United States Launches New Assistance Program
for Northern Montenegro
On Monday December 15, U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro Roderick W. Moore will mark the launch of the USAID-funded STARS (STIMULISANJE RAZVOJA SJEVERA) project at the Montenegro Economic Forum at Hotel “Bianca” in Kolasin. Montenegro’s Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic and Tourism and Environment Protection Predrag Nenezic will join the Ambassador at the opening of the Forum, which will take place from December 15-17.
The STARS initiative will work with entrepreneurs, small and medium size businesses and citizens, as well as the central and local governments, to promote economic development in the North by utilizing its potential, especially in eco-tourism and agriculture. The American people through USAID will directly invest over 10 million dollars to this initiative during the next several years. Through STARS, private and public organizations will act together to enhance the quality and reliability of the North’s products and services as well as to attract new customers and investors.
The STARS project will be implemented by the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (GSTA), a partnership of 15 U.S. conservation and tourism development organizations, academic institutions, and private consulting firms, including National Geographic, The Nature Conservancy and the Academy for Educational Development. Its overall mission is to apply best practices and advance sustainable tourist development and related fields. GSTA seeks to strengthen biodiversity, workforce skills, economic and social networks, and private sector competitiveness.
At the STARS Project’s first event, the Montenegro Economic Forum, the participants will discuss the economic needs and potential areas of development of Northern Montenegro with the goal of planning for joint action. The event will catalyze the “whole system” – that is, everyone who will be affected by economic development in the North – to take coordinated actions to make the North more competitive.
Media interested in covering this event should be at Hotel Bianca in Kolasin no later than 09:40, on Monday December 15.
For more information on the STARS Project, please contact Ms. Elizabeth Markovic, STARS Program Chief of Party (emarkovic@aed.org)
For more information on the U.S. Government’s programs in Montenegro, please visit the Embassy's web site at http://podgorica.usembassy.gov