Wednesday the 1st of December 2010 – A Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed on the premises of the parliament building of the city of Belgrade in relation to the completion of a project which provisions for the construction of 20 housing units to be used as social housing in a supportive environment within the city of Belgrade. The Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed by H.E. the Ambassador Mr. Eduardo Arboleda, the representative of the UNHCR in the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Dragan Đilas, the major of the city of Belgrade, Mr. Vladimir Cucić, the Commissioner for Refugees, and Mrs. Snežana Stošković, the director of the city’s Centre for Social Employment.

Apart from the signatories of the Memorandum, the ceremony was also attended by Mr. Lee Leincerberger, the deputy to the Ambassador of the United States of America, Mr. Vladan Đukić, the city of Belgrade’s Secretary for Social Protection, Mr. Ivan Gerginov, Assistant to the Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs. Snežana and Mr. Vlade Divac, representatives of the fund, “Ana and Vlade Divac – HOD,” representatives of the U.S. Embassy and the representatives of the UNHCR.

The building in question which is comprised of a total of 20 housing units ranging in size from 22 to 55 meters squared, intends to resolve the housing concerns of refugee and internally displaced persons currently being housed within collective centres in the city of Belgrade. 

The Project is being financed in part through the resources of made available by the Government of the U.S. through the Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration and also through the financial contributions to the Project made on behalf of the UNHCR. The city of Belgrade is participating in the aforementioned Project through the donation of the land which is to be used for the building’s construction, along with the necessary, requisite infrastructure and infrastructural uplinks. The total investment value of the Project approximates to some 550,000 USD. The implementation of the Project is set to be undertaken by the UNHCR and the nongovernmental organization, “Housing Centre,” with the support of the humanitarian fund of, “Ana and Vlade Divac.”

The Project aims at providing support, in adherence to the National Strategy for the resolution of the housing concerns of refugee and internally displaced persons, to the efforts exerted by the Republic of Serbia and the Commissariat for Refugees in their efforts to resolve the housing concerns of refugee and internally displaced persons. 

By means of this project, housing solutions will be made available to the most vulnerable categories of persons who addition are also in need of assistance from the Centre for Social Employment.  The selected recipients of the housing units will have full rights to utilize the facilities bequeathed them for as long as they remain in state of social dependence. The host family, or more precicely the family of the concierge will live together with the beneficiaries and will fulfil the role of providing a point of contact between the inhabitants of the building and the city’s Centre for Social Employment, in order to ensure that any forms of assistance deemed as being necessary are made available if and when they are required.