Actualités
RHP Fund publishes 2016 annual report
31 mai 2017
Paris - The Regional Housing Programme (RHP) Fund, managed by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), has just published its annual report for 2016, which saw a record number of homes delivered to vulnerable families.
In 2016 the RHP made remarkable progress: three thousand persons, or one thousand families, were provided with a new home in the four partner countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia). This represents a four-fold increase in RHP beneficiaries compared with the previous year.
The 2016 annual report contains details of the progress made during the year. All four partner countries continued to successfully implement the programme, while donors demonstrated their support for the RHP by committing additional funds. In December 2016, the European Union pledged to raise its contribution to EUR 233 million, while Germany increased its funding to EUR 6 million. These new funds will make possible the delivery of several thousands of new homes by end-2020.
The RHP's benefits are far-reaching: by tackling the housing situation of thousands of persons who became displaced during the wars in the former Yugoslavia, the programme fosters reconciliation between communities and countries.
Commenting on the publication of the 2016 RHP Fund annual report, CEB Governor Rolf Wenzel said: “2016 was a milestone year for the RHP and its annual report demonstrates that. Providing vulnerable populations with access to decent housing is hugely important in itself. More than that, the RHP can serve as a blueprint for other integration initiatives in Europe at a time when migrants and refugees are arriving in large numbers.”
Fondée en 1956, la CEB (Banque de Développement du Conseil de l'Europe) compte 41 États membres, dont 22 pays d'Europe centrale, orientale et du Sud-Est formant les pays cibles de la Banque. En tant qu'instrument majeur de la politique de solidarité en Europe, la Banque finance des projets sociaux en mettant à leur disposition des ressources levées dans des conditions reflétant la qualité de sa notation (Aa1 auprès de Moody's, perspective stable, AA+ auprès de Standard & Poor's, perspective stable et AA+ auprès de Fitch Ratings, perspective stable). Elle accorde des prêts à ses États membres, à des établissements financiers et à des autorités locales pour le financement de projets dans le secteur social, conformément à son Statut.