Reintegration programme extended

UNDP and UNHCR have recently extended the lifespan of the Joint Reintegration Programming Unit (JRPU) for Rwanda through the end of 1999. A UNDP statement said that under the programme, reintegration activities valued at US $21 million were currently under way in the country. The JRPU was set up by the two agencies in 1997 to help ensure a coordinated use of resources for reintegration programmes targeting returnees, genocide survivors and other vulnerable groups throughout the country. A JRPU fact-sheet, received by IRIN, said funds towards the joint programme had been allocated to projects in various sectors, including sustainable livelihoods, construction of health centres, schools, infrastructure rehabilitation and water supply. UNHCR’s 1999 appeal for Rwanda said its outstanding reintegration activity remained the construction of 25,000 new houses and associated latrine facilities, water supplies and logistical support. By the end of 1997, UNHCR had supported the construction and rehabilitation of 73,862 houses in rural areas, it said. UNHCR planned to phase out its reintegration activities by December 1999, the appeal added.