Age, Gender, and Diversity Mainstreaming
AGDM Participatory Assessment
March 2008
Introduction:
First AGDM Participatory Assessment in 2008 took place during March. The aim of the exercise was to assess the situation and the needs of the UNHCR population of concern accommodated in the unofficial settlements, previously known as Unrecognized Collective Centres.
There are 22such Settlements in Belgrade AOR, with 1480 persons accommodated (508 refugees and 972 IDPs), and 11 settlements in Kraljevo AOR,with 273 persons accommodated (60 refugees and 213 IDPs).
The following has been done:
Belgrade AOR 7 teams interviewed 66 persons (54 refugees and 12 IDPs) in the following municipalities: Zrenjanin, Cukarica, Palilula, Pecinci, Pancevo, Rakovica and Barajevo.
Kraljevo AOR 4 teams interviewed 56 persons (18 refugees and 38 IDPs) in the following municipalities: Kraljevo, Soko Banja, Krusevac, Jagodina and Arilje.
At the time of the visit to the settlements, majority of the residents, refugees and IDPs were out of the premises, being engaged in some of the available seasonal jobs.
PA had no specific theme to cover, but gave the opportunity to refugees and IDPs to identify the most burning issues in their present accommodation as well as in their present and future aspects in improving their life conditions.
During the assessment, 122 persons were interviewed, including 72 refugees and 50 IDPs.
Themes covered by the PA were: Housing, Employment, Material hardship, Documentation, and Return/Property issues in Kosovo.
The most common protection risks expressed by both communities were:
- Lack of access to adequate housing (86%)
- Lack of job and income generating opportunities (21%)
- Lack of documentation (16%)
- Material hardship (8%)
Lack of access to adequate housing has been identified as the most pressing need among the unofficial settlements’ residents. An urgent need and appeal to be involved in the projects for durable solution available with agencies and NGOs has been expressed, although they have been repeatedly informed that these settlements had not been recognized as collective centres by the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees, and therefore they have not been eligible to apply for any of the available programs targeting refugee and IDP population in collective accommodation/centres.
Solutions proposed by the POC:
- Urgent inclusion of residents of unofficial settlements into housing programs available for official CC residents
- Advocate with NGOs, agencies and the government institutionsto include them in other programmes, like provision of building materials.
- Involve the municipalities in finding housing solutions.
Follow up
- A meeting was held with “HELP”, a German NGO which has been implementing housing project in Kraljevo, targeting IDP accommodated in official CCs in Mataruska Banja and EVIs from private accommodation. The project is done in close cooperation with SCR. It has been recommended to HELP to reconsider the possibility to include IDP families accommodated in one of the worst unofficial accommodation CC “Vitanovac” in Kraljevo.HELP has promised to advocate with the SCR to review the request of IDPs and UNHCR, and include the residents of this settlement in the selection process. At the meeting held on Wednesday 23 April 2008, in FO Kraljevo Office, Ms Joanna Melinska, Deputy Country Director with HELP mission in Serbia, briefed that the letter had been sent to SCR and recommended that CC “Vitanovac” residents be included in the selection process.The case will be further followed up and reported accordingly.
Lack of job and income generating opportunities was expressed by21% of total interviewed persons and mostly by refugees. Some have been engaged in the seasonal job opportunities and/or receive the minimum salaries. Remoteness of some of the settlements was also mentioned as an obstacle to access the available jobs.
Lack of Documentation as a protection risk was expressed by 16% of the interviewed persons and only by refugee populationinterviewed during the PA. The most problematic is lack of documentation relevant for employment, or of the documentation necessary to request the assistance from the local social welfare centres.
Material hardship has been identified by 8% of the interviewed persons, mainly elderly, and mostly connected to inability to buy clothes and medicines.
UNHCR Belgrade
April 2008