The initiative “Ne da(vi)mo Beograd”/“Don’t let Belgrade D(r)own” was formed in 2014. as a reaction to the way the urban development of the city of Belgrade was conceived and carried out. What started as an act of civil disobedience, followed by numerous guerilla actions, public talks, media engagement, newspapers publishing, and series of protests of more than 20.000 people on the streets. We are committed to strengthening local communities and participatory democracy.

Legal form

Non-profit organization

Objectives

• Promoting and empowering citizens participation in decision-making 
• Building democratic institutions, sustainable urban development, urban and cultural policies 
• Incorporating citizens into the development of their environment
• Promoting municipalism and the principles of solidarity and feminization of politics
• Advocacy for inclusion and social justice 
• Improving, conserving, and lawfully using common and natural resources 

Main Activities

We organized direct actions and mass protests, used legal instruments, as well as intense media campaigns, to challenge the urban development with focus on the “Belgrade Waterfront” project. Some of our other activities include prevention of evictions, analysis of strategies, contracts or new laws and regulations, lawsuits and denunciations, conversations in local communities and on the streets, criminal and misdemeanor charges, concerts, exhibitions… We have launched online forum https://ucestvuj.nedavimobeograd.rs/ in order to discuss with citizens ideas, programs, policies and problems in Belgrade

Since its inception, the Don’t Let Belgrade D(r)own initiative has been under constant pressure from the authoritarian regime, our activists have been monitored, phones tapped, and work obstructed by a large number of court processes. 

Strengths

• Cooperation with local civil society actors, grassroot activists, academics, artists, politicians
• Cooperation with similar organizations and movements from Europe
• Policy-making
• Creative public interventions and citizens mobilization 
• Expertise on various topics: urbanism, feminism, citizenship, participatory democracy

Finance and Main Partners

From our beginnings, we are relying on the donations received from the citizens and members of the wider group. This includes not only the financial donations but foremost the donation of time, knowledge, experience and different assets. Crowdfunding campaigns hold an important role for us and we have been also funded by grants. 

We are one of the initiators and founders of “Gradjanski front”, an umbrella organization of similar local-based organizations in 8 cities in Serbia. (http://www.gradjanskifront.rs/)

 

On the international level we are part of the International network for Urban Research and Action – INURA, Diem25, Fearless cities network, European Action Coalition on the Right to the Housing and the City.

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