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UNHCR Global Appeal 2015 Update - South-Eastern Europe Subregional Overview

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| Overview |

Working environment The countries that comprise the western Balkans are still coping with the consequences of large-scale displacement caused by the conflicts in the region in the 1990s. In addition, persisting social and economic challenges continue to drive the movement of nationals within and from the region, primarily to the European Union.

The European Union-facilitated agreement between the authorities in Pristina and Belgrade on the principles for normalization of relations has made a major contribution to the stability of the region. Indeed, gradual political stabilization has transformed the western Balkans into a region of transit and, increasingly, a destination for migrants and refugees from other parts of the world.
There has been a significant increase in the number of asylum applications in the region.

Many asylum-seekers lodge asylum claims in one of the western Balkans countries.
However for a variety of reasons, including lengthy refugee status determination procedures and weak asylum regimes, many often move on before having their protection needs determined. Of particular concern is the growing number of unaccompanied and/or separated children travelling irregularly. Most countries in the subregion do not have solutions frameworks in place to address the needs of newly arriving refugees and other groups with specific needs from outside the region.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Montenegro and Serbia continue their efforts under the framework of the Regional Housing Programme to find sustainable housing solutions for some 74,000 vulnerable refugees, returnees and IDPs from the 1991-1995 conflicts. Funds for the programme were pledged at a donors’ conference in Sarajevo in April 2012.

More than 200,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), including some 80,000 members of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) minority groups, remain in need of durable solutions in the region. The Governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244(1999)) are also striving to develop and implement solutions for those vulnerable IDPs whose needs will not be covered by the Regional Housing Programme. UNHCR is focusing its technical assistance and support for the authorities on providing decent housing for the most vulnerable, many of whom live in collective centres and substandard private accommodation.

The lack of civil registration and documentation for some 20,000 stateless people or individuals of undetermined nationality hinders their access to rights and solutions in SouthEastern Europe. In October 2011, during the Conference on the provision of civil documentation and registration in South-Eastern Europe, UNHCR encouraged countries to accede to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. This conference, sponsored by the European Union, the OSCE and UNHCR set out the framework for national, bilateral and regional dialogue and practical cooperation to resolve the civil-registration and nationality-determination issues of people at risk of statelessness, many of whom belong to the Roma minority.