28. Jun became the first humanitarian organization operating in the Western Balkans to be approved for Association with the United Nations Department of Global Communications this week. The association constitutes a commitment on the part of 28. Jun to disseminate information and raise public awareness about the purposes and activities of the United Nations and issues of global concern. Associated organizations are expected to focus a portion of their publications and information activities on the work of the United Nations and are encouraged to cooperate with the United Nations in their areas of work and expertise.

28. Jun will also receive an additional six grounds passes each year to enter the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Because 28. Jun is already in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, it will bring the total amount of annual passes at the disposal of the organization to 27. The NGO plans to utilize the additional influence to intensify efforts by its advocacy wing — 28. Jun Global. Because 28. Jun operates in areas where populations face routine violations of fundamental human needs — advocacy strategies to alert, inform, and influence decision-makers via international bodies like the UN, are necessary.

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH SELECT SPEECHES AT THE UN BY 28. JUN MEMBERS

In addition to our ongoing monthly project to help Serbian families, in 2019 we aimed to provide four families (one every season), in particularily dire need, with a new home. With this week’s delivery, and with your help, we have succeeded in this ambitious goal. Starting with the most recent:

➤ We lobbied the Republika Srpska government to buy the Stojanovic family, from Doboj, a new home which we furnished.

➤ We built the Stefanovic family, from Medvedje, a new home from scratch.

➤ We lobbied the Serbian government, and helped build a home, for the Jovanovic siblings from Osecina.

➤ We bought the Majstorovic family from Zminjak, near Sabac, a new house.

➤ During this same period we also rennovated and furnished dozens of other homes.

As long as we have you to count on, these families have a fighting chance!

We Thank You in their name.

UK-based Entrepreneur & Investor magazine has named Serbian-Canadian @filipfilipi to its ‘Top 5 Most Inspiring High Profile Philanthropists’ in company with Mark Zuckerberg, Bill and Melinda Gates and actress Rosario Dawson.

The profile piece touches on the current success of the Canadian music scene, which Filipi left at the age of 24 to found the 28. Jun humanitarian organization, the £7m of aid they donated since and fleeing his homeland as a child due to war.

The article comes on the heels of a HipHopCanada cover story – made viral by Post Malone’s DJ – about Filipi’s humanitarian work at the United Nations and participation at last month’s UN Climate Action Summit along side Greta Thunberg.

Link: http://entrepreneurandinvestor.com/the-top-5-most-inspiring-high-profile-philanthropists-using-their-platform-for-good

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The UN’s Youth Climate Summit provided a platform for young leaders to showcase their solutions and meaningfully engage with decision-makers. The event took place as a lead up to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit and the United Nations General Assembly this week. 28. Jun’s Nicole Vicentic had the honor of attending and sharing perspectives from the Western Balkans. As her team lead, Nicole addressed Liz Rodgers, VP of Sustainable Product at Nike, and discussed some of the challenges and opportunities to enabling circular apparel to reduce impact on the planet.

Several weeks ago, 28. Jun’s delegation of Filip Filipi and Hristina Radonjic were at the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah representing interests of the Serbian Diaspora. This was the premier UN event on the NGO calendar. ~5,000 civil society representatives from around the world were in attendance. The international forum also brought together senior UN System officials, prominent international civil society organizations, academicians, public opinion makers and international media to discuss issues of global concern.

28. Jun is the first humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans to be granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council. With an estimated 10 million NGOs in the world, less than .0005%, or 4500, have achieved Consultative Status.

Jeffrey “Smitty” Smith, the DJ of international superstar Post Malone was honored in Vancouver, Canada for his contributions to humanitarian work in Serbia. He was presented with the ‘Humanitarian of the Year Award’ for 2019 from 28. Jun, one of the leading philanthropic organizations operating in the Western Balkans.

