Provincial secretariat for environmental protection and sustainable development was established in 2002, in 2011 it was transformed into the Provincial secretariat for urban planning, construction and environmental protection, and in June 2016 the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina brings Provincial Assembly Decision about the new name, Provincial Secretariat for Urbanism and Environmental Protection.
The Provincial Secretariat for Urban Planning and Environmental Protection, in accordance with the law and the Statute, performs the tasks of the provincial administration in the field of urban planning as well as the affairs of the provincial administration in the field of environmental protection related to the preparation of acts for the Assembly or the Provincial Government. The Provincial secretariat for urban planning and environmental protection carries out executive, expert and development tasks of the provincial administration, supervises and monitors the implementation of regulations. In the areas from its scope, secretariat monitor and assist the work of public enterprises and public services founded by AP Vojvodina, provides professional assistance and funds for financing or co-financing to local governments, performs state administration tasks, which are entrusted to the bodies of AP Vojvodina by law.
The Secretariat carries out expert, administrative tasks from various fields, environmental monitoring, inspection control, which is essential for the implementation of regulations and prevention of uncontrolled environmental pollution, protection and improvement of natural assets and biodiversity, environmental impact assessment, waste management, urban planning.
Provincial secretariat for urban planning and environmental protection is organized through six sectors:
- Sector for spatial and urban planning
- Sector for legal material-financial affairs
- Sector for monitoring of environment and information system
- Sector for the protection and promotion of natural resources and biodiversity
- Sector for cleaner production, renewable energy sources and sustainable development
- Sector for inspection
The Secretariat has good cooperation with national and international scientific institutions, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
Openness in communication with the public and the availability of environmental data provided a qualitative shift towards achieving EU standards in the environment, and the Secretariat was recognized in the media as a transparent source of relevant and verified data and information.