Associations of refugees and internally displaced persons have been present on the territory of the Republic of Serbia for more than twenty years - in fact, since the very arrival of the refugees. As migratory groups in Serbia have also expanded, by gaining competence in the area of asylum and readmission, the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the RS allocates part of its funds to projects of the non-governmental sector that deal with returnees under the Agreement on Readmission and Asylum Seekers.
The financed projects are aimed at preserving the cultural identity of the end users, researches of importance for determining the state and needs of the user population in the process of integration and reintegration and in achieving a sustainable return. By financing projects, the Commissariat strives to support programs of legal and other types of assistance, programs to improve information in areas of importance for the user population, as well as programs aimed at improving the position of refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers or returnees based on the Readmission Agreement.
Since 2009, the Commissariat has established the practice of approving funds exclusively through public calls in accordance with the Government Regulation on funds to encourage programs or the missing part of funds to finance programs of public interest implemented by associations. Funds for this purpose are foreseen in the budget at the beginning of the year. The commissariat, usually during the year, announces three public calls in order to monitor the dynamics of the planned activities, because there are a large number of associations that apply for funds.
The Commissariat, otherwise a beneficiary of the budget of the RS, encourages programs implemented by associations and which are of public interest in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation, and refer to the area in which the program is implemented, the territory where the program would be implemented, the time and duration of the program, the type and scope of activities that would be carried out during the implementation of the program and the total number of persons required for the implementation of the program.
The Commissariat is announcing a public call for financing programs of importance for the population of refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers and returnees under the Readmission Agreement. Non-governmental organizations, registered on the territory of the RS, which deal with issues of importance for the above-mentioned categories of users, can participate in the competition. The public call is advertised on the website of the Commissariat.
...Predrag Zagorac...
In the public invitation, the total amount of secured funds is indicated, as well as the minimum and maximum amount of funds requested by the Association (usually from 50.000 to 500.000 dinars). Funds that are not used as intended must be returned to the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration.
In order for the projects of the participants of the competition to be taken into consideration, it is necessary that they meet the conditions, i.e. that they contain all the required documentation prescribed by the competition, signed, certified and submitted within the prescribed period; that the project contributes to the improvement of the position of refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers or returnees based on the Readmission Agreement, as well as that the information collected by the project activities contributes to the Commissariat in solving the problems of the user population.
Priority for funding is given to programs focused on research important for determining the state and needs of the user population in the process of integration and reintegration and achieving sustainable return, followed by programs of legal and other types of assistance, programs to improve information in areas of importance for the user population, as well as programs aimed at preserving the cultural identity of end users. Associations are obliged to submit a report on the implementation of a specific program and a financial report with evidence (copies of invoices, dispatch notes, bank statements on payments made and other valid documentation within the stipulated period after the completion of the program).
...and Branka Bajić
Since 2009, the Commissariat has financed over 200 association projects with over 50 million dinars. There should be mentioned NGOs and associations that provide legal assistance to all categories of migrants through legal advice, obtaining documents in the countries/places of previous residence, writing submissions, powers of attorney, etc.
Programs marking dates of importance for the refugee population, commemorating the great pogroms of the Serbian people (Bljesak, Oluja, Medak Pocket, Miljevački Plateau...), memorial visits to the killing sites of Serbs in Jasenovac, Jadovno, etc. are regularly financed. In this way, mail is given to the victims and the truth about the suffering of Serbs on the territory of Croatia is preserved.
Publications and anthologies are financed that bring together the texts of eminent experts, historians and analysts, who deal with the issue of the position of the Serbian people in the region. Roundtables and workshops dedicated to current topics for this population are financed (due but unpaid pensions in Croatia, privatization without the participation of Serbs in the states created after the breakup of Yugoslavia, the problem of tenancy rights...).
It is also important to preserve the cultural identity and traditions of the old region from being forgotten, and projects that contribute to familiarizing young generations, as well as the local environment where refugees and internally displaced persons now live, are financed, with folklore and customs.
The Krajiska Art Salon, which has been living for 28 years, 15 of them in exile, is regularly financed. This Salon was organized for the first time in the early 80s of the last century in Knin. The continuity of this exhibition was briefly interrupted in 1995 due to persecution, but it continued its duration in the territory of Serbia, where most of the Serbs from Krajina escaped. The artists gathered around the Krajina Art Salon decided to present themselves to the public in Serbia, but also to tear their homeland (be it churches and monasteries, cities, villages, landscapes, faces, childhood memories...) from oblivion. They were soon joined by artists from the Krajina region, and then by other artists from Serbia... Some of them participated in the art colony of the Krka Monastery Artist Brotherhood, which has been going on for twenty years. Today, established artists, some of the most famous names of the Serbian art scene, as well as young authors who were born significantly after the establishment of this Salon, exhibit together at the exhibition.
In addition, programs aimed at researching the state of needs among the refugee and returnee population are financed, in order to regularly update the data and react in accordance with the needs. Projects of Roma associations are also financed, which provide assistance to Roma children, internally displaced persons and readmits, in mastering school content and inclusion in the regular school system, through workshops and extracurricular work with this population.
Of particular importance are the projects based on monitoring the sustainability of return and access to the associated rights of persons returning to BiH, Croatia, Kosovo and Metohija, through conducting surveys among returnees. This allows us to see the real picture on the ground, and not to receive only information placed by representatives of the BiH and Croatian authorities, or the international community and temporary institutions when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija.
In addition to financing projects, the Commissionerate for Refugees and Migration regularly holds meetings with representatives of the association and informs them about current programs designed to address the housing needs of this population in Serbia, about the activities implemented by BiH and Croatia when it comes to resolving their rights in those countries, about measures and steps taken by the state in order for these persons to realize their rights and a dignified life.
Head of the Group for Return and Cooperation with International Organizations and Public Relations in the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the RS
