NGO Humanitarian Coordination no.6

MINUTES

of the 6th meeting
Skopje, 28.08.2001

Participants

Savka Todorovska - SOZM; Dragi Zmijanac - PDAS "Megjasi"; Memedali Rahmani - Regional Coordination Body Gostivar; Bajram Sulejmani - Natyra; Zija Abdiu - Klasje na dobrina; Gjuner Nebiu - SAZM; Artemis Peric - OOZM; Vegim Etemi - El hilal; Aleksandar Krzalovski, Emina Nuredinoska - MCIC.

Absent

Milosrdie, ROZM "Daja", Drom

The meeting was chaired by Artemis Peric, OOZM.
Minutes person: Emina Nuredinoska

The participants determined the following

AGENDA

1. Determination of locations for training on protection from mines
   
2. Emergency management training
   
3. Distribution of brochures on the rights of IDPs
   
4. Humanitarian activities reports
   a) Report of the 6th meeting of NHC
   b) Reports of the organisations on the activities realised in the previous week
   
5. Problems, issues and needs to be discussed

Ad.1

The introduction was submitted by Artemis Peric.

Memedali Rahmani of Mesecina stressed the existence of the need for this kind of training in the regions without displaced persons, but which were found to have been mined.

Bajram Sulejmani, Natyra, stressed that premises in Kumanovo can be provided that could host up to 300 IDPs during the training. Raising questions that are out of the scope of the topic might become a problem during the training.

Conclusion

Locations for the trainings on protection from mines:

1. Collective centres - Skopje
   
2. "Megjasi" premises - Skopje
   
3. Primary Schools "Naim Fraseri" and "Bajram Saban" and three private houses - Kumanovo
   
4. ROZM "Daja" premises - Kumanovo
   
5. "Mesecina" premises - Gostivar
   
6. "Mercy Crops" premises - Skopje
   
7. Primary School "Nikola Vapcarov" - Skopje
   

Other NGOs should submit proposals in writing on possible locations by Friday, 31.08.2001.

Ad.2

The introduction was submitted by Aleksandar Krzalovski, MCIC. He stressed that the emergency management training would be held in Skopje between 5-9 September, and it would be in English.

Conclusion

All organisations need to propose one candidate for attending the training by Wednesday, 29.08.2001.

Ad. 3

Aleksandar Krzalovski of MCIC informed that a total of 15.000 brochures (8.000 in Macedonian and 7.000 in Albanian) had been printed.

Dragi Zmijanac, Megjasi, noted that the telephone number of "Megjasi" was wrongly quoted (the right one should be: 02/ 463 900). There were also remarks on the translation in Albanian (Natyra) and on the translations of the names of the organisations in general.

Conclusion

The brochures will be distributed through the local organisaitons depending on the needs and size of each organisation's target group.

Ad.4

a) Emina Nuredinovska submitted the introduction. The Minutes of the 6th meeting of NHC had previously been submitted to the participants.

Aleksandar Krzalovski, MCIC, added that, according to the Government's decision, the persons accommodated in collective centres would not be moved out.

Zija Abdiu, Mercy Crops, noted that the number of displaced persons from Ljuboten is 350 families, and not 40 persons as the Minutes stated.

Questions concerning the Minutes of NHC

Dragi Zmijanac, Megjasi, asked whether the less damaged objects would be reconstructed soon and how long would it take for construction of the completely destroyed objects.

Bajram Sulejmani, Natyra, raised the question of damage assessment in the village of Lopate and asked whether the expert team contained representatives of the local authorities. Also, he actualised the renewed need for provision of assistance for the host families and provision of conditions for the start of the new school year for the displaced persons.

Aleksandar Krzalovski of MCIC answered these questions:

• The organisations that announced reconstruction and construction of the objects would start with the works on objects of different categories of damage after the assessment. However, it should be expected that only the objects with minor damage will be reconstructed before the winter.
  
  
• The damage assessment team in the village of Lopate is supposed to start the damage assessment in the next days, and all teams do contain one representative of the local authorities.
  
  
• Displaced persons can attend the nearest school to the place where they are accommodated.

b) The participants in the meeting submitted short oral reports, as well as written ones on their activities carried out in the previous week.

Food / non-food items

On 22.08.2001, MCIC, El hilal, Milosrdie and Mercy Crops distributed humanitarian aid in food, medicaments, hygienic products and live-stock food in the Tetovo villages of: Vratnica, Jazince and Sipkovica.

On 25.08.2001, Natyra and several other organisations from the Kumanovo organised an humanitarian aid convoy to Lipkovo. A total of 29.838 kg of food and hygienic products were distributed. On 27.08.2001, 1.000 families received a beg of flour each.

information

MCIC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Macedonian Red Cross, published an information brochure (in Macedonian and Albanian) on the rights of IDPs.

Ad. 5

Savka Todorovska, SOZM, stressed that other organisations - members of NGO Humanitarian Coordination needed to participate in the NHC, and proposed that their participation is rotational.

Bajram Sulejmani of Natyra stressed the need of provision of translation at all meetings and trainings, which would make them more accessible to the domestic organisations.

Vegim Etemi, El hilal, requested from the present participants to submit specification of articles at the latest by Thursday, in case they would like to participate in the humanitarian aid convoy to Ljuboten, Neprosteno.

After the discussion, the following conclusions were reached:

Conclusions

1. Revision of the scope of work of the NGO Humanitarian Coordination needs to be discussed at the next meeting as a separate point of the agenda, i.e. the issues concerning the mandate of the representatives of the NGO Humanitarian Coordination in the work of NHC needs to be discussed; the admission of new members in the coordination; improvement of the local coordination in Kumanovo and Tetovo.
   
   
2. All domestic organisations, which will distribute aid need to submit their plans for the next week by Thursday, at the latest. The plan should be submitted to MCIC, which will send a joint plan to the Ministry of Labour and Social policy and the Coordinative Body for Crises Management.
   
   

Previous Coordination Reports

• 5th Coordinative meeting [21 Aug 2001]
• 4th Coordinative meeting [14 Aug 2001]
• 3rd Coordinative meeting [1 Aug 2001]
• 2nd Coordinative meeting [25 Jul 2001]