Newsroom
OSCE Mission in Kosovo sponsors research of experts on informal settlements
PRISTINA 19 August 2004
PRISTINA, 19 August 2004 - Two international experts completed an assessment mission and presented recommendations for a situational analysis of informal settlements or "shantytowns" in Kosovo. Their recommendations will be used by the Stakeholders Group on Informal Settlements to create a situational analysis.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo sponsored the week-long visit of George Gattoni and Dr. Reinhard Goethert, both of whom have extensive experience with the issue of informal settlements, in support of the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan.
"The OSCE is pleased to facilitate the work of the Stakeholders Group by helping Kosovo's authorities in their search for concrete solutions to the challenges faced by inhabitants of informal settlements," said Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. "OSCE is heartened that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) have taken such a strong lead on this issue, and that they are working to ensure that all residents enjoy their rights to an adequate standard of living."
The Stakeholders Group approved the experts' recommendations, which will form the basis for the Terms of Reference, which are yet to be finalised.
The PISG have committed themselves to securing funds for this analysis. Institutions such as the Kosovo Cadastral Agency and the Ministry on Environment and Spatial Planning, as well as municipal officials, are actively involved in this process and sit on the Stakeholders Group. The Office of the Prime Minister chairs the Stakeholders' Group, which also includes representatives from other key PISG and UNMIK institutions, municipalities, NGOs, donors and other interested actors.
On 15 June, Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi also stated his support for this effort, when he and Ambassador Fieschi released the Final Conference Document of the Working Regional Roundtable on Informal Settlements of Roma and other vulnerable groups. This roundtable was co-sponsored by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The OSCE Mission in Kosovo sponsored the week-long visit of George Gattoni and Dr. Reinhard Goethert, both of whom have extensive experience with the issue of informal settlements, in support of the Kosovo Standards Implementation Plan.
"The OSCE is pleased to facilitate the work of the Stakeholders Group by helping Kosovo's authorities in their search for concrete solutions to the challenges faced by inhabitants of informal settlements," said Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. "OSCE is heartened that the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) have taken such a strong lead on this issue, and that they are working to ensure that all residents enjoy their rights to an adequate standard of living."
The Stakeholders Group approved the experts' recommendations, which will form the basis for the Terms of Reference, which are yet to be finalised.
The PISG have committed themselves to securing funds for this analysis. Institutions such as the Kosovo Cadastral Agency and the Ministry on Environment and Spatial Planning, as well as municipal officials, are actively involved in this process and sit on the Stakeholders Group. The Office of the Prime Minister chairs the Stakeholders' Group, which also includes representatives from other key PISG and UNMIK institutions, municipalities, NGOs, donors and other interested actors.
On 15 June, Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi also stated his support for this effort, when he and Ambassador Fieschi released the Final Conference Document of the Working Regional Roundtable on Informal Settlements of Roma and other vulnerable groups. This roundtable was co-sponsored by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.