Refugees International Field Representative Shannon Meehan and Advocacy Associate Nicole Mailman will be conducting an assessment mission in Kosovo from June 6-17.

The focus of the mission is on the precarious situation for displaced Roma populations, who remain in unsuitable housing conditions six years after their original displacement. An assessment of the situation for the Roma is especially important at this time as the German government has announced plans to return some 34,000 Roma asylum seekers back to Kosovo. RI is concerned that conditions for the Roma in Kosovo are still not conducive to returns on this scale.

The RI team will assess the overall situation for Roma displaced persons in Kosovo, with particular focus on examining camps for Roma in North Mitrovica, where living conditions are reported to be totally unsuitable and where lead poisoning is prevalent among camp residents.

RI will seek out Roma who have been repatriated in recent months to assess the appropriateness of further returns at this time. The team will meet with officials from the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and international and local non-government organizations to identify possible near-term and medium-term solutions to the protection problems faced by displaced Roma in Kosovo.