MIP participates in the UNDP Regional Youth Workshop held in Serbia

From December 4th to 6th, 2024, the Mechanism Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP) participated in a three-day Regional Youth Workshop organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Belgrade, Serbia. As part of the larger “EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans Project,” funded by the European Union, the workshop brought together 30 youth and future opinion leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Participants included civil society activists, bloggers, media influencers, journalists, and young professionals engaged in advocacy and reconciliation efforts.

The workshop aimed to equip grassroots actors with the skills necessary to raise public awareness of past crimes and foster dialogue among diverse stakeholders, particularly youth. By promoting open exchanges, the event sought to strengthen social cohesion and support efforts to address the region's complex history.

On the first day, MIP researcher Nemanja Stjepanović led a two-part session titled “Sources of information – established facts related to conflicts in the former Yugoslavia: database Search.” He delivered a lecture on the legacy of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and its successor, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism). His presentation highlighted their contributions to transitional justice in the region, illustrating key achievements with judicially established facts and archival materials.

Mr. Stjepanović also conducted a practical training session on navigating the ICTY and Mechanism’s archives through the Unified Court Records.

Participation in the Regional Youth Workshop forms part of the MIP's ongoing efforts to support projects and events implemented by civil society organizations active in the field of transitional justice in the former Yugoslavia.

The aim of the MIP is to improve the knowledge and understanding of citizens and communities in the countries of the former Yugoslavia about the crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s, based on the jurisprudence of the ICTY and the Mechanism.

The MIP is funded by the European Union.