Six families of displaced persons received keys to housing units in a social housing building in Bosanski Petrovac on 19 November.
The social housing building was constructed within a EUR 8.1 million worth project „Support to durable solutions of the Revised strategy for implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement“, which is funded by the European Union (in the amount of EUR 7 million through IPA 2012), co-funded by UNHCR for EUR 1.1 million and implemented by UNHCR in cooperation with seven additional project partners in ten priority municipalities.
The overall purpose of the project is to assist vulnerable displaced persons and refugees in BiH, including the women war victims, with finding solutions to social challenges that they are facing, through joint team work of local authorities, local community, civil society and project partners, together with the BiH Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees.
Acting Head of the Banja Luka office of the EU Delegation to BiH and EUSR, Mikko Vayrynen, said: „Today’s hand-over ceremony of newly constructed social housing building demonstrates that the financial support provided by the European Union brings real and tangible benefits, and has a positive impact on the lives of beneficiary. We are very satisfied when we see such concrete results of our assistance, as they show that the funds invested by the EU bring a clear value. While building houses is important, it is not enough to provide durable solutions to the displaced and other vulnerable people and sustainable return. Responsible authorities need to focus on sustainability measures such as creating livelihood possibilities, improving access to social assistance and resolving legal issues – which will eventually define the final results of such projects for their beneficiaries“.
Municipality Bosanski Petrovac has supported the project implementation by providing the land for the construction of the building, building permits and the revised project documentation.
Zlatko Hujić, Mayor of Bosanski Petrovac, stated at the handover ceremony that the implementation of the Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement was one of the most important tasks, since Bosanki Petrovac is an entirely returnee municipality. “Hilfswerk Austria did an excellent job in implementing this project, and the apartments had been handed over to the municipality of Bosanski Petrovac to administer. The financial support was provided by the EU and UNHCR, while the Bosanski Petrovac municipality provided building plot and all necessary permits.”
Andrew Mayne, UNHCR Regional Representative for South Eastern Europe and Representative for BiH, said: “This new social housing facility gives Bosanski Petrovac an improved capacity to help the most vulnerable IDP and returnee families displaced by the war that ended exactly 20 years ago tomorrow. Bosanski Petrovac is one of ten priority municipalities successfully participating in this renewed effort to implement the Annex VII Revised Strategy and finally enable the remaining needy families to achieve a solution“.
The social housing building in Bosanki Petrovac was constructed by Hilfswerk Austria International, which is tasked with implementing the housing and economic sustainability of the project. By the end of the project in 2016, a total of 105 housing units will be (re)constructed for the most vulnerable internally displaced people and returnees, including women victims of war, throughout the country.
Suzana Jašarević, Director of Hilfswerk Austria International for BiH, said: “Hilfswerk Austria International Team worked hard and in excellent partnership with Municipality Bosanski Petrovac and the UNHCR and managed to complete the construction of such a beautiful building with six housing units in such a short time in Bosanski Petrovac. Today we made six families happy by giving a home to them for fourteen persons who have been displaced for more than twenty years now and so far had no housing solution. Today we share their joy as they will spend this and all the winters to come in safety and warmth“.
Project partners in cooperation with the local authorities are identifying the needs of displaced persons and refugees with the aim of strengthening their social protection and inclusion, provision of health protection for the elderly, education for the children, providing free legal aid, psychological and social counselling and housing. The project started in 2014 and will be implemented until 2016 in Bosanski Petrovac, Gradiška, Prijedor, Derventa, Maglaj, Bijeljina, Brčko District, Živinice, Mostar and Foča.
Project implementation partners are: UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Hilfswerk Austria International (HWA), Bosnian Humanitarian Logistic Service (BHLS), Foundation of Local Democracy (FLD), and Vaša prava BiH Association (VP).
