OSCE Mission in Kosovo calls for sustainable solutions for displaced persons in Strpce/Shterpce

PRISHTINE/PRISTINA, 8 April 2010 - Authorities need to begin providing sustainable solutions for displaced persons in the collective centres in Strpce/Shterpce municipality, concludes a report presented by OSCE Mission in Kosovo today.

The report warns of poor living conditions as well as economic and social challenges faced by the some 700 displaced Serbs from within Kosovo and Croatia who live in the five collective centres.

While welcoming a recent pledge by the authorities to fund a social housing complex accommodating more vulnerable families, including displaced families in the collective centres who want to integrate, the report urges the Kosovo institutions to prepare a long-term strategy to help those displaced to integrate locally, return to their place of origin, or settle elsewhere.

Moreover, the report asserts that in order for displaced persons to be fully informed of their options, they need a functioning forum where they can voice their concerns and seek solutions to their individual requests.

"Displaced persons need a common platform to promote their interests, while the authorities need to begin improving their living conditions. Until a permanent solution is found, those living in displacement should be offered more dignified conditions and the choice to better integrate, wherever they are," said Ambassador Werner Almhofer, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

"Strpce/Shterpce is a municipality with a great potential for economic development and tourism. Therefore quick steps to solve the challenges facing the displaced will help both the displaced persons and the municipality itself," he added.

The report offers recommendations to the authorities, the international community and return-focused organizations on prioritizing the needs of the displaced in order to improve their living conditions and assist those who wish to locally integrate.

In 2009, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, together with the UNHCR, established Displaced Persons Forums at the two larger collective centres in the municipality. The initial forums served as a useful platform for the displaced persons to raise public awareness about the problems they face on a daily basis.

The full report is available at www.osce.org/kosovo/documents.html