Statement of Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo on World Habitat Day

PRISHTINE/PRISTINA, 3 October 2010 - Ambassador Werner Almhofer, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, made the following statement ahead of the World Habitat Day:

"This year's World Habitat Day theme Better City, Better Life communicates the manner in which a better future is directly linked to the measures we take to improve our human settlements today. Adequate housing is a basic human right that belongs to everyone. However, adequate housing means more than a shelter; it includes access to basic necessities such as water, sanitation, healthcare, education, a clean environment and safe surroundings.

"Meeting these basic conditions requires not just resources and foresight but also a common commitment by all in Kosovo. Long term urban and spatial planning strategies must incorporate the housing right of non-Albanian communities, displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

"We witness Kosovo facing particular challenges in urban planning and management, for instance in controlling illegal construction, regularizing informal settlements and planning the landscape of the cities and towns. Therefore, I would like to call upon relevant authorities to reach out to the public and strengthen the public participation in the spatial planning process. Everyone should be given a chance to participate in deciding on how their cities and towns should look like in the future.

"Providing conditions, including adequate housing, for the sustainable return and reintegration of all displaced persons from Kosovo remains a challenge. A decade after the conflict, members of communities continue to live in camps, collective centres and containers under difficult circumstances. Their sustainable return and reintegration is essential to Kosovo's social, democratic and economic development.

"Aspirations for a better future are universal. In a democratic multi-ethnic society the future is constructed from the shared visions of the future and the responsibilities of all to make it happen. I would like to commend Kosovo institutions for their ongoing efforts to secure the housing rights of all residents, irrespective of their ethnic background, and reaffirm the commitment and readiness of the OSCE Mission to the continuation of Kosovo's development as a truly democratic and multiethnic society."

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October as annual World Habitat Day, which this year falls on 4 October. World Habitat Day's purpose is to call attention to the current global state of the human habitat and push toward adequate housing for all.