Response and implementation |
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, UNHCR is working in close partnership with local authorities, NGOs and international actors to achieve solutions for the remaining 84,500 IDPs and 47,000 minority returnees. For new arrivals, the organization is working with IOM and an intra-ministerial group under a regional initiative on asylum and migration, with the aim of strengthening reception conditions and refugee status determination procedures, and reducing the use of detention for asylum-seekers. UNHCR will continue to focus on preventing statelessness and providing legal aid to existing populations, including at least 1,500 Roma, who lack birth certificates or proof of citizenship.
UNHCR's work in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is primarily aimed at assisting the Government in building and maintaining high quality asylum procedures as mixed migration movements to the country increase. The country has seen a sharp rise in arrivals from outside the region seeking asylum. The Office will continue to advocate for durable solutions for around 900 people of mainly Ashkali, Egyptian and Roma origin, and will provide direct assistance to some of the most vulnerable. UNHCR will work with the authorities to resolve the situation of another 800 people who lack civil registration and documentation, and will continue to advocate for the country's accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and the establishment of a statelessness determination procedure.
As its European integration process progresses, national legislation and practice around Montenegro's new asylum system is being harmonized and UNHCR is offering assistance to the Government to strengthen its capacity to deal with mixed migration flows. Particular attention will be given to cross-border cooperation and prevention of refoulement. UNHCR aims to find durable solutions for the region's remaining group of people of concern. A public call for registration of people without citizenship, organized by the Ministry of the Interior and UNHCR, is scheduled for late 2014.
Serbia observed a sharp increase in asylum-seekers in 2014, with more than 5,000 new applications received by July. As these asylum-seekers arrive in mixed flows, UNHCR remains focused on safeguarding asylum space and helping to build the capacity of both national authorities and other stakeholders. The Office estimates that some 88,000 internally displaced people still need assistance and will work with the authorities on a comprehensive package of durable solutions. The Regional Housing Programme will provide permanent solutions for approximately 43,000 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Close cooperation and coordination of activities between UNHCR and the relevant Serbian authorities will continue to address the statelessness issues of the Roma population.
The priority in Kosovo (S/RES/1244(1999)) is to strengthen the national asylum system, primarily by building the authorities' capacity to manage mixed migratory flows efficiently. UNHCR is working with the Kosovo authorities on implementing durable solutions for around 17,000 IDPs and around 10,000 people willing to return to Kosovo from the region. The Office is implementing a return and reintegration project for Ashkali, Egyptians and Roma, and returnees from camps in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and will provide support to community-level reconciliation initiatives. Ensuring access to birth registration and civil documentation remains central to the Office's work.
| Financial information |
Between 2011 and 2015, the financial requirements for South-Eastern Europe have steadily declined from USD 76.2 million in 2011 to USD 46.7 million in 2015, due to the progressive downscaling of operations. In 2015, the financial requirements of USD 46.7 million are set slightly higher than the 2014 budget. This is partly due to UNHCR's additional activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina for IDPs, as part of responsible disengagement, and also to the creation of a Regional Office in Saraj