The residents of the informal Roma settlement in Dr Ivana Ribara Street in Novi Beograd, where most of internally displaced persons from Kosovo live, received yesterday, on the International Day for Tolerance, the decision from Department for Inspection Affairs of the Administration of City of Novi Beograd ordering them to pull down the facilities they had been living in for years within a day. Despite the assurances received from the competent authorities that the whole eviction process would be conducted in compliance with international documents binding on the Republic of Serbia, the yesterday’s delivery of the decision shows the absolute inobservance of the international standards related to the right on housing and represents yet another pressure on the residents of this settlement.

Thirty-three families are living in the settlement in Dr Ivana Ribara Street and the access to fundamental human rights is not achievable for them. The Ombudsperson joined the resolution of the problems, which occurred on the occasion of the construction of business and residential facility built by the Building Directorate of Serbia, and initiated a meeting held on Thursday at which it was agreed to form a working group which would work on finding the solution for the residents of this informal settlement. According to the agreement, the first meeting of the working group, which will include the representatives of the informal settlement and representatives of Praxis, should be held on Friday, 18 November 2011.

The achieved agreement, which envisaged complete observance of international standards on the housing right, primarily the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and guidelines of the United Nations on development-based evictions, was questioned yesterday as well as the determination of the Republic of Serbia for the full respect of human rights for all citizens. Accepted international standards in the area of human rights clearly forbid forced evictions in bad weather, as well as those, which will result in homelessness of the residents.

We draw attention to the fact that most of the residents of this informal settlement are facing multiple discrimination in society related to employment, education, health care, access to documents and other rights. Accordingly, acting of state bodies must be complied with measures of affirmative action envisaged by the Constitution and other regulations. Non-governmental organizations are calling on competent state bodies to return to dialogue in order to find an adequate alternative accommodation and observance of the residents’ dignity.