Serbia

2013 UNHCR country operations profile - Serbia (and Kosovo: SC Res. 1244 (1999))

Working environment

The context

Serbia

Serbia is currently home to nearly 70,550 registered refugees from the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. Serbia also hosts some 210,000 IDPs from Kosovo, of whom some 97,000 are in need of assistance, according to an IDP needs assessment survey conducted by the Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and UNHCR in 2011.

In 2012, over 3,100 people expressed their intention to apply for asylum in Serbia. However, only 488 were registered by the asylum office, while many left for Western Europe without submitting the application or without completing the second step of registration due to some shortcomings in the asylum system and lack of resources at the asylum centre.

UNHCR also works to identify, prevent and reduce statelessness, in particular for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) minority communities. According to a 2010 UNHCR survey, some 30,000 people belonging to this group are at risk of statelessness.

Kosovo

UNHCR works with the authorities and other partners to support legal reform in the areas of asylum, civil status and civil registration; to prevent statelessness; and to develop a law and policy framework for returns and reintegration. Some 18,000 people remain displaced within Kosovo.

The first half of 2012 saw 24 new applications for asylum and UNHCR continues to support 52 refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina and from Croatia who fled during the 1991-1995 conflict, 43 refugees from The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and 26 mandate refugees from Iraq, Cameroon and Ethiopia.

Since 2010, forced returns from Western Europe have greatly outnumbered voluntary returns to Kosovo. This trend is likely to continue in 2013, raising major concerns about Kosovo's reintegration capacity as well as practical protection issues. UNHCR retains a Kosovo-wide return monitoring framework to measure the degree of reintegration of returnees and to make appropriate recommendations to relevant national and international actors. Assistance is also given to those at risk of statelessness due to the lack of civil documentation and birth certificates, a situation that particularly affects RAE communities.

The needs

Serbia

There is a strong need to bolster reception capacity for asylum-seekers in a permanent manner. It will be important to continue monitoring and building the capacity of both civil society and government officials working in the asylum system.

Some 2,540 people, including over 500 refugees and more than 2,000 IDPs, live in 24 collective centres. A large number of refugees and IDPs reside in substandard temporary housing or in illegal settlements lacking basic facilities. Alternative and durable housing solutions are necessary in order to improve the living conditions.

According to the findings of the 2011 IDP needs assessment, some 39 per cent of IDPs are unemployed, and 74 per cent live below the poverty line. Female heads of household constitute 31 per cent of the most vulnerable people. Some 80 per cent of IDP households have expressed a need for help in finding durable housing solutions. Only one in five IDPs has expressed a willingness to return to Kosovo; the rest wished to remain in their place of displacement.

Some 25 per cent of people of concern to UNHCR suffer from chronic diseases, and 8 per cent have disabilities.

Kosovo

In Kosovo, UNHCR is mandated under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) to supervise the "safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons to their home." The lack of civil documentation and property deeds, as well as insufficient housing and high unemployment, remain key issues affecting reintegration and the sustainability of return.

UNHCR will pursue a comprehensive durable-solutions strategy for the displaced in Kosovo to address their protection and reintegration needs, and will advocate for the inclusion of return and reintegration issues in national policies and development plans. The ultimate goal is to ensure that Kosovo's institutions take full responsibility for the return process, find ways to surmount obstacles to return and reintegration, and address the needs of people of concern, especially for the RAE minorities. There is also a need to raise the capacity of the authorities involved in refugee status determination (RSD).

Main objectives and targets for 2013

SERBIA

Favourable protection environment

Law and policy are developed and strengthened.

• Training sessions and seminars for the judiciary, officials of local government bodies and civil society help to promote compliance with protection standards.

Basic needs and essential services

Services for people with specific needs are strengthened.

• A total of 244 IDP families receive help to leave collective centres, reducing the number of collective-centre residents and increasing the percentage of households living in adequate conditions.

• Some 4,800 IDPs and 2,900 refugees benefit from psychological support, referral to state institutions and advocacy. Some 1,000 extremely vulnerable individuals receive one-time cash grants.

Durable solutions

Greater reduction of statelessness is achieved.

• Some 5,500 stateless people are assisted to acquire or confirm their nationality.

The potential for voluntary return is realized.

• Up to 500 people benefit from go-and-see and go-and-inform visits, as well as participation in municipal working groups.

Community empowerment and self-reliance

Self-reliance and livelihoods are improved.

