With approximately 90'000(*) in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 23'000(*) in Croatia in 2001, the numbers of returning refugees has been at their highest since the war-ending Dayton agreement was reached end of 1995. "This remarkable achievement clearly shows, that the platform provided by the Stability Pact translates into successful operations on the ground by matching key players with the donors", Stability Pact Co-ordinator Erhard Busek stated on the occasion of his meeting with UN High Commissioner Ruud Lubbers in Geneva today. Busek reiterated that, in order to maintain the momentum of the refugee returns, continued support by international donors is needed, especially for housing and employment.
The Governments of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Yugoslavia are to be particularly congratulated on their determined efforts to solve outstanding refugee issues by means of regional co-operation. Each of the countries has developed a national action plan. They are implemented as part of the Stability Pact Agenda for Regional Action (AREA), adopted in June 2001 by the three countries and several other Pact partners, including the UNHCR.
In BiH, close to 200'000 members of minority communities have returned over the past 3 years, also to extremely difficult areas, such as Srebenica or Foca. This is a clear indication that legal, administrative and security obstacles have largely diminished. Increasingly, economic and social circumstances, including recovering property, are crucial elements for returnees.
With regard to property rights, good progress has been made in BiH through further amendments to legislation and improvements in implementing the Property Legislation Implementation Plan (PLIP). Similar steps have been taken in Croatia to return property to their (mostly Serb) owners. The Croat national action plan envisages to complete this operation by the end of 2002.
Against this background, High Commissioner Lubbers and Special Co-ordinator Busek are confident that returns will continue at this accelerated pace or will even increase in 2002. Close to one million people are still displaced in the three countries as a legacy of the Croatian and Bosnian wars. Six years after the Dayton peace agreement, some of them still live in collective refugee centres.
For the time being, we also have to accept that many will not return to their places of pre-war residence. Therefore, their integration has to be seen as a part of the overall recovery process in the three countries and should be supported by the international community.
Special Co-ordinator Busek expressed his concern that there remains a gap in financial support by the international community for refugee matters. While the three governments have committed a combined € 500 Mio in their national budgets, the international support for construction is declining. As grants will become scarce, the three governments should at least be supported by being granted access to international lending and credit facilities, Busek concluded. Ways to develop ventures with private investment, especially for new housing, should be promoted. The creation of employment, especially through the support of small enterprises, is another crucial element to make returns sustainable.
Lubbers and Busek thanked the OSCE, OHR, other international organisation and the donor governments for their support. Special thanks go to Hans Koschnick, who ended his term as Chairman of the Stability Pact Steering Committee on Refugee Returns in December 2001.

(*) Figures refer to so-called minority returns, meaning individuals returning to a place of residence, where they are presently members of a numeric minority community. This type of return is more indicative as it tells the level of confidence people have in returning to their former places of residence.