Young people need to recognize that Montenegro has become a NATO member so that they can live and develop in a secure country with much greater democratic capacity and in the best respect for human rights.

This was announced at the closing conference of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), which was organized as part of the project: "Let's take a stand for future perspectives: the Alliance of Youth and NATO".

CEDEM 's Director Milena Bešić emphasized that security is one of the basic prerequisites for the realization of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in every society. “Within the Security and Defense Program, CEDEM has implemented a number of projects on this topic over the course of 20 years. So, security, reforms of the security sector and in the period before accession, NATO integration, with a special focus on youth participation, ” Bešić said.

Minister of Defense, Predrag Bošković underlined that NATO is not only an army and security, but NATO is the most powerful military-political alliance and all member states have very developed national standards.
"Young people need to recognize that Montenegro became a member of NATO in 2017, primarily because of them. We made that decision so that they could live in a peaceful environment, that they could create families, work and develop in a safe, non-war, and much more democratic state, a state that would in the best way to respect human rights, ”Bošković said.

Lecturer in Humanities Studies at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG), Nikoleta Đukanović, emphasized that security challenges today are very complex, there are many, and they are difficult to predict.
"It is for this reason that it's important to emphasize and explain as much as possible NATO's role in the process of meeting security challenges. Youth education is especially important after Montenegro's accession to NATO, as the role of NATO education after accession is often overlooked, considering that this process is over, ” Đukanović explained.

Project Coordinator and CEDEM Program Manager Ognjen Marković said that the first and key activity of the project was campaigning on social networks. "The entire project team has been deeply engaged in ways to bring NATO's theme closer to young people through numerous visuals, posters, videos and animations.
After that, one of the most successful activities started, which is to spend time with the ambassadors of NATO member states with young people, "Marković said. He said that four events were held, attended by over 130 young people, representatives of the US Department of Defense and Embassies, the United Kingdom, Poland and Bulgaria.
"We also implemented a three-day school for young people: "Youth in Contemporary Security Challenges: What lies ahead? ", Which took place in June in Petrovac and brought together about 30 representatives of youth organizations, non-governmental organizations, the judiciary, prosecutors, and also state institutions in the field of security, "Marković said.

He said that in addition to the above activities, a set of interactive "Alliance for the 21st Century" workshops were also held in high schools in Mojkovac, Niksic, Podgorica, Kolašin and Bijelo Polje, as well as a set of interviews "NATO - Shared Values and Participation!" those who are not in the security field themselves but who could tell what NATO membership meant to them and what it brought to them, such as poets, fashion designers, painters and the like.

The project: "Let's Take a Stance for Future Perspectives: the Alliance of Youth and NATO", is implemented by CEDEM, in collaboration with the PR Center and ATAK, and funded by the NATO Alliance's Department of Public Diplomacy.

The school "Gender and Security" was successfully implemented by the CEDEM - Center for Democracy and Human Rights in partnership with the Montenegrin Women's Lobby (CŽL), within the project "Women's Empowerment Initiative: Education for Gender Equality", with the support of the Ministry of Human Rights and minority rights.

The school was implemented from September 16 to October 16 of the current year, with the aim of contributing to greater respect for women's rights and raising awareness of the importance of gender equality, by informing students about gender equality policies and the importance of women's representation at high and managerial positions, as well as strengthening the professional capacity to undertake specific measures to achieve gender equality, bearing in mind that the School was attended by young professionals from various fields.

The lecturers at the School were from different fields, in order to transfer their knowledge and experience to the students, starting with civil sector activists who have been fighting for the advancement of gender equality for years, through representatives of the Ombudsman institution and Courts, to representatives from the security sector, the media and the Assembly, all with a view to looking at this important issue from different angles and from different positions. On this occasion, we thank them for their very inspiring and helpful lectures.

The students of the School were young professionals from different fields, very interested in the topics covered. With their active participation a great contribution to the School was made, for which we thank them once again.

After the completion of ten lectures, the students were presented with Certificates for participation in the school "Gender and Security".

We take this opportunity to congratulate them and wish them much success in their future work.

With NATO membership, Montenegro has reached standards that will be an impetus for European integration, and has added its resources to the international system and thus has the same voice as other members.

The British ambassador to Montenegro, Alison Kemp, said on youth affairs - by joining NATO, Montenegro had started reforms that, would bring it closer to the European Union (EU).

"Montenegro has gone through reforms of the secret service, the defense budget has become public, and the professionalization of staff in the Ministry of Defense and in the military has also been carried out.

By joining the NATO Alliance, Montenegro has added its voice and resources to the international system and therefore has the same voice as other members, "Kemp said.

According to MONSTAT, the United Kingdom ranks among the top ten foreign investors in Montenegro.

"It is estimated that since Montenegro's membership in NATO, the number of investments from NATO countries has increased by 66 percent. This is not only correlated with the NATO alliance, but many British investors say that by joining it they feel more secure when investing in Montenegro, which also brings in more British tourists, ”Kemp said.

According to Montenegro's membership, the alliance has shown that it does not want a closed circle and that it wants to expand.

"Also, Montenegro has contributed by helping countries in the region, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia to prepare for their membership," Kemp said.

"NATO is the most successful alliance in history because in its 70 years of existence it has been able to defend and protect the freedoms and lifestyle we live in. NATO has given Europe a period of peace that no other alliance has succeeded. The UK's position is very clear that the EU does not need a separate army, which would function side by side, because that's why we have NATO, "Kemp said.

