Belgrade, 2 September 2003

Cacak, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Nis, Pancevo, Stara Pazova, Valjevo, will be the 7 Municipalities to be included in the Formulation of the Programme ‘Settlement and Integration of Refugees in Serbia’.

This decision was taken by the Steering Committee of the Programme that was held today in Belgrade. Members of the Steering Committee are: the Ministry of Urban Development and Construction (Chair), Commissariate for Refugees, Ministries of: Social Affairs, Public Administration and Local Self-Government, International and Economic Relations and Ministry of Finance, selected Municipalities, UNHCR Belgrade, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office and UN-HABITAT Headquarters.

The Programme ‘Settlement and Integration of Refugees in Serbia’ is funded by the Government of Italy and it is worth 15 million euro. UN-HABITAT is the Implementing Agency of the Programme and National Counterpart is the Ministry of Urban Planning and Construction of Serbia.

The general objective of the Programme is to develop sustainable settlement and integration solutions for low-income refugees and other vulnerable households and simultaneously to build capacities at municipal and at central level for the replication and upscaling. Important goal is to put the Social Housing Sector nearer to the preconditions for European Union integration.

The SIRP Programme is actually in its ‘formulation’ phase. The project formulation document will be submitted for approval to both parties: the Government of Serbia and the Government of Italy, Donor of the Programme. It is expected to get the financial approval by the end of the year, so as to start the implementation phase in early 2004.