Thursday 28th of October 2010 – Mr. Ivan Gerginov, the Assistant to the Commissioner for Refugees dealing with the reception, accommodation, return and integration, Mr. Novica Tončev, the president of the municipality of Surdulica and Mr. Ivan Marin, the representative of the German non governmental organization ASB in Serbia, attended the ceremonial opening of a building intended for use as social housing in protected conditions and reserved for use by refugees and internally displaced persons located on the territory of the municipality of Surdulica.

The aforementioned building comprises 8 housing units which have been constructed in an effort to provide solutions for the housing concerns of 6 families of refugee and internally displaced persons and 2 socially vulnerable families from the territory of the municipality of Surdulica.

The construction of these housing units represents one of the components of the project, “Support for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Republic of Serbia,” which is being financed on behalf of the European Union by means of the IPA 2007 funds, and is being implemented through the German, non governmental, humanitarian organization ASB in cooperation with the Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia and the municipality of Surdulica.

The Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia has, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, in conjunction with the National Strategy for resolving the concerns of refugee and internally displaced persons, created the program of social housing in protected conditions for use by the most vulnerable categories of its dependants.

The total investment value of the project amounts to 140,000.00 euros. The municipality of Surdulica has provided the land, associated infrastructure and has actively participated in the implementation of the project’s activities.