Responding to the longer-term needs after the catastrophic May 2014 floods, the Government of Japan pledged to the 6.2 million BAM funding for two projects: Landslide Disaster Risk Management and Repair and Reconstruction of Centers for Disabled Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The decision was today announced by Japanese Ambassador to BiH Hideo Yamazaki, in the presence of UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Zahira Virani and IOM Officer in Charge Harry Smith. The launch of both one-year projects is planned for March 2015.
Landslides are a continuous well know hazard in BiH, and represent a complex and ever-increasing problem for authorities at all levels and especially to affected communities. According to the Recovery Needs Assessment, the May 2014 floods activated more than 3,000 landslides throughout the country, causing destruction of close to 2,000 houses.
“Financing for these two projects is part of the flood assistance funds amounting to 5 million EUR (approximately 10 million KM) that Japan pledged at the donors conference that was held in July 2014. Through grass roots grant assistance scheme, non-project grant aid scheme, as well as the so called supplementary budget that was used to support these two UN agencies, Japan will provide BiH approximately 27 million KM in post-flood assistance, more than double the amount initially pledged” said Japanese Ambassador to BiH Hideo Yamazaki.
The 5 million BAM worth Landslide Disaster Risk Management project, to be implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will specifically provide support to 9 landslide- and flood-affected local governments (Doboj, Goražde, Maglaj, Srebrenik, Tuzla, Vogošća, Zenica, Zvornik and Žepče) to remediate and stabilize landslides through specific risk-reduction investments, as well as to strengthen their landslide management and monitoring capacities. This will ensure remediation of 10 landslide-hazardous sites, positively affecting lives of more than 4,400 people in more than 1,200 dwellings, alleviating human safety threats, contributing to restoration of livelihoods and securing development investments. In addition, the project will support the development of first comprehensive analysis of the existing legal, institutional and policy framework related to landslide management in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to assess the gaps and provide recommendations for structural improvements.
“We at UNDP are thankful to the Government of Japan for entrusting us with the resources which they have allocated for landslide mitigation in BiH. This initiative is part of UNDP’s larger efforts to not only carry out post-disaster recovery in flood affected areas, but also to move the country towards sustainable development through risk reduction and resilience building. We are pleased to partner with the Government of Japan as well as with governments of the FBiH and RS, both of whom have confirmed that they will be co-financing this project” said UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Zahira Virani.
As children with disabilities remain one of the most vulnerable populations in BiH, and the country suffers from a lack of support services directly aimed at this group, the Japanese Government will invest an additional 1.2 million BAM in a project aimed at the Repair and Reconstruction of Centers for Disabled Children. The project, implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM), will repair and reconstruct five centres for children with disabilities, which have been damaged in the May 2014 floods – in Derventa, Orašje, Bijeljina, Srbac and Prijedor. This will ensure that these centres can fully resume or commence activities, whilst enhancing the existing structures. The project will apply the building-back-better principles to maximise cost-effectiveness subsequent to the conclusion of the project and therefore ensure that municipalities can continue to support the centres once the project ends.
“Supporting vulnerable groups constitutes a central element of IOM’s work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the organization has assumed a central role within the flood-relief efforts in the country, focused upon households displaced and accommodated in temporary accommodation facilities. Children with disabilities in BiH face stigma, discrimination, and ignorance about disability, as well as a lack of social support for those who care for them. The support provided by the Government of Japan will ensure that reconstructed Centres are again able to provide children and young people with disabilities with the opportunity to maximise their potential to learn and enjoy supportive environments in which to participate in educational and recreational activities, whilst providing much needed respite for families,” said Harry Smith, Officer in Charge, IOM Sarajevo.
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