On Thursday the 27th of May 2010, on the premises of the Municipality Kovin, representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, the Danish Refugee Council, Municipality of Kovin and the Center for Social Work Kovin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, regarding the construction of housing units intended for social housing in protected conditions within the project, “Support to refugees and internally displaced persons in Serbia.”

The formal signing ceremony of the Memorandum was attended by: Mr. Slavko Brankovic, the mayor of Kovin, Mr. Milco Milutin, Director of the Centre for Social Welfare Municipal Kovin, Marina Kremonese, representative of the Danish Refugee Council in the RS and Ljiljana Rakic, representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees.

The project is being funded by the EU through the EU Delegation in Serbia, by means of pre-accession assistance for 2008 (IPA 2008). The said project worth 4.2 million euros in 2010 and 2011 will provide for the housing requirements and the economic empowerment of 750 refugees and internally displaced persons.

The Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, as well as user Institutions of the  Project, in cooperation with the Delegation of the EU and executive partners focused the  mentioned funds to municipalities and cities in Serbia that are particularly affected by prolonged exile and displacement.

Since the municipality Kovin is home to approximately 1,000 refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as a number of former refugees in need, it is determined that there exists a need for 15 housing units intended for social housing in protected conditions to be built on the territory of the aforementioned city.  The anticipated investment value of the facility is 270,000 euros.

Users of the housing units will be chosen on the basis of merit, evaluated against a set of predetermined criteria developed by the representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, Centre for Social Welfare, UHCR and the Danish Refugee Council Serbia.

Ljiljana Rakic, on behalf of the Commissariat for Refugees, thanked the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, on the support they extended in providing durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons and meeting the prerequisites for joining the EU.

“The involvement of local governments in addressing the problems of refugees and internally displaced persons is very important,” said Ljiljana Rakic and added that the budget of the RS, during the past year, allocated funds in the amount of 2.2 million euros intended to support local action plans of municipalities and cities.  “The Commissariat for Refugees will continue to support municipalities and cities that through the adoption of action and strategic documents, establishing the Council for migration and permanent solutions and creating budget lines, are actively involved in the process of refugee integration and improvement  of living conditions of internally displaced persons,” stressed Ljiljana Rakic.