28. Jun President Filip Filipi thanked Smitty for using his social media reach to spread a recent fundraising drive which resulted in helping deliver a container with nearly $1 million worth of medical equipment and supplies to Serbia. The two have known each other for over a decade and collaborated musically in the late ’00s.

Post Malone is one of the most popular musicians in the world having sold 60 million records and is one of the most streamed artists of all time with over 10 billion streams. 28. Jun is an international humanitarian organization in Special Consultative Status with the UN which has delivered $7 million in aid to the Balkans.

The beginning of the school year carries with it significant expenditures for parents, with that in mind the aim of our action was to help families with severe financial problems so that the children could begin the new school year without added stress. Throughout the year, we receive a large number of requests from parents seeking the most basic school supplies (notebooks, pens, backpacks) and this number increases dramatically in September as school begins.

We are pleased to inform you that this year, our organization has provided ’28. Jun Nikola Tesla’ scholarships which consist of school materials for all Serbian children in the Knin municipality of Kistanje in Krajina. The joy and gratitude of both children and parents was more than evident.

In Herzegovina, at “Petar Petrovic Njegos” school in Bileca, we met our goal and provided 60 first-grade students with backpacks full of school supplies so our little ones have a happy start to their school year.
“Parents and children were delighted and I made a new friend which is the greatest gift. Apart from the fact that school supplies brings material help, it also shows parents they still have someone who thinks of them. To me personally, such actions restore confidence in people. That there is goodwill in people. People are generally good, but many times situations make them appear selfish and self-serving. I really thank Darko, and your directors and all the people of goodwill from your organization. May they be alive and well for many summers!“ —School teacher Miodrag Parezanin
The goal of our project was exactly what the teacher stated; to help the community regain trust in one another and that by example we can illuminate the path for future generations. We did not inherit this world from our parents, but rather we are borrowing it our children. Let’s leave something for them to remember!

As adolescents in 2011, we watched the unfair treatment of people peacefully protesting for access to basic needs— food, medical facilities, justice— and decided to use our privileged positions to join their brave fight.

On July 31, 2012 our spontaneous, student-led movement to make this world a little easier for communities in need, took a leap forward and incorporated as a Canadian Not-for-profit.

Seven years on, we have organically grown into a world-class humanitarian organization and want to share with you the challenges and achievements that enabled us to make a difference in the region many of us call home.

Our 7-year report is available in:

Web format – https://28jun.org/7-year-report

PDF format – https://28jun.org/28-Jun-7-Year-Report.pdf

We are extremely proud to announce that on Vidovdan, the day our organization is named after, we have surpassed 1.3 Million subscribers on our mailing list. This weekend in Niagara Falls we will kick off a month of celebrations marking 7 years since our first humanitarian delivery and 7 years since 28. Jun was incorporated as a Not-for-profit organization in Canada.

We have been tirelessly building our network for nearly 8 years and our recent ‘Serbs For Good’ viral campaign brought us to this astonishing figure. In July of 2012 our organization delivered the first, of what would be over 30, large shipments of medical equipment and supplies to Serbian institutions throughout the Western Balkans. Seven years after that delivery to the Health Center Gracanica, we invite you to celebrate those achievements as we mark our final delivery with an international media press conference at the Clinical Center Nis, tentatively scheduled for the middle of July.

Since 2012 our organization has seen immense growth— we are honored that in 7 years we donated nearly $7 Mil worth of aid, successfully upgrading the medical infrastructure for our people throughout the region. Additionally, we are the first humanitarian organization from the Western Balkans to be granted Special Consultative Status with the United Nations. We have delivered 184 tons of humanitarian, medical and disaster relief to the region; this included leading the global response to the 2014 Southeast Europe floods. Our 500+ members have held events in over 120 cities across 30 countries.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being one of this astronomical number! Your championship and support of our organization enables us to make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable of our population. We do not take your trust in our organization or our responsibilities lightly.

Our global network will unite Serbs in preserving cultural heritage, sharing humanitarian responsibility and supporting the region in times of crisis.