Finding a new home in safety and become productive members of host communities is high on the list of priorities of people who have been granted asylum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For many years now, the leading State institution enabling them to achieve their goal is the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees (MHRR), supported by international organisations, mostly UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and national and international civil society.
Currently, there are some 100 people in the country holding refugee or subsidiary protection status, some of which since the end of nineties. In December 2019, during the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Bosnia and Herzegovina pledged to enhance its integration as a solution for refugees, and much has been done since – for example, during the past year, housing solutions for a final group of refugees seeking solutions from the nineties was found and many naturalised.
This was done through a multifunctional approach bringing together MHRR, UNHCR and civil society to work with refugees and find individualised solutions for full integration in BiH society for several families accommodated until then in the MHRR-run Refugee Reception Centre “Salakovac”.
With this positive experience in mind, MHRR, in cooperation with UNHCR, established a multi-functional coordination network featuring the civil society – Catholic Relief Service (CRS), BiH Women’s Initiative (BHWI) and free legal aid Association Vaša Prava BiH (VP) and welcoming participation of refugees and people under subsidiary protection to be able to address first-hand challenges experienced by them in a systemic way.
To best address the legal framework upgrades needed to further facilitate integration, a series of workshops gathering experts were recently organised targeting the creation of a bylaw and its implementation in rules and practices. Experts identified needs in the areas of social protection, education, employment, health care and access to documentation that the new legal instrument should address.
In parallel, MHRR is partnering with UNHCR and CRS to provide targeted individual assistance to refugees in the months to come. This is planned to be achieved by establishment of close cooperation with several local communities and creation of local multifunctional municipal working groups which will assess concrete needs and delivery potentials for vocational training and educational needs including language skills as well as explore employment potentials in cooperation with local employers.
Keeping in mind also the Ministry’s need to be able to provide temporary shelter for those that receive refugee or subsidiary protection status, the international community including UNHCR, continue to support the smooth operating of RRC “Salakovac”.
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