OSCE Mission awards four individuals in Serbia for contributing to Organization's success

BELGRADE, 18 December 2007 - A university dean, a judge, a state commissioner and an assistant minister were today presented with the 2007 Person of the Year award by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad.

"Each one of these four people has in an important and decisive way contributed to the Mission's success over the last year by partnering with one of our departments in their projects and activities," said Ambassador Urstad.

Each recipient comes from a field of the Mission's activity: democratization, rule of law and human rights, media, and economy and environment. The four winners decided to designate the financial aspect of the award, which is worth Euro 7,700, to the 'Invisible Child' project implemented by the Centre for Youth Integration in Belgrade and financed by the Mission. The four winners are:

Professor Radmila Marinkovic-Neducin, Rector of the Novi Sad University, recognized for her exceptional contribution to improving the minority education at the Novi Sad University.

Judge Dragana Boljevic, in recognition of her contribution to the efforts to reform Serbian judiciary. She chaired the official working group which drafted the "Basic Principles of Judiciary", to serve as the basis for a reformed package of judicial laws expected to be adopted in the coming months.

Rodoljub Sabic, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, awarded for his assiduous efforts to ensure transparency in the work of public institutions in accordance with the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance.

Aleksandar Vesic, Assistant Minister for Environmental Protection, awarded for his outstanding contribution to the preparation of the VI Pan European Ministerial Conference on Environment, held in Belgrade in October.