Joint initiative by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia, Montenegro and Republic of Serbia
Over the period of 12 years, close to 36, 000 vulnerable persons had been provided with access to decent housing in the four Partner Countries, helping more than 11,300 families. By adopting a needs-based approach, targeted at most-vulnerable refugees and displaced persons, the Programme brought concrete assistance – in the form of secure homes – to those who needed it most. The overall technical assistance project value is € 23,001,347.95.
The RHP was spearheaded by the four countries which – in addition to part-financing the country housing projects – were responsible for the full implementation cycle. They were supported in this process by three international organisations – while the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) accompanied the Partner Countries in the implementation of housing projects, coordinated RHP activities, managed donor funds and provided capacity building, UNHCR and the OSCE monitored beneficiary selection and sustainability aspects.
The sustainability aspects of the Regional Housing Programme comprise a diverse array of factors crucial for ensuring the sustained viability and prosperity of housing solutions. These include considerations such as environmental impact, social integration, economic sustainability, community engagement, and the capacity of local institutions to effectively manage and uphold the infrastructure and services delivered.
The overall objective of the project was to comprehensively contribute towards completion of the protracted displacement situation in PCs by providing durable and sustainable housing solutions with full respect for the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons and the mutual obligation to closely cooperate and synchronize activities in order to ensure durable solutions for them, either through voluntary return and reintegration or local integration.
EPTISA, as the leader of consortium would like to thank for support and cooperation over the past years to its consortium members – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and DRC – Danish Refugee Council. Moreover, we express our gratitude for support which has been instrumental in making our shared vision a reality to the following institutions: CEB, UNHCR, OSCE, the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing Care in the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in Montenegro and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia, and all Project Implementation Units (PIUs) in Partner Countries.
Through its focus on the most-vulnerable, regardless of origin, in addition to regular meetings and knowledge-sharing, the RHP has fostered good neighbourly relations and the re-establishment of professional relationships, thus contributing to the security, stability and prosperity of the entire region.
For more information on the project, please visit https://regionalhousingprogramme.org