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OSCE Mission in Kosovo presents document on informal settlements
PRISTINA 15 June 2004
PRISTINA, 15 June 2004 - The OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Bajram Rexhepi, today presented the final document of a regional roundtable on informal settlements of Roma and other vulnerable groups.
The paper helps to set out a policy framework for the region's governments to improve the situation of those living in informal settlements. Currently, they do not fully enjoy the right to adequate housing and property, do not always have equal access to services or participation in government. They often live in makeshift houses, in areas lacking proper roads, reliable sources of electricity, clean water and sanitation.
"Formalizing informal settlements will help protect the rights of disadvantaged groups in society, but it will also help with the economic development of the region," said the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Pascal Fieschi. "We seek to protect the rights of all people in a society, so that they are secure and have a chance to live in prosperity."
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Bajram Rexhepi, said that "People living in informal settlements have never been treated in an adequate fashion and we must find a workable solution where all people are considered as equals".
Last month, the Office of the Prime Minister, in co-operation with affected communities and other interested parties, started working on a Kosovo-wide strategy to tackle the issue of informal settlements.
The roundtable, which was held last October, was co-sponsored by the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was attended by representatives of vulnerable communities as well as international experts on informal settlements, governmental authorities, donors and international organizations in the region.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo welcomed the integration of recommendations of the final document into the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan and the progress the government has already made towards fulfilling them.
The paper helps to set out a policy framework for the region's governments to improve the situation of those living in informal settlements. Currently, they do not fully enjoy the right to adequate housing and property, do not always have equal access to services or participation in government. They often live in makeshift houses, in areas lacking proper roads, reliable sources of electricity, clean water and sanitation.
"Formalizing informal settlements will help protect the rights of disadvantaged groups in society, but it will also help with the economic development of the region," said the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Pascal Fieschi. "We seek to protect the rights of all people in a society, so that they are secure and have a chance to live in prosperity."
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Bajram Rexhepi, said that "People living in informal settlements have never been treated in an adequate fashion and we must find a workable solution where all people are considered as equals".
Last month, the Office of the Prime Minister, in co-operation with affected communities and other interested parties, started working on a Kosovo-wide strategy to tackle the issue of informal settlements.
The roundtable, which was held last October, was co-sponsored by the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and was attended by representatives of vulnerable communities as well as international experts on informal settlements, governmental authorities, donors and international organizations in the region.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo welcomed the integration of recommendations of the final document into the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan and the progress the government has already made towards fulfilling them.