good job in cooperation with other state authorities and civil society organizations.”