MEETING WITH THE REGIONAL REFUGEE COORDINATOR

On 20 January 2010, the UNHCR Representative in Croatia, Mr. Wilfried Buchhorn, met with Ms. Anne Marie Moore, Regional Refugee Coordinator of the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). PRM provides aid and sustainable solutions for refugees, victims of conflict, and stateless people around the world.

Also present at the meeting were representatives of the US embassies to Croatia and Serbia, as well as UNHCR staff in charge of return and reintegration issues.
The meeting's goal was to discuss achievements and challenges of the return and reintegration process in Croatia.

The participants agreed that both Croatian and Serbian authorities should make additional joint efforts to find a just solution for refugees and returnees in their respective countries.

At the meeting, which also served as preparation for the upcoming Regional Ministerial Conference on Durable Solutions for Refugees in the Region, the participants welcomed the fact that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia and Republic of Serbia both expressed willingness to reach an agreement on the remaining issues of the refugee chapter.

After the meeting in Zagreb, the delegation took part in a field visit to the city of Vukovar, organized by UNHCR. During the first part of the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to see the implementation of the Government's Housing Care Programme and to meet with Mr. Ante Drmic, Head of the Vukovar regional office of the Directorate of Areas of Special State Concern (ASSC). Drmic informed the delegation on the progress, models, and standards of the Programme.
The delegation also visited Brodalic returnee family in Borovo Naselje. This family, who lived in Vukovar before the war, fled to Serbia in 1991, and later to Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1992, they returned to Vukovar where they lived in temporary housing. The family applied for housing care in 2004 and received a positive answer a year later. They expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the newly reconstructed apartment allocated to them in December 2009.
The delegation enjoyed an interesting recount of the overall situation in Vukovar from the point of view of the Brodalic family, who seemed satisfied with the security and reconciliation progress in their community. All family members expressed their satisfaction on this subject, stating that they established good relationships with all their neighbors, regardless of their nationality. Also, they added that Vukovar today is a very safe place for all its citizens.

During the second part of the visit, the delegation met with Ms. Dijana Lazic Antunovic, Coordinator at Europe House Vukovar (EHV), an NGO and implementing partner for the Millennium Development Goals projects in Vukovar. Ms. Lazic Antunovic briefed the delegation about the project ''Young People Together''. The project is aimed at strengthening the social cohesion of young people from Vukovar and youth clubs located in five neighboring municipalities (Lovas, Tompojevci, Negoslavci, Borovo Selo and Brsadin) by giving young people the opportunity to implement various initiatives in their communities according to their interests and local needs.