Two family pavilions that can accommodate 530 refugees, a children’s corner, two consulting rooms for medical cases, and a laundry room were opened inside the tobacco factory of the Preševo Reception Centre on 16 February. Rehabilitation of the factory started in November 2015, with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
“Despite rough seas and harsh winter, smaller number of refugees continue to arrive in Europe and we are pleased to see that as a result of our joint effort refugees are received in Serbia in a humane and effective manner, and provided with warm temporary accommodation and immediate assistance,” says Francesca Bonelli, UNHCR Senior Field Coordinator in Serbia. “The Government of Serbia has been engaged consistently and positively in protecting and assisting refugees, and we are committed to continue supporting the government in this.”
To increase the capacity of the Reception Centre and provide temporary accommodation to more than 800 asylum seekers in total, UNHCR will now start a third phase of renovation of the factory. It will cover an area of approximately 2000sqm and provide temporary accommodation for 350 persons and a reception area with utilities and supporting facilities for 300 persons. The rehabilitation works, supported by UNHCR with 82 million dinars, will be carried out by the Danish Refugee Council.
For the Ministry of Interior of Serbia, UNHCR also funded the construction of a container complex in Cakanovci village. The complex of 28 containers of accommodation and sanitary facilities will improve working and living conditions of the police involved in protecting refugees on the border with Macedonia and in the Reception Centre of Preševo..
Together with eight finger printing machines, 13 personal computers, two X-ray inspection systems, two multi zone metal detectors, office furniture and supplies, already provided to increase security and registration, UNHCR’s support to the Ministry now reached close to 50 million dinars of value.
Since June 2015, over 900,000 refugees and migrants have benefitted from UNHCR’s strategic support to the Government of Serbia to secure emergency shelter, security, registration and documentation, hygiene and sanitary services, food and other basic assistance. UNHCR provides medical teams, supplies, and medicines as well as referral to public health services to asylum seekers and refugees in Preševo, Miratovac, Dimitrovgrad, Sid, Belgrade and Krnjaca.
A network of governmental and non-governmental partners of UNHCR continues to promptly address protection and humanitarian needs of refugees day and night throughout the country as they arise.
UNHCR opened its office in Belgrade in 1976. Since 1992 the UN Refugee Agency has assisted Serbia’s protection and integration of refugees, internally displaced and stateless people with over 500 million Euros.
Tijana Rečević, UNHCR Serbia Public Information Assistant
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