Contact Mrs. Vesna Ratković
Director of Directorate for Anti-corruption Initiative

Podgorica, Rimski Trg 45
Tel: +382 81 234 395; +382 81 482 139
Fax: +382 81 234 082
E-mail: aci@mn.yu

PERSONAL DATA

Name: VESNA RATKOVIC, LLM
Place of Birth: Niksic, Republic of Montenegro
Date of Birth: February 25, 1957
Nationality: Montenegrin
Maritial status: Divorced

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

Ms. Ratkovic has twenty-five years of progressive experience in working with Government of Montenegro (GOM), international and domestic organizations in project development, management, monitoring and evaluation in Montenegro. Ms. Ratkovic has a Master degree of the Criminal Law and a seasoned judiciary, penitentiary and management specialist experience in working with the Ministry of Justice in Montenegro and USAID/Montenegro to address issues of effective justice system and management. From March 2007, Ms. Ratkovic is director of the Directorate for the Anti-Corruption Initiative.

She has high political analytical and diplomatic skills. She is able to communicate across sectors and cultures, and possesses well-developed knowledge of, and experience in using the media to promote an organization and its activities including successful public campaigns. She has demonstrated management skills and experience.

Her working languages are Montenegrin and English.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

March 2007 to present

GOVERNMENT OF REPUBLIC OF MONTENEGRO
DIRECTORATE FOR THE ANTI-CORRUPTION INITIATIVE

Director

• Ms. Ratkovic is responsible for co-ordination of activities towards undertaking promotional and preventive activities aimed at effective combating corruption; adoption and implementation of European and international standards and instruments, enhancing the transparency in business and financial operations; other activities that arise from the membership in Stability Pact for the South-Eastern Europe and other international organizations and institutions and other activities delegated to DACI competence.

December 2002 to March 2007

USAID Serbia & Montenegro Program

Program Specialist – Democracy and Governance Office – Montenegro Office

• Ms. Ratkovic was responsible for providing day-to-day management support to key components of the USAID/Montenegro portfolio of Democracy and Governance (DG) activities pertaining to the reform and development of judiciary sector, and for assisting the DG Advisor in providing technical advice and guidance to senior Mission management, staff, and implementing partner Checchi and Company on the design, implementation, and management of USAID-funded four year ROL activity. Responsible for: Managing the project budget of $6.7 million; the Cognizant Technical Officer (CTO) for the Montenegro Judicial System Reform Project (MJSRP), also serving as an alternate CTO for ORT NGO Development Program and NDI Political party and Parliamentary program.

January 1995 to December 2002

Ministry of Justice Montenegro

Deputy Minister of Justice – Judiciary and Penitentiary Division

• In the above referenced period, Ms. Ratkovic was a Deputy Minister of Justice (two mandates) in charge of Judiciary and Penitentiary, where she was directly held accountable by the Minister of Justice and the GOM for: organization and proper functioning of the judiciary and penitentiary systems, comparative law analysis and managing of working groups for drafting laws and regulations pertaining to judiciary and penitentiary, human resource issues in Montenegrin judiciary, financing and budget development issues, development and realization of major reform goals in Montenegrin Judiciary (development of new laws, education, modernization and establishment of the new institutions.) She was also instrumental in planning and problem solving of the most important issues related to Judiciary with the highest representatives of Government, Judiciary and Parliament. She has established excellent cooperation with representatives of domestic and international organizations, institutions and foundations (Council Of Europe, OSCE, European Agency for Reconstruction, ABA/CEELI, Konrad Adenauer, Save the Children, UNICEF, SOS- victims of domestic violence).

November 1992 to January 1995

Ministry of Justice

Montenegro

Senior Advisor – Judiciary and Penitentiary Division

• Senior Adviser and Judiciary inspector, responsible to the Deputy Minister of Justice for enforcement of law by judiciary; working in WG for drafting legislation and by-laws; drafting financial plans for the Judiciary (investments, equipments, etc)

January 1989 to November 1992

Ministry of Justice

Montenegro

High Advisor – Judiciary and Penitentiary Division

• High Advisor responsible to the Deputy Minister of Justice for enforcement of law by judiciary; research and gathering of comparative laws and by-laws in the drafting stage; managing human resources in the judiciary, etc.

March 1982 to January 1989

Ministry of Justice

Montenegro

Intern and Advisor - Public Administration Division

• Advisor responsible to the Deputy Minister of Justice for enforcement of law and by-law bypublic administration.

March 1981 to March 1982

Radio and Television of the Republic of Montenegro (RTVCG)

Reporter on RTV CG

• Journalist in the Internal Affairs Department within RTVCG (in charge of reporting from

Parliamentary Assemblies and Judiciary)

EDUCATION

2003 –

The University of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

“Imprisonment and its alternatives”, on-going PhD degree work; Law faculty, Belgrade, Cathedra on Criminal Law

2002

Master’s degree in Criminal Law

1988

The Bar exam

October 1975- October 1979

The University of Montenegro, Law Faculty Podgorica, Montenegro

Bachelor, General law degree

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

February 2007- to present

Member of the National Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of the Action Plan for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime

March 2007- to present

SPAI Senior representative for the Republic of Montenegro

March 2007- to present

Head of the Montenegrin delegation in GRECO

September 2004 – to present

Founding member of the International Association for court administration

June 2000 – December 2002, Judicial Training Center, Montenegro

One of the founders and member of the Executive board JTC

CV Vesna Ratkovic 4

2001 – December 2002, Government of Montenegro

Republic of Montenegro Group for Association and Stabilisation with the EU

Member (Judiciary and Penitentiary issues) and coordinator for Democracy relations