STATEMENT FOR PUBLIC

IHF Fact-finding mission to Eastern Bosnia
About the State of Refugee Return

Vienna/Sarajevo, 9 May 2001. The IHF, in association with representatives of Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Helsinki Committee in Republika Srpska and Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, undertook a fact-finding mission to eastern Bosnia about the state of return of refugees and displaced persons. This mission was undertaken to the municipalities of Gorazde (BiH Federation) and Foca (Republika Srpska).

The general estimate was that while the process of return has improved, the number of returning refugees and displaced persons is still far from being satisfactory. It is evident that without a greater engagement of domestic institutions and local authorities, as well as of the international community - primarily donor-organizations - better quality results cannot be achieved.

The returned refugees told our team that their main problems are about the education of their children, missing employment possibilities, problems related to health care, pensions and disabled persons insurance, if one moves either from the BiH Federation to Republika Srpska or the other way round. There are still some unnecessary administrative measures that obstruct the return of refugees. For example the municipal administration taxes for issuing some documents needed for the regulation of their return, such as birth certificates, land certificates, or cadastre certificates, are quite high.

In order to make the return sustainable, it is not enough to reconstruct the damaged or destroyed houses, but it is necessary to invest in the local economy in order to provide jobs, as well as in agricultural machinery for returnees who are returning to rural places.

No: 07A-05/2001