Signing of agreements: 14,371,287 euros for the construction of 438 homes

The Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, Semiha Borovac, will sign cooperation agreements tomorrow, January 26, with the mayors and chiefs of 19 cities and municipalities in our country for the implementation of the State Housing Project within the Regional Housing Program.

On behalf of the implementation units, the agreements will also be signed by the Minister of Displaced Persons and Refugees of the FBiH, Edin Ramić, the Minister for Refugees and Displaced Persons of the RS, Davor Čordaš, and Rifet Mujanović, Head of the Department for Refugees, Displaced Persons, and Housing Issues of Brčko District of BiH, it was announced from this ministry, reports the Patria News Agency.

The total value of the agreements is 14,371,287 euros, secured from the multi-donor Fund of the Regional Housing Program managed by the Council of Europe Development Bank, and these funds will be used to build 438 housing units for 338 internally displaced families and 100 refugee families from the Republic of Croatia in BiH.

The apartments will be owned by local communities, which will provide infrastructurally equipped land, as well as other contributions with an approximate value of 2 million euros.

The signing of these agreements will mark the beginning of the implementation of the third wave of sub-projects of the State Housing Project within the Regional Housing Program, which is being implemented in Brčko District of BiH and the following municipalities/cities of the Federation of BiH: Bosanski Petrovac, Foča in the Federation of BiH, Goražde, Ilidža, Jajce, Olovo, Pale-Prača, Tuzla, and Zenica, as well as in the Republika Srpska: Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Bileća, Bosanski Brod, Derventa, Foča, Bosanska Gradiška, Prijedor, and Vlasenica.

All of this would be impossible without the support of the international community, primarily the European Union, as the largest donor, and the United States of America. Other donors include Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Romania, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, and Hungary. Strong support for the program is provided by partner organizations of the international community: UNHCR, OSCE, and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

The Regional Housing Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Serbia, and Montenegro envisages housing solutions for almost 27,000 households of refugees and displaced persons in the four countries of the region, totaling approximately 74,000 beneficiaries. The total value of this Program is estimated at around 1.2 billion KM, of which Bosnia and Herzegovina accounts for about 200 million KM.

The program consists of four projects for each of the partner countries, and the goal of the State Housing Project in Bosnia and Herzegovina is to provide permanent and sustainable housing solutions through return and reintegration in pre-war places of residence or local integration in places of displacement for 5,400 families or 14,000 refugees and displaced persons.

During the planned five-year implementation period, the project will be carried out in waves, for which specific sub-projects are being prepared. Bosnia and Herzegovina has so far submitted applications for four sub-projects with a total value of around 80 million KM, within which housing will be provided for approximately 1,870 families.

In cooperation with local communities, these sub-projects are being implemented in more than 70 cities/municipalities across BiH. The delivery of construction materials and the construction of 20 facilities for local integration have been completed. Work has begun on the renovation and construction of 50 facilities for return, and tenders have been launched for the execution of works on 100 houses for the needs of refugees from the region returning to BiH, as well as tenders for the design of about 400 houses for the needs of displaced persons returning to BiH.

The construction of the facilities will begin in the spring of this year, so that by the end of 2016, it may be possible to plan the move-in of almost 1,000 families into their homes. It is expected that all facilities will be completed and beneficiaries will move in by the end of 2017, when the usability of IPA funds expires, according to the statement.