The Head of the NATO Department at the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro, Radmila Perović, underlined that Montenegro's membership in NATO is a privilege for Montenegro, which, as she stated, brings numerous benefits.

“The first benefit is certainly a political benefit, because Montenegro, as a small country with less than one million inhabitants, has the same voting right, or the same importance, as a much larger country. We make decisions on an equal basis with other members, "Perović added.

"The most significant benefit is that by membership in NATO, we guarantee long-term security in our territory and security for our citizens, which is a prerequisite for any other progress," Perović said.

She defined that NATO membership is a boost to Montenegro in European integration.

CEDEM's program manager, Ognjen Marković, said that more than 120 high school students spoke with ambassadors of NATO member states about the prospect their membership provides over the four lifetimes, organized under the project "Let's Take a Stance for Future Perspectives: Youth Alliance and NATO, funded by the NATO Alliance's Department of Public Diplomacy.

He said that dating was a traditional custom, and that efforts were made to tailor the discussion on NATO-related topics to young people, through open and two-way communication.

The activity was implemented within the project: "Let's Take a Stance for Future Perspectives: Alliance of Youth and NATO", funded by the NATO's Department of Public Diplomacy, implemented by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights- CEDEM, in cooperation with the PR Center and NGOs Attack.

Montenegro has reached certain standards, its institutions have become credible, and the security of the state is stable, which is why it is recognized in the NATO Alliance, while Montenegrin students are allowed to apply for scholarships offered by membership in your alliance.

This was stated during a briefing organized by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights -CEDEM as part of the project: "Let's Take a Stance for Future Perspectives: the Alliance of Youth and NATO", funded by the NATO Department of Public Diplomacy.

Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Montenegro, Meglena Plugchieva Alexandrova, said that NATO membership is significant for the whole of Southeast Europe.

"For Bulgaria, NATO membership was very important, given that the membership itself has achieved a significant foreign policy status. In addition, we attracted a large number of investors through membership, and it affected the well-being of the citizens themselves, ”stated Plugchiy Alexandrov.

Speaking about Bulgaria's position after NATO accession, she said that the youth perspective had been strengthened and that the country had significant development.

"The benefits of Bulgaria's NATO membership are not exclusively in the security sphere, but the whole country has continued its development, confirmed the partnerships, and therefore we say that this is a historic event for Bulgaria, given the complete positive outcomes of the membership itself," Plugchieva Alexandrova said.

Head of the Directorate for NATO, European Union and Peacekeeping Operations at the Ministry of Defense of Montenegro, Radmila Perović, said that the goal of Montenegro was, after the restoration of independence, to build a society based on democratic values.

The fact that Montenegro joined NATO means to other member states that our country has reached certain standards, that its institutions are now credible, and that the country is stable. This means that tourists will come to us sooner than to a non-NATO country because they are safe here, ”Perović said. She stated that, with NATO membership, Montenegro was among the most modern democracies of Western Europe and America.

Speaking about the opportunities offered by the NATO Alliance to Youth in Montenegro, Perović said that students of Montenegrin universities have the opportunity to apply for scholarships.

“Montenegrin students are absolutely competitive and have been given the opportunity to study at NATO Headquarters, where not only soldiers or political science students work, but lawyers, economists, IT professionals as well as experts in other fields work. It is an opportunity for young people to work in a multicultural environment, where they have the opportunity to see what the decision-making process of 29 Member States looks like and is a great opportunity for further professional development, ”Perović added.

CEDEM's Program Manager Ognjen Marković reminded that the Youth Day with the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Montenegro is the third of four events that will be realized, during which the youth will, as he explained, establish a dialogue with the Ambassadors of the NATO Member States.

The project: " Let's take a stand for future perspectives: the Alliance of Youth and NATO" aims to increase the level of knowledge and information of young people in Montenegro about the values and mission of NATO, as an international organization of which our country has been a full member since 2017. It is important that young people, as future academics and who may be professionally trained in this direction, be informed on this topic, "said Marković.

Center for Democracy and Human Rights is launching a competition for participants of the "Gender and Security" School.

The school is being implemented within the framework of the project "Women's Empowerment Initiative: Education for Gender Equality", implemented by CEDEM in partnership with the Montenegrin Women's Lobby (CŽL), with the support of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.

The aim of the School is to contribute to greater respect for women's rights and to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality, by informing participants about gender equality policies and the importance of women's representation in senior and managerial positions. The School also aims to strengthen the professional capacity to take specific measures to achieve gender equality, given that it is aimed at young professionals in various fields.

The School is especially focused on:

1. students of law, political science and journalism;
2. young employees employed by government institutions;
3. young leaders of political parties in Montenegro and
4. young civil society actors.

In addition, we encourage young people from the natural sciences to apply for participation in the School!

The lecturers are national and regional experts, as well as representatives of the Montenegrin security sector.

The School will be held from 16 September to 16 October 2019 in Podgorica, in the afternoon. The number of students is limited to 20. All students after graduation receive a certificate and the right to participate in other project activities.

If you want to attend the School, interested applicants may send a CV and a short motivation letter (no more than 200 words) to the e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than September 2, 2019, indicating "Application to attend the Gender and Security School.

For any additional questions regarding the School, project or program activity, please do not hesitate to contact us via the e-mail address or telephone 020 234 114.