USAID supports employment projects in Vojvodina

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will support projects aiming to create new jobs in municipalities in Vojvodina, Director of the Sustainable Local Development Project Howard Ockman said Wednesday.

After a meeting with Vojvodina Secretary for Local Self-Government Branislav Bugarski, Mr. Ockman said that the selection of program activities was underway, adding that it was for certain that the main support would be provided to businesses in Vojvodina and Serbia.

- The best way to develop the private sector is with the support of local authorities, which is why we will work together with local authorities in the following period to create a positive business environment for the private sector - said Ockman.

He added that the USAID would focus on attracting investment to Serbia and cooperation with clusters and business associations, noting that concrete initiatives and proposals should be ready by March 2013.

Bugarski assessed that Vojvodina had been successfully cooperating with the USAID for many years, adding that the US organization had implemented several projects in Vojvodina that had contributed to the improvement of both investment environment and procedures.