Contracts with 9 cities on building 200 homes for refugees

Contracts with 9 cities on building 200 homes for refugees

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic, who attended the contract signing ceremony, underlined that Serbia is aware of the fact that the solution to such pressing issues requires both time and true commitment.

In order to end the refugee problem, the cooperation between the countries of origin and the countries of reception is crucial, as well as the readiness to seek just and sustainable solutions for all open issues, said Dacic.

’’These are the principles that guide Serbia in addressing the refugee issue’’, said Dacic, noting that the Sarajevo Process (on refugees and displaced persons), of which the Regional Housing Program is an integral part, was supported in Serbia from the very beginning.

"I am certain that Serbia's consistency has convinced the international community and the donors that it is a partner worthy of the trust and, even more importantly, of the hopes of families for which this program is intended,” said Dacic.

’’As the chair of the RHP National Steering Committee, I want to assure everyone that Serbia will continue to implement the program and seek housing solutions for nearly 17,000 families in Serbia’’, he added.

Dacic said that a joint effort aimed at providing the remainder of the required funds is to follow.

"At the donors' conference in Sarajevo, we raised a half of the EUR 584 million required for a full implementation of the program," he said.

The signing of the contracts on the first housing solutions for RHP beneficiaries was attended by the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport, Serbian Commissioner for Refugees and Migration Vladimir Cucic, US Ambassador Michael Kirby, Swiss Ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch, OSCE and UNHCR officials in Serbia.

Cucic thanked the donors on the grants they provided and expressed his belief that everyone will see that Serbia is able to put these funds to the best possible use.

The contracts were signed with the representatives of Sid, Sremska Mitrovica, Sabac, Krusevac, Prokuplje, Paracin, Kikinda, Bajina Basta and Vrsac.

The Regional Housing Program, worth over EUR 13 million, includes the construction of 200 apartments and 120 prefabricated homes, provision of 300 packages of building material and purchase of 250 rural households.