• Some 740 IDPs receive self-reliance and livelihoods assistance.

KOSOVO (S/RES/1244 (1999))

Fair protection processes and documentation

The provision of civil-registration and civil-status documentation is strengthened.

• Some 500 children are registered and issued documentation under regular birth registration procedures, and 500 individuals are registered through late birth registration facilities.

The level of individual documentation is increased.

• Some 1,000 potential beneficiaries above 16 years of age in need of identity documents are able to obtain it through legal assistance.

Access to status-determination procedures is improved, and so is their quality.

• UNHCR attends 300 interviews with asylum-seekers and people of concern to ensure institutional compliance with RSD standards.

Reception conditions are improved.

• Some 100 interventions are made on behalf of people of concern with the police and local and regional institutions to ensure that access to asylum procedures is guaranteed.

Favourable protection environment

Law and policy are developed and strengthened.

• Some 20 legal policy documents are commented on by UNHCR in order to ensure they are consistent with international standards.

• Some 200 police/border officials and 50 lawyers benefit from workshops, training sessions, thematic meetings and study tours, increasing their capacity for RSD and understanding of international law and standards.

• Advocacy is conducted for the inclusion of people of concern in local, national and regional development plans.

Access to legal assistance and legal remedies is improved.

• Some 1,300 voluntary returnees, forced returnees belonging to minority groups and 500 IDPs benefit from legal services and improve their legal status.

Access to territory is improved and the risk of refoulement reduced.

• Daily monitoring at the airport and 100 monitoring visits to border crossing points guarantee adherence to international protection principles.

• Some 500 interviews are conducted with asylum-seekers and individuals of concern.

Durable solutions

The potential for integration is realized.

• Some 70 refugees from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia benefit from regularization of their legal status.

The potential for voluntary return is realized.

• Some 1,800 returnees and IDPs receive return packages.

Reintegration is made more sustainable.

• Reintegration monitoring is strengthened and an assessment of protection gaps is undertaken.

• A durable solutions strategy for displaced persons in Kosovo is pursued.

Security from violence and exploitation

The risk of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is reduced and the quality of the response to it is improved.

• At least 20 victims of SGBV are supported through gender- and age-sensitive legal assistance and interventions.

Strategy and activities in 2013

Serbia

UNHCR will help to bring the protracted displacement caused by the 1991-1995 conflicts to an end by working to make the regional housing programme a success. It will collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to incorporate refugees and IDPs in national plans. Advocacy for legislative changes and capacity building among the authorities in the areas of asylum and statelessness will be intensified.

Close cooperation with implementing partners will aim to help make their activities sustainable after UNHCR disengages from the country.

Kosovo

UNHCR will strengthen its protection of asylum-seekers, refugees, IDPs and returnees while phasing down material assistance to IDPs and returnees. It will improve the quality of RSD and help the authorities to implement durable solutions, mainly through local integration for refugees and IDPs and sustainable reintegration for returnees. Finally, UNHCR will continue to support voluntary returns and monitor the human rights situation of all minority returnees.

Constraints

Serbia

The political willingness of the authorities is crucial if the protracted refugee and IDP situations in the country are to be resolved, the asylum system is to be improved, and the rate of civil registration among those at risk of statelessness to be increased.

Kosovo

Lack of housing and the poor socio-economic situation are key constraints for return and reintegration in Kosovo. Inter-ethnic relations and governance also pose challenges.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

Serbia

UNHCR works in close coordination with the Serbian Commissioner for Refugees, the Ministries of the Interior and Social Affairs, municipal authorities and local centres for social welfare. Partnerships with the European Union, the UN Country Team, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and civil society are also important.

Kosovo

UNHCR coordinates activities with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the EU Office in Kosovo. It participates in the UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) and the implementation of the UNKT Common Development Plan. UNHCR also works closely with the Kosovo UN Planning Team, OSCE and IOM.

Financial information

The total comprehensive budget for 2013 for Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999)), amounts to USD 28.1 million, a reduction of some USD 7 million (17 per cent) from 2012.

The comprehensive budget for Serbia totals USD 19.25 million, of which 85 per cent is allocated for IDPs, 10 per cent for refugees and 5 per cent for stateless people.

The overall requirements in Kosovo are USD 9 million, of which 28 per cent is allocated for IDPs, 41 per cent for return and reintegration, 25 per cent for refugees and 7 per cent for people at risk of statelessness.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2013 Update

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