Normal lives for Bosnia-Herzegovina’s displaced must not be delayed by politics, says UN Representative

17 November 2009

 

“Bosnia’s internally displaced need durable solutions to rebuild their lives. However, the present political disputes endanger the progress needed to address their humanitarian needs and to remove an important obstacle to a lasting peace,” said Walter Kaelin, Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on his return from a visit to Sarajevo. “The country’s IDPs have been living in displacement for more than a decade and, thus, continue to suffer from the consequences of atrocities committed during the war,” he added.

 

In talks with the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Zeljko Komsic, the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees, Mr. Safet Halilovic and the State Commission for Refugees and Displaced Persons, Kaelin advocated the speedy adoption of the revised Strategy for the Implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which sets out a range of measures to assist the displaced. “The revised Strategy is a solid blueprint for action. It deals with all relevant elements that need to be in place to find durable solutions for the displaced, addressing housing and property issues as well as issues of security, livelihoods, health and education, non-discrimination and reconciliation. The document reaffirms that return is the preferred solution, while also providing space for local integration, especially of the most vulnerable.” In June 2009, certain political parties blocked the adoption of the Strategy in the upper house of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kaelin said. The strategy is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees.

 

Until the revised Strategy is adopted, the authorities should continue to work on the basis of existing agreements and ongoing initiatives, Kaelin said. “There are still more than 117,000 registered IDPs who are in need of durable solutions. Many returnees need to have their houses reconstructed and connected to infrastructure. It is just as important that they benefit from equal opportunities to find employment. It also needs to be ensured that their pensions and social welfare entitlements are transferred to their place of return.”

 

Kaelin also recalled that 7,500 people still reside in often dreadful conditions in collective centres. “Most of these people are too vulnerable or traumatized to return. However, they should and can be integrated locally. For example, I met a woman who suffered unspeakable atrocities during the war and did not want to return to her home region. When she received a small apartment after spending more than a decade in limbo, she said that the war had finally come to an end for her.”

 

“Finding durable solutions requires money,” Kaelin concluded. “Despite present problems facing this country, budget allocations for finding durable solutions for the displaced must not be reduced and donors should continue to provide the necessary funding.”

 

END

Walter Kaelin, professor of law at the University of Bern (Switzerland), has been the Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons since 2004. The Representative carried out his first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005 and undertook a first follow-up visit in 2008.

 

During his latest visit to Sarajevo (11-13 November 2009) the Representative also participated in a public event on protracted displacement in the entire Balkans region: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/JBRN-7XRHY2?OpenDocument&RSS20&RSS20=FS

 

Learn more about the mandate and work of the Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/idp/index.htm

 

For further information on the situation of human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/BAIndex.aspx

 

For additional information and press inquiries, please contact Mr. Jan Hessbruegge (Tel. +41 22 917 9192, e-mail: jhessbruegge@ohchr.org).

 

 

 

"Raseljenim osobama u Bosni su potrebna trajna rješenja kako bi obnovili svoje živote, ali politički sporovi ugrožavaju napredak neophodan za rješavanje humanitarnih potreba kao i za otklanjanje bitnih prepreka trajnom miru", izjavio je Walter Kälin (Valter Kelin), predstavnik generalnog sekretara za ljudska prava raseljenih osoba, po svom povratku sa kratkotrajne posjete Sarajevu. "Ti ljudi žive u raseljenju više od jedne decenije, te tako i dalje trpe posljedice zločina počinjenih tokom rata", dodao je Kälin.

 

U razgovorima sa predsjedavajućim Predsjedništva Bosne i Hercegovine, g-dinom Željkom Komšićem, ministrom za ljudska prava i izbjeglice, g-dinom Safetom Halilovićem, i BiH Komisijom za izbjeglice i raseljene osobe, Kälin se založio za brzo usvajanje revidirane Strategije za implementaciju Aneksa VII Dejtonskog mirovnog sporazuma, u kojoj je naveden niz mjera za pružanje pomoći raseljenim. "Revidirana strategija daje čvrstu osnovu za akciju. Strategija se bavi svim relevantnim faktorima koji treba da budu ustrojeni u svrhu iznalaženja rješenja za raseljene, uz rješavanje stambenih i imovinskih pitanja, kao i pitanja sigurnosti, životnih uvjeta, zdravstva i obrazovanja, nediskriminacije i pomirenja. U dokumentu se iznova potvrđuje da je povratak preferirano rješenje, ali se ostavlja prostor i za lokalnu integraciju, naročito najugroženijih ljudi." U junu 2009. godine, određene političke stranke su zaustavile usvajanje strategije od strane Doma naroda Parlamenta Bosne i Hercegovine, izjavio je Kälin. Strategija se trenutno nalazi kod Ministarstva za ljudska prava i izbjeglice na reviziji.

 

Dok revidirana strategija ne bude usvojena, organi vlasti treba da nastave sa radom na osnovi postojećih sporazuma i inicijativa, izjavio je Kälin. Još uvijek ima 117.000 registrovanih raseljenih osoba kojima su neophodna trajna rješenja. Mnogim povratnicima je potrebno popraviti kuće i priključiti ih na infrastrukturu. Isto tako je važno da dobiju podjednaku šansu da nađu zaposlenje. Također bi trebalo osigurati da po povratku i dalje uživaju pravo na penziju i socijalnu pomoć."

 

Kälin se također prisjetio da 7.500 ljudi još uvijek živi u često užasnim uvjetima u kolektivnim centrima. "Većina tih ljudi je previše ugrožena ili traumatizovana da bi se vratila. Međutim, oni treba i mogu da se integrišu u mjestima u kojima se nalaze. Na primjer, upoznao sam ženu koja je pretrpjela neizrecive užase tokom rata i nije željela da se vrati kući. Kada je dobila mali stan, nakon što je više od jedne decenije živjela u neizvjesnosti, izjavila je da za nju rat konačno gotov."

 

"Iznalaženje trajnih rješenja iziskuje novac", zaključio je Kälin. Uprkos problemima sa kojima se ova zemlja suočava, budžetska izdvajanja za iznalaženje trajnih rješenja za raseljene ne smiju biti smanjena i donatori treba da nastave da osiguravaju neophodna sredstva."

Walter Kälin, profesor prava na Univerzitetu u Bernu (Švicarska) obavlja dužnost predstavnika generalnog sekretara za ljudska prava raseljenih osoba od 2004. godine. Svoju prvu posjetu Bosni i Hercegovini obavio je 2005. godine, nakon čega je uslijedila druga posjeta 2008. godine.

 

Tokom posljednje posjete Sarajevu (11-13. novembra 2009), predstavnik je učestvovao i na javnom dešavanju o dugotrajnom raseljenju na cijelom Balkanu: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/JBRN-7XRHY2?OpenDocument&RSS20&RSS20=FS

 

Saznajte nešto više o mandatu i radu predstavnika generalnog sekretara UN-a za ljudska prava raseljenih osoba:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/idp/index.htm

 

Za više informacija o stanju ljudskih prava u Bosni i Hercegovini posjetite stranicu: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/BAIndex.aspx

 

Za dodatne informacije i medijske upite, možete se obratiti g-dinu Janu Hessbruegge (Tel: +41 22 917 9192, e-mail: jhessbrueggе@ohchr.org).