As part of the long-term cooperation between the Serbian Association of Economists and UNICEF, a report titled "Poverty Projections Based on the Potential Impact of Conflict in Ukraine, with a Particular Focus on Children" was presented today with the aim of informing respectable economists on the findings of the report.

The long-term crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has made Serbia's recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic more difficult. Increase in prices of food and energy caused by the war has had a direct impact on the most vulnerable population groups in Serbia, as evidenced by the research conducted for UNICEF by a team from the United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

The report highlights that the Ukrainian crisis will lead to the deterioration of the position of already impoverished families with children. In addition to this, Serbia is among Europe’s top ten least equal countries in terms of income. In 2021, the Gini coefficient for income was 33.3. In other words, the wealthiest 20% of the population had six times higher income than the poorest 20%. Moreover, in Serbia, children are more likely to live in poverty than any adult group.

Expanding the existing social protection programs might alleviate the short-term effects of the crisis in Ukraine on the most vulnerable population groups in Serbia.

The conclusion of the convention is that there should not be a choice between economic development and social policy, because long-term economic growth requires an effective social policy.

The entire report on Poverty Projections Based on the Potential Impact of Conflict in Ukraine, with a Particular Focus on Children is available for download on UNICEF's website.