Wednesday the 29th of December 2010 – The ceremonial opening of a building in Smederevo, constructed for the purpose of providing social housing in a supportive environment was conducted in the presence of Mr. Eduardo Arboleda, the chief representative of the UNHCR in Serbia, Mr. Thomas Gnocchi, chief of the political section of the Delegation of the European Union, Mr. Rasim Ljajić, the minister of Labour and Social Policy, Mrs. Svetlana Velimirović, the deputy to the Commissioner for Refugees and Mr. Predrag Umičević the major of the city of Smederevo. 

16 families of refugee and internally displaced persons who were formerly housed inside of the Collective Centre of “ORA” – Radinac and 4 socially vulnerable families from the territory of the city of Smederevo were ceremonially presented with the keys to their new lodgings.

The construction of the aforementioned housing units represents one of the components of the project, “Support to Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons in the Republic of Serbia.” A project financed on behalf of the European Union by means of the IPA 2007 funds and being implemented through the efforts of the UNHCR in cooperation with the Housing Centre.

The investment value of the construction of the housing units amounts to 387,000 euros. The city of Smederevo participated in this project through the donation of the build site, equipped with all of the necessary infrastructure and enabling the connection of this infrastructure to the existing, local grid.