New homes secured for more than one hundred people

							                                    MINISTRIA PËR KOMUNITETE DHE KTHIM
                                   MINISTARSTVO ZA ZAJEDNICE I POVRATAK
                                   MINISTRY FOR COMMUNITIES AND RETURN


                                           PRESS RELEASE

         New homes secured for more than one hundred people

                                                                                  16 December, 2009



      Today, Parviz Fartash, Director of UNDP Kosovo together with the Deputy Minister of
      Communities and Return Ismet Hashani, Kjartan Björnsson, Head of Operations of the
      European Commission Liaison Office and deputy mayor of Istog/Istok Haki Rugova handed
      over the keys to 35 houses in Istog/Istok municipality to the minority returnee families.


      Foundation stones for the houses which were reconstructed or built in the area of Istog/Istok
      were put in July this year as part of the project Return and Reintegration in Kosovo. The
      project is a joint initiative of the Government of Kosovo, the European Commission Liaison
      Office and UNDP.


      Another 25 houses are currently under construction to support returnee families who wish to
      restart their lives in Istog/Istok. Construction works are also being carried out in
      Gjilan/Gnjilane, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, and Peja/Peć where 72 houses are almost
      completed.


      The project Return and Reintegration is being implemented in four municipalities:
      Gjilan/Gnjilane, Istog/Istok, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, and Peja/Peć. Its aim is to support
      sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons, with considerable
      involvement of the Ministry for Communities and Return and local municipal authorities.
      Altogether around 180 internally displaced and refugee families are expected to return to four
      selected municipalities. Up to date 83 houses have already been completed under the project
      and more people are expected to return before the end of the year.


      The project amounting €4.8 m was launched by the European Commission Liaison Office (EC
      contribution €3.3 m) and Ministry of Communities and Returns (MCR contribution €1.1 m) in
      autumn 2008. It is being implemented by UNDP, who also provides a co-funding of € 0.4 m.


      For photos from the event, click here


For more information, please contact:

EC Liaison Office:    Maja Pavlovic, maja.pavlovic@ec.europa.eu, 038 5131 253, 044 508 211
                      Fjolla Çeku, fjolla.ceku@ec.europa.eu, 038 5131 327

UNDP:         Jeton Rexha, jeton.rexha@undp.org, 038 225 651 ext.113
              Armend Muja, armend.muja@undp.org, 038 249 066 ext.152