In Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999)), during the reporting period the number of returns increased for some 18 per cent compared to 2014 (631 in 2014 and 770 in 2015). UNHCR constructed 13 individual houses for 13 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian families (77 individuals) from Montenegro as part of a EU/MCR/UNHCR-funded project and supported 16 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian families/56 individuals from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia through an alternative return package and rental scheme. All families were supported with food, NFIs and income generation projects.
UNHCR continuously promoted reconciliation and confidence-building through direct contacts with different communities in five selected areas. Community representatives of different ethnicities were engaged in all phases, creating conditions for dialogue, identifying common problems, seeking joint resolutions and defining priorities. UNHCR also participated in 33 outreach activities from/to Serbia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 439 IDPs benefitted from these outreach activities. The visits offered opportunities for IDPs to get first-hand information on the general situation and within their communities, on return possibilities and assistance programs available.
The Joint Communiqué issued in 2014 by the participating institutions from Pristina, Podgorica, Skopje and Belgrade, expresses their commitment to regional cooperation to support displaced people from Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999)) to secure durable solutions, including the options of voluntary return and integration in place of displacement, on the basis of free and informed decision-making. In 2015, during the High Level Forum, authorities agreed on joint concept for the process on a proposal presented by the OSCE and UNHCR on coordination and planning and priority areas and measures for inter-institutional cooperation on durable solutions.
Protection monitoring covered a total of 138 families/622 individuals (314 males and 308 females). The monitoring findings resulted with 166 protection concerns identified, 24.6 per cent were related to lack of /or partial assistance; 18 per cent civil registration and civil status documents; 16.2 per cent related to housing; 9.6 per cent lack of access to property; 4.2 per cent related to security and personal safety; and 14.4 per cent on access to health, education, employment and social assistance. In total 529 beneficiaries, returnees and IDPs, benefitted from UNHCR legal assistance, counselling and court representations through an implementing partner, ensuring returnees to access basic rights since the possession of personal documentation is the pre-requisite for benefiting from other services, such as social assistance, pension, property rights, and employment. Out of the total number of the assisted, 46.8 per cent were voluntary returnees (145 or 58.4% male and 103 or 41.6% female) and 53.2 per cent were IDPs (131 or 46.6 % male and 150 or 53.4% female). In cooperation with MCR and DRC and supported by JIPS, UNHCR has continued coordination of the activities for the IDP profiling survey in Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999)) and implementation is expected to commence during 2016.