Bosnia-Herzegovina - DHA-08: 18-30 August 1996
Bosnia-Herzegovina - DHA-08: 18-30 August 1996
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Humanitarian Situation
Report No. 8, 9 September 1996
Covering the Period 18-30 August 1996
GENERAL HUMANITARIAN SITUATION
1. While the attention of the international community
has turned to the upcoming elections, the UN humanitarian
organisations and their partners have continued to focus
their efforts on delivery of assistance, continued
rehabilitation work and support for displaced, refugees and
vulnerable population groups. UNHCR has expressed its
concern that if the municipal elections, which have been
postponed, are delayed until the spring of 1997, the
large-scale return of refugees and displaced persons could
be put off for another year. UN Agencies will lend support
to the elections on 14 September through provision of
vehicles and personnel for monitoring. UNHCR will suspend
its bus services across the IEBL from 11-17 September, and
make its buses available to the OSCE for transport of
voters across the IEBL on election day.
2. UNHCR has noted that returns to majority areas --
that is, where the returnees are a part of the majority
ethnic group -- have apparently increased during the
summer. UNHCR field offices have provided rough estimates
of returns by region, which indicate that the total number
of returnees is likely to be somewhere between about
220,000 to 245,000. These are only best guesses at this
time as there is not yet a central registry for returnees
and the fact that most of the returns thus far have been
spontaneous, unorganised movements.
3. UNHCR has noted that the recent agreement signed by
the FRY and Croatia on mutual recognition on 23 August in
Belgrade, removes at least one roadblock to the potential
return of up to 200,000 refugees in FRY who fled their
homes in the Krajina in August of 1995. Croatia had
established such recognition as a pre-condition to
consideration of returns of Serbs to their homes in that
region.
4. Although general distribution of food assistance
(provided to about 70 percent of the population) and
non-food assistance has continued through the summer, there
are increasing efforts being made target assistance to the
most vulnerable groups. Throughout the summer, WFP has
reported that approximately 70 percent of targeted food
assistance was provided countrywide. Some delays in
shipments earlier in the summer and the lack of certain
items in the food basket prevented full coverage of the
target.
TARGET AREAS FOR RETURNS AND REHABILITATION ASSISTANCE
5. Efforts were continued to solicit donor and UN
agency support to the identified Target Return Areas (TRA).
Two meetings were held in Geneva on 26 August, where the
DHA Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer from Sarajevo,
provided a detailed briefing to donors and the UN agency
representatives on the status of the TRA approach. In this
meeting it was noted that approximately USD 50-60 million
has been channeled (or programmed) to activities in the
target areas since the approach was initiated in June.
It was reiterated that the effort was an attempt to create
conditions for return of displaced and refugees to their
own homes. In these target areas it is destruction or
damage to their homes and the infrastructure in their
former home villages and towns and not political or
security concerns that impede their return. It was also
emphasised that although provision of adequate shelter and
basic infrastructure are primary concern for returns to
take place, creation of opportunities for employment and
income generation and repair and start up of local schools
is critical for people to permanently return. A record of
the Geneva meetings is being circulated to participants and
is available from DHA, Geneva).
6. Related to the Target Return Area approach, the
UNHCR Mostar Office held an inter-agency meeting on 19
August to solicit support to the approach in that region.
The EU is programming a pilot project for return of
refugees from Europe in the Bihac region. Several of the
areas for potential returns are the same as those
identified by UNHCR. UNHCR, though not directly involved,
will assist the EU and local authorities as much as
possible in development of the pilot project, which will be
administered by ECHO. In addition, UNHCR with a new
contribution from the EU will provide shelter assistance to
two of the target areas in Una Sana Canton (Bosanska Krupa
and Kljuc), as well as in two other municipalities in the
Canton.
7. Major donors who have programmed funding for
programmes and projects in the target areas since June
include the World Bank, the EU, USA, Italy and Austria. In
addition, USAID-DART, UNHCR, Denmark , Norway, Sweden and
other donors had a number of projects underway or
programmed for several of the target areas before the
initiative was launched. Much of the rehabilitation work is
being coordinated through the IMG in these areas. IMG and
UNHCR are presently compiling detailed information on all
completed, ongoing and programmed activities in the target
areas. A report will be prepared by early October on the
overall status of activities and on their on returns to the
target areas.
Other Humanitarian Activities and Planning
8. WFP reports that the incident of 8 August, where its
Banja Luka office was ransacked (reported in the last
information report), did not interrupt its operations or
the shipment and delivery of food in the Banja Luka area
during August. International staff are back in the office,
which is fully operational. Customs problems at the FRY
border with Republika Srpska in August, related to
transport of a major WFP food shipment, was resolved. WFP,
in close consultation with UNHCR, is developing a strategy
for food assistance for the remainder of the year and for
1997. Revised roles and responsibilities of both
organisations related to food assistance have been agreed
to in principle.
