On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the final workshop of the joint programme “Green Future, Brighter Beginnings: Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals for Climate Resilience and Children’s Rights” was held in the ceremonial hall of the Red Cross of Serbia, which is being implemented by UNICEF, UNEP and UN-Habitat in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The goal of this program was to empower local self-government units (LGUs) so that they could improve the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through inclusive, energy-efficient and child-sensitive policies.
Serbia is moving forward on an ambitious energy transition to cleaner, more efficient systems that are vital for climate resilience and for the country’s long‑term prosperity. The central question for us was: How do we make this transition fair, especially for children, and for the families who are most at risk of being left behind?
As the program drew to a close, the workshop provided a platform to:
- review final results and lessons learned
- exchange of experience and practice, i
- define next steps to sustain and expand SDG localization and community work activities.
Based on our experience in the field of energy efficiency and the fight against energy poverty, RES Foundation has developed a comprehensive model within this project that includes volunteer training, education, the implementation of small energy efficiency measures and, crucially, the mapping of the real, integrated needs of vulnerable households. Our programme director, Jasminka Young, participated in the first session of the workshop – Youth in action: energy advisors and field work in households, and on that occasion she discussed:
- key content of the professional training for young volunteers of the Red Cross, which RES Foundation designed and held so that the young volunteers could carry out a complete visit to socially and energy vulnerable households – from energy audits and surveys, to giving advice on energy saving;
- insights we gained during training and direct contact with young Red Cross volunteers that confirmed the significant role of these young people in the fighting energy poverty in our society; we also talked about the advantages of this practical way of acquiring ‘green skills’, which also represents an investment in future energy agents, who are ready to contribute to the energy transition with knowledge and tools in addition to empathy.
