The European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank have joined forces to respond to a request by the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities, and rapidly conduct a Recovery Needs Assessment to assess the impact of recent floods on the lives of people and essential sectors in the affected areas.

Mr Ricardo Zapata Marti, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 together with other members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has been mobilized by the European Union to lead the needs assessment. The Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina/EUSR has set up a team to coordinate efforts during the Recovery Needs Assessment. This is being done in close coordination with the United Nations, the World Bank, EU Member States and the BiH authorities.

Head of the EU Delegation/EU Special Representative Ambassador Peter Sorensen said:

“The EU is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s committed partner in helping the country deal also with the medium and long term consequences of the recent devastating floods. We very much welcome the close involvement of the United Nations, the World Bank, EU Member States and the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The result of this exercise will be a report and a recovery framework that can guide domestic authorities and the international community for the medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts.”

The recovery needs assessment will be completed within three weeks and result in a report that is expected to be completed by June 18.