On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, a meeting of local government representatives was held in the city of Middlesbrough, England, to commemorate the signing of the Charter of Inclusive Cities. On this occasion, the Mayor of Middlesbrough signed the Charter, officially designating another city as an Inclusive City.
The “Inclusive Cities” project focuses on the visibility of recovery through organizing activities, bringing people together, and ensuring access to housing, employment, sports, treatment, and active citizenship in our cities.
At the event, Professor David Best stated, “Recovery is a social, peer-to-peer contagion that starts with ‘if they can do it, I can do it’. It doesn’t exist inside people, it exists between people, but we need to facilitate the conditions for this transformative power to take place. If people don’t know where or how to find recovery, due to current hierarchies, outdated systems and policies, and stigma and discrimination, they can’t reach their potential and neither can society.”
In response to Professor David Best’s invitation, Branislava Cincarević, a representative of the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and Mulka Nišić, a regional coordinator at the NGO “Celebrate Recovery” from Bosnia and Herzegovina, participated in the event via an online platform. Branislava Cincarević highlighted the main goals and achievements of the multidisciplinary teams in Serbia within the “Choose Recovery” project during her presentation. She also emphasized the excellent cooperation between the Office and local self-government units in Serbia, as well as collaboration with civil society organizations. On behalf of the Office, Branislava Cincarević thanked those present at the event for the invitation to showcase the work and good practices of the Republic of Serbia regarding decentralization and promoting the activities of local self-government units in the recovery process.
Following the conclusion of the event, it was agreed that the Office for Combating Drugs of the Government of the Republic of Serbia will continue to participate in future events of this format, maintain cooperation with Professor David Best, and actively support the activities of Inclusive Cities in the United Kingdom.