News
Regional Housing Programme Steering Committee, Fund Assembly of Donors meet in Paris
01 December 2016
PARIS - The 9th meeting of the RHP Steering Committee and the 13th meeting of the RHP Fund Assembly of Donors were held today in the headquarters of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) in Paris.
The RHP Assembly of Donors approved three new grants: two for Montenegro (€ 0.9 million and € 1.4 million) and one for Serbia (€ 9.2 million). In addition, the donors approved Bosnia and Herzegovina’s request for an increase of the budget and number of units to be provided through two previously approved housing projects worth € 2.5 million. Overall, the grants approved today will finance a further 650 housing units to beneficiaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.
The European Union, represented by the European Commission, the RHP’s biggest donor, announced its intention to commit fully the amount initially pledged to the RHP. The new funds should allow the financing of up to 3 000 additional housing units by 2021.
Germany, through its representative at the Assembly of Donors and co-Chair for 2016, announced that it was committing an additional € 1 million to the RHP Fund by the end of 2016.
RHP stakeholders agreed that the implementation of the programme, now in its fourth year, had seen significant progress. By the end of 2016, about 1 000 housing units will have been delivered, while in 2017 this figure is expected to quadruple. In 2018, a total of 7 300 housing units are expected to be delivered for the benefit of more than 21 000 vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons. The RHP donors urged partner countries to maintain this pace and focus on increasing the sustainability aspects of the housing delivered.
The partner countries underlined that the RHP provided a platform for constructive dialogue, enhanced regional cooperation at the political and operational level, and made a significant contribution to the reconciliation process.
The donors encouraged the partner countries to enhance coordination and the exchange of information and lessons learnt with a view to facilitating cooperation in areas of common interest, such as cross-border beneficiary verification.
CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel said: “After four years of continuously improved cooperation and performance, the partner countries deserve due recognition for their efforts to provide sustainable housing solutions to thousands of vulnerable persons. The CEB will continue to provide substantive support to the countries in order to ensure a steady pace of deliveries and contribute to the improved quality of the housing projects. The Bank warmly welcomes the announcement by the European Commission representative about committing the full funds to the programme as pledged.”
Morten Jung, Head of Unit for Western Balkans, Regional Cooperation and Programmes at the European Commission, complimented RHP stakeholders on the good performance of the programme and said that the European Commission supported a sustainable response to the protracted refugee situation in the Western Balkans.
Nancy Izzo Jackson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the United States, in a message read by her representative Sam Healy, renewed the commitment of the United States to the RHP and thanked the stakeholders for the impressive results.
Key RHP figures (as at 1 December 2016):
Pledged to the RHP: € 269 million
Committed to the RHP Fund: € 160 million
Paid into the RHP Fund: € 123 million
Grants approved: € 155 million
Grants disbursed: € 52 million
RHP info desk: Secretariat of the Regional Housing Programme ceb-rhp[at]coebank.org
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.