News
8th RHP Steering Committee in Sarajevo highlights valuable regional cooperation
28 June 2016
Sarajevo - The 8th meeting of the Steering Committee of the Regional Housing Programme (RHP) and the 12th meeting of the RHP Fund Assembly of Donors took place on 28 June in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is the main implementing partner of the RHP.
Four years after the Donors’ conference which launched the RHP, all stakeholders gathered again in Sarajevo to take stock of what has been achieved and what remains to be done. Besides the CEB, the meeting attended representatives of RHP partner countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, RHP donors EU, U.S.A, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Norway and Turkey, as well as the UNHCR and the OSCE.
The stakeholders said that 2015 and 2016 had been crucial years, witnessing the delivery of hundreds of housing units to beneficiaries in all partner countries. Implementation works were ongoing throughout the four countries. Furthermore, the partner countries stressed that the RHP necessitated the full participation of all four countries to maintain the pace of implementation.
Ms Semiha Borovac, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated: “Four years after the Donors’ conference, the RHP Steering Committee meeting is again taking place in Sarajevo. I am very glad that this time around we can talk about results and meet with beneficiaries who have moved into their new homes. It is important to emphasise that the RHP is beneficial not only for displaced populations but also for the entire region, as it contributes to stability and fosters good neighbourly relations.”
Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative, Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark welcomed the efforts and commitment of all the parties of the RHP and said that a lot of work had been done, but the work was not finished. “Significant challenges remain to be addressed, including the selection of beneficiaries, providing durable housing solutions, and the lack of economic opportunity, which is one of the biggest obstacles for sustainable return,” Ambassador Wigemark said.
Mr Jérôme Hamilius, CEB Director of European Cooperation & Strategy, underlined: "Thanks to the combined efforts of all stakeholders, the RHP is making a difference. Housing solutions are delivered in increasing numbers, bringing a permanent improvement to the lives of thousands of vulnerable persons.”
On 29 June 2016, the RHP Steering Committee members visited the village of Novo Gorazde to hand over to six beneficiary families the keys of their reconstructed houses. In addition to Minister Borovac, the ceremony was also attended by the Minister for Refugees and Displaced Persons of Republika Srpska, Mr Davor Cordas, as well as the RHP’s main donors and other stakeholders.
Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (Aa1 with Moody's, outlook stable, AA+ with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable and AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.