Press Release

UNHCR and the situation of internally displaced Roma in Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps in Kosovo

STOCKHOLM, March 1 (UNHCR) - NRK Søndagsrevyen’s reportage yesterday on the situation of internally displaced Roma in the lead polluted Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps in Kosovo is very disturbing. Well aware of the untenable situation, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has for years worked to assist the population in the two camps in various ways – including providing health education, medical treatment and food supplements and by improving the hygienic situation - and has urged responsible parties to find alternative solutions for the groups. The reportage leaves the impression that UNHCR has been in charge of the camps for the last ten years and thus is accountable for the situation. This is not correct. UNHCR ended its responsibility for these camps in 2001.

UNHCR in Kosovo was regrettably not contacted by NRK Søndagsrevyen for comments or clarifications before airing of the reportage.

The correct context for the story is as follows: During the hostilities in 1999, Roma from southern Mitrovica and other parts of Kosovo fled together with Serbs and others from the south to the northern part of Kosovo, where many spontaneously settled in public buildings.  When hostilities ceased, UNHCR was compelled to move 700 internally displaced Kosovo Roma, Ashkali and Egytian, who had taken shelter in abandoned army barracks and a school, to Cesmin Lug. It was the only option made available by local authorities at that time.

When a French Nato Kosovo Force (KFOR) contingent left Osterode camp in October 2005, some of the residents of Cesmin Lug were relocated there as it was considered a safer place - although still affected by the general pollution prevailing in the North of Kosovo. A number of the Cesmin Lug residents did not avail themselves of the possibility of relocation to Osterode, which would have represented an improvement in terms of environment. Understandably, the Roma have sought a permanent solution, not another temporary one.

From 2001 until 2008, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) was in charge of management and coordination responsibilities for the "temporary collective shelters". All efforts to find alternative accommodation failed as land could not be identified by local authorities. It is worth noting that all humanitarian agencies involved, including UNHCR, have had to carry out their mandates within a tense and complex inter-ethnic and political environment. It has proven very challenging to identify durable solutions to all the displaced persons, including the Roma.

In May 2008, UNMIK officially handed over the responsibilities on Osterode camp to the Kosovo government, while no formal arrangement has been made regarding Cesmin Lug. In April 2009, the Office of the Kosovo Prime Minister confirmed that it would deal with the lead contamination problem and positioned the Kosovo Government as the leading actor in finding a solution for the population living in the lead contaminated camps.

Cesmin Lug and Osterode camps still accommodate 613 persons and the health and living conditions of camp residents, especially those in Cesmin Lug, remain of deep concern to all national and international stakeholders. The good news is therefore that the Kosovo government and the Municipality of Mitrovica south have recently devoted 6.5 hectares of land in Roma Mahalla to the construction of some 140 houses for the relocation of the internally displaced now accommodated in Cesmin Lug and Osterode. The project is funded by the European Union and USAID. Comprehensive integration projects, which will include medical treatment, support to education, income generating activities and capacity building, will start upon the effective relocation of the camp inhabitants to Roma Mahalla. The relocation should be complete by end 2010.

What is not yet addressed but equally important is the overall development plan in dealing with the lead-contamination in general and not just limited to the relocation of residents of these two camps. As indicated by recent soil and air analysis undertaken by the Aberystwyth University, the lead contamination as a result of the Trepca smelter is affecting a very large proportion of the wider Mitrovica area.