9. UNHCR is initiating the Bosnia Women s Initiative
(BWI) to target assistance directly to women and women s
organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to promote income
generation, self-sufficiency, higher status and to provide
training and higher education among women. The programme is
funded by a special USD 5 million grant announced by the
Office of the US President.
10. Initial inputs for the Inter-Agency Implementation
Report for Humanitarian Assistance have been received from
several agencies. The remainder of inputs are expected by
next week. The draft report should be completed in Sarajevo
prior to 14 September.
11. An inter-agency meeting is scheduled to take place
in Sarajevo on 23 and 24 September to discuss the next UN
Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for 1997. Discussion will
centre around the time frame for the Appeal, strategies for
assistance in 1997, linkages with the development and
reconstruction organisations and other aspects of the
Appeal.
Meetings
12. During the period, DHA met with the Deputy Director
for Operations of WFP, to discuss their programme and plans
for the remainder of the year. DHA met again with the Head
of MAC, jointly with the SRSG and Deputy SRSG, where the
draft plan for the MAC was discussed. The Special Envoy and
the DHA Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer also met with
the German Ambassador. We discussed the problems related to
the return of refugees from Germany and the potential for
such returns to areas such as Bihac. The Senior
Humanitarian Affairs Officer attended the Employment and
Training Task Force meeting (chaired by ILO) and a meeting
of the Mines Clearance Policy Group. The DHA Senior
Humanitarian Affairs Officer continues to attend the senior
staff meetings of UNHCR (daily) and the weekly senior staff
meeting of the UNMIBH (chaired by the SRSG).
13. The DHA Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer met with
both the UNHCR Special Envoy and the SRSG and his deputy
to discuss current tasks and activities and plans for the
coming month. The Special Envoy expressed his view that
continued emphasis needed to be placed on coordination of
activities related to the Targeted Return Areas and
maintenance of close links with the organisations
responsible for reconstruction and rehabilitation
assistance. They also discussed the upcoming meeting with
UN Agencies concerning the next Appeal. During the
meeting with the SRSG and his Deputy, procedures for
their regular briefing on humanitarian activities we
agreed.
UPDATED TARGET AREAS OF ASSISTANCE FOR RETURNS
28 AUGUST 1996
AreaPriority No. of No. of
Estimated
Number Areas Houses tobeneficiaries Costs
Be repairedUSD
Million(a)
Republika
Srpska
1Sipovo
2Ribnic
Anvil Area
Total6,500 32,500
32.50
3Bratunac103 412 1.24
(Kravica)000
Federation
of BiH 000
4 Travnik 1,6808,888
16.8
5 Maglaj 3,42815,001
17.14
6 Tesanj574 1,820
2.87
7Sarajevo and
Suburbs11,000 55,000 45.55
8 Kupres550 2,750
6.60
9Livno 100500
.50
10Glamoc1202,500
.6
11Konjic9103,022
4.14
12 Mostar East4404,400
3.52
13 Jablanica-
Prozor 60300 .66
14 Kljuc (Humica,
Sanica)1,052 5,275
4.92
15 Bihac(Kulen
Vakuf,Ripac)752 3,760
4.60
16 Bosanska Krupa
(Otoka, other
villages)7,020 35,100
20.60
17 Celic 2041,000
2.72
18 Kalesija
(Seljeble) 114 675
1.52
29Teocak5762,304
7.67
20Zvornik-Sapna4881,800
6.51
21Gorazde 5002,300
5.00
22Odzak1,0005,000
8.00
TOTALS 37,171 184,307193.66
(a) Costs in this table are only for shelter and do not
include other infrastructure and are preliminary
estimates only. The areas are also subject to change and
are contingent, among other factors, to the continued
cooperation by local authorities. Lopare, which was on
the previous list has been removed as it has now been
placed on a list of non-cooperative municipalities.
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DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - SARAJEVO
Mr. Paul Hebert
Tel.: (387 71)48 31 05
Fax:(387 71)44 78 68
COMPLEX EMERGENCY DIVISION (CED) - NEW YORK
Mr. Rashid Khalikov
Tel.: (1 212) 963.9682
Fax: (1 212) 963.3630
INTER-AGENCY SUPPORT BRANCH (IASB) - GENEVA
Mr. Arjun Katoch
Ms. Katarina Toll
Tel.:(41 22) 788.6381
Fax:(41 22) 788.6386
PRESS TO CONTACT (DHA-GENEVA)
Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo
Tel.:(41 22) 917.2856
Fax: (41 22) 917.0023
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
E-Mail: dhagva at dha.unicc.org