First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dacic received today representatives of organizations dealing with the elderly. The meeting was attended by Danica Smic, a volunteer of the Red Cross of Serbia, Dr. Radmila Popovic, "The umbrella" NGO delegate, Vladanka Miskin of the Association of Pensioners of Serbia, Zorica Corkovic, a representative of the elderly in institutional care, Milos Nemanjic of the Gerontological Society of Serbia, Brankica Jankovic, National Correspondent in charge of the aging issue, Natasa Todorovic and Milutin Vracevic from the Red Cross of Serbia.

The meeting was held within the global campaign "Aging requires action", which is organized on the occasion of 15 June, the International Day against discrimination and violence against the elderly, in order that the elderly people may highlight the problems and challenges they face in their everyday life.

The focus of the campaign this year is on support to the work of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which will hold its fifth meeting from 30 July to 1 August 2014. On this occasion, Minister Dacic received a petition that representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the United Nations attend the meeting, not only in the context of adopting the Convention, but also requesting their involvement in the process where effective mechanisms to protect the elderly from discrimination and violence would be identified.

Minister Dacic expressed an understanding for the problems faced by this social group every day, and promised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would do everything possible to assist in meeting the goals of these organizations.