UNMIK/PR/1636 - UNMIK Countdown #10
PRISTINA – More than 16,100 displaced persons of ethnic minority communities have gradually returned since 1999 to villages and towns within Kosovo, either spontaneously or facilitated by UNMIK, UNHCR and other international and local institutions. More than 44 percent of the returnees are Kosovo Serbs. However, over 220,000 displaced minorities are still living in Serbia and Montenegro, many of them waiting to return to Kosovo.
In close cooperation between UNMIK’s Office of Communities, Returns and Minority Affairs (OCRM), UNDP and PISG, return projects in 47 locations all over Kosovo have been completed, involving expenditure of over € 40 million from the Kosovo budget, besides donors’ money. Apart from Kosovo Serbs, beneficiaries of these projects have been from the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Bosniak as well as Albanian communities.
Building on the existing mechanism for returns, recently UNMIK facilitated the creation of a comprehensive policy framework for voluntary returns, which put Kosovo institutions and the displaced persons at the centre of the returns process. An updated returns policy was promulgated by the Government of Kosovo in May 2006, followed by the signing of a protocol of cooperation on returns between Pristina and Belgrade in June and subsequent revision of the Manual for Sustainable Return. These significantly transformed the returns landscape in Kosovo, recognizing the Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) right to a free and informed choice of residence and providing greater prospects for assistance.
Municipalities are now demonstrating the capacity to directly implement components of returns projects, making them more sustainable and less expensive. IDP’s have been participating in these efforts together with UNMIK, UNHCR and municipal officials.
In line with the policy of transferring competencies to local institutions, last year UNMIK transferred the chair and operations of the Central Review Mechanism (CRM) as well as the Communities Outreach and Communication Group (COCG) to the Government of Kosovo. CRM reviews voluntary return projects and other initiatives endorsed by the municipalities, whereas COCG coordinates the outreach and communication strategy on returns related issues. Full operational and financial competency to provide humanitarian transportation for minority communities was also handed over to the Government.
Note to Editors: With UNMIK in its final phase before status resolution, the Division of Public Information senses an increasing historical focus by local and international media on Kosovo. Therefore, in this special series of weekly press releases we offer news and information about the UN Mission in Kosovo during the past seven years. The press releases seek to provide useful information about UNMIK, including quotes from officials as well as photos and web links.
