This week we had another meeting-filled schedule. We started off with another general meeting with the Resident Coordinator and then moved on to an assembly discussion on draft laws for poverty reduction.
UN General Meeting
Mr. Infante gathered us to hear from cluster leaders and other staff members about what current accomplishments or impediments the programs and operations departments are facing. For the most part there was good news on orchestrating projects and receiving results. However as with most organizations gaining approval from higher bodies within a country can be a very difficult and time-consuming task. This is particularly an issue when attempting to coordinate donors and when change of management within the many levels of cooperation can alter the support.
One important note, that I think is worth mentioning, is that organizations go into countries and make an initial assessment of priorities within the host country about how they will proceed. Mr. Infante made it very clear that such assessments need to be kept up to date so that they reflect the current status of the country. In addition, given that Serbia’s position on Kosovo is unlikely to change in the near future (see here), a strategy that will recognize both positions as they currently stand is crucial for future development.
National Assembly: Draft Legislation for Poverty Reduction
We were graciously invited to sit in the National Assembly on a meeting regarding Human Rights of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons and, in particular, regarding a draft law that deals with housing opportunities.
We were pleased to find that the Deputy Speaker of Parliament(Judita Popovic), the Head of UNHCR in Serbia(Lennart Kotsalainen), the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (Mr. Kalin) and the Head of the Political Section of the Delegation of the European Commission to Serbia (Thomas Gnocchi) were all on the panel. It was a tremendous honour to here them speak.
The assembly was structured in two parts. First there was a presentation of the current situation in Serbia. Second, there was discussion on the adequacy of the draft legislation and how it could be improved upon. During the initial description phase the magnitude of the refugee situation became very clear to me. Given the nearly 20 years of strife up to this point there are refugees from many of the surrounding countries that still do not have appropriate documentation or adequate housing. People were exiled, and continue to struggle a decade after the wars subsisted. These people live in limbo, some with status have a certain degree of rights and others live with no access to legal remedy. It was clear from the dialogue with the public representatives of various refugee associations that basic needs such as electricity and housing were still not met and that what the people really wanted was to finish the talks and implement the law. A similar situation can be depicted for the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and Roma population in Serbia. While there is legislation on social housing, the people do not perceive their needs as met in an adequate manner.
In the second half of the discussion 21 new articles were put forth with the intention of making housing or leasing more widely accessible. It was the expert on the panel that identified that the new laws for refugees must be complimentary with the current “social housing” legislation. The affects one may have on the other are an important consideration, especially given that refugees may claim that they have their own laws to abide by. Refugee representatives replied that laws should be as inclusive as possible, rather than making divisions between low and high –income refugee families. In addition, they expressed the need for help in acquiring their own housing, to empower them in sustaining their livelihoods and to adopt laws as soon as possible.
Bottom Line: Reintegration has been insufficient thus far. Laws need to be inclusive and speak to the actual needs of the people. Enough talk; laws may look good on paper, but they must be implemented as soon as possible.
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