UNHCR's 'rapid village assessment' in Kosovo

Briefing notes

UNHCR's 'rapid village assessment' in Kosovo

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

27 July 1999

UNHCR, with the help of numerous NGOs, is making an assessment of the housing situation in the roughly 1,500 villages in Kosovo damaged during the conflict. On 7 July, UNHCR released the "first cut" of this assessment, reflecting just 141 villages. Today results of the assessment of around one-third (or 456) of the villages are being released.

In these 456 villages, 54% of the houses suffered severe damage or complete destruction (nearly 40% fall in the "completely destroyed" category.) Severe damage or complete destruction was found to 32% of the villages' schools.