About Polekol
A society that respects nature
Who are we?
Polekol’s vision is a society in which nature is respected as an equal, not a resource to be exploited. A society of people who cooperate, not compete. A society in which the calculation of profit is overcome and emphasizes the well-being of all. Nature is the common good of all those who directly depend on that good.
Polekol is an advocacy and activist civil society organization recognized by the public for gathering various initiatives, but also for launching its own initiatives aimed at protecting the environment, nature and natural resources, as well as for the promotion of green values (and social practices) focused on the well-being of people and nature.
Polekol has a built-in process of supporting local and regional initiatives, organizations and citizens. It also brings together experts who are capable of producing policies that further guide society in the area of environmental protection, nature and natural resources.
Polekol's values rely on:
Ecological wisdom
Democracy
Participatory
Social justice
The team is slow.
Iva Markovic
Program Director
Iva Marković, activist and researcher of political ecology from Belgrade. She is the founder of the Polekol organization and the Right to Water initiative. Iva is one of the initiators of the Women’s Network for Nature Protection in Serbia and the regional alliance “Let’s defend the rivers of the Balkans”. She is a member of the secretariat of the European Water Movement and former secretary of the Green Youth of Serbia. She is an engineer in landscape architecture and horticulture, and researches topics such as sustainable management of natural resources, political economy of the environment, international development, ecofeminism and social aspects of climate change. It is dedicated to connecting different social movements and developing progressive political ideas in Serbia and throughout Europe. During her career, she gained rich experience in non-formal education, working with young people and groups with very different demographic characteristics. Its mission is the synergy of the humanities and natural sciences, the integration of popular and scientific knowledge, with the aim of achieving environmental justice today and a sustainable future tomorrow.
Zaklina Zivkovic
Executive Director
Žaklina Živković is the executive director of Polekol. A political scientist by training, in her twelve years of work on green policies, she specialized in working with local communities and in public advocacy for the implementation of environmental protection and sustainability standards. She is the author of numerous researches and publications in the field of green economy, just energy transition and water resource management. During her two-year term, she was the coordinator of the Balkan Network of the European Green Party. She is a member of the Committee of the Women’s Network for Nature and the Environment and the Secretariat of the regional network Defend the Balkan Rivers.
Miroslava Nikolic
project coordinator
Miroslava Nikolić is a project coordinator in the Polekol organization, where she actively contributes to the coordination of the Women’s Network for the Protection of Nature and the Environment. An activist and eco-feminist who fights for a society where everyone will have equal rights and access to natural resources. She is also interested in social justice, ethics of care and sustainable practices of eco-communities. She is a member of the Blatology association, which deals with the construction of houses from natural materials. In his free time, he is engaged in music and performance. He plans to travel the world by bicycle.
Strahinja Macic
legal advisor
Strahinja Macić is a law graduate. It mainly deals with issues of environmental law, the right to access to justice, citizens’ participation in decision-making, democratization and directs public policies towards more effective protection and preservation of nature and common goods. He is also involved in the education of citizens and their associations in these areas.
Iskra Krstic
Researcher
Iskra Krstić is a theoretician of critical urban studies and an activist for spatial justice. In Polekol, he applies his professional knowledge of uneven and unequal economic and spatial development, as well as his journalistic experience. Participates in field work and research, education organized by Polekol, cooperation and networking with local, regional and international actors, media appearances, internal organization and strategic planning of the organization’s work.
Natasa Jancic
Community Coordinator
Nataša Jančić is a master environmental protection analyst with 15 years of work experience in the field of communications. For the last five years, she has been working as a professional associate for membership management, and in the creation of fundraising campaigns and programs for the education of children and young people. She has been in the Polekola team since 2023 and works on increasing community capacity and developing the Women’s Network for Nature and the Environment.
Slobodan Knezevic
Communications Coordinator
Slobodan Knežević is a naturalist and communicator with more than ten years of work experience. His passion for communications was born from a deep connection with nature and a desire to create content that inspires and educates. Describing his professional path, he says that he does not have a degree in communications, but he is lucky that they come naturally to him. Of the handful of content he’s created for Polekol, he often likes to point out that the translation of the title of the book “Dare to care”, which reads “Dare to care”, is his favorite line he’s come up with. Slobodan believes that good communication has the power to make the world a better place for everyone.
An important part of Polekol’s work is education about green policies, the development of theoretical assumptions and narratives that lead to the sustainability of the entire society.
Polekol Board of Directors
Vesna Jusup
Member of the Board of Directors
Vesna Jusup is the Operations Director of the European Center for Digital Action. She graduated in History of Art at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade and is currently finishing her Master’s in the field of Education. Before ECDA, Vesna was the Coordinator of the Policy, Strategy and Capacity Development Department at the European Green Party. Vesna has extensive experience in organizational management, fundraising, project management, as well as in the field of green policies. Vesna’s passion is books, gender equality and especially books about gender equality.
Dr. Aleksandar Stevanovic
Member of the board of directors
Dr. Aleksandar Stevanović is an assistant at the Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. He is currently attending doctoral studies in the field of public health and specializing in social medicine. He is a participant in numerous congresses on the topic of health innovations in the country and abroad, as well as a member of international organizations in this field. His research focus includes the topics of societal burden of disease, infodemic management, health inequalities and social determinants of health. Dr. Stevanović also advocates public policies and is dedicated to health promotion activities and actions in the community.
Bojana Selakovic
board member
Bojana Selaković is the coordinator of the National Convention on the European Union. Before coming to the position of coordinator of the National Convention on the EU, Bojana Selaković worked in Civic Initiatives since November 2013, where she took the position of manager of the Public Policy Program. The topics that interest her range from the fight against discrimination, violence and corruption to the rights of minority groups and children’s rights to the reform of public policies and citizen participation.
