IOM in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH)

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) is located at a migration crossroad between Eastern and Western Europe. The conflict in the former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1995 destroyed the social and economic infrastructure and forced over half of citizens of BH to leave their homes. Today, the return of displaced persons and a rise in illegal migration, such as human trafficking and smuggling, make migration a major challenge for BH’s post-conflict recovery and development.

IOM initiated a mission in Sarajevo in 1992 in the basement of Koševo Hospital, setting up the MEDEVAC programme to evacuate war-wounded individuals who could not be treated locally. Following the end of the war, IOM expanded its activities to the return of refugees from abroad and to assist BH nationals resettling in third countries. Today, IOM’s programmes aim to prevent irregular migration, stop the trafficking of human beings, contribute to national development, and assist the BH Government to manage migration activities.

During the migrant and refugee crisis in 2015 - 2016, IOM - the UN Migration Agency - together with the international community, scaled up its presence in Greece and the Western Balkans, and in particular in North Macedonia and Serbia part of the so-called Western Balkan route, to support national authorities and civil society in responding to the emergency situation, and providing direct assistance and protection to migrants, particularly those most vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse, or a violation of their rights.

Following the significant increase of migrant arrivals to Bosnia and Herzegovina in late 2017, IOM, in coordination with State, Entity, cantonal and local authorities, scaled up its operations in key migrant locations across the country through the reinforcement of IOM Mobile Protection Teams. These mobile teams have been operating since June 2017, assisting migrants in vulnerable situations, providing safe transportation, interpretation services, provision of temporary and protection-sensitive accommodation, food and other necessities.

IOM Mobile Protection Teams – strategically located to be able to cover the entire migration route, from the Eastern border with Serbia and Montenegro to the North-West border with Croatia, and the main reception centres and informal settlements – performed vulnerability screenings and referred migrants to appropriate assistance and protection service providers.

 

Latest News and Events

  • IOM’s Migration Response (as of March 2020)

     

    In 2018, with the support of the European Union (EU), IOM opened four new Temporary Reception Centres in Una Sana Canton, and with the support of the Council of Europe Development Bank, IOM opened one new Temporary Reception Centre in Sarajevo. In late 2019, with support of the EU and in collaboration with the German Federal Civil Protection Agency, IOM also opened an additional site in Blažuj, Sarajevo Canton.

    Sedra Temporary Reception Centre in Cazin Municipality for families and vulnerable migrants opened in July 2018

    Bira Temporary Reception Centre in the City of Bihac, primarily for single men opened in October 2018

    Miral Temporary Reception Centre in Velika Kladusa Municipality primarily for single men opened in October 2018, with IOM supporting the site management from November 2018.

    Usivak Temporary Reception Centre in Hadžići Municipality for single men, families and vulnerable migrants opened in October 2018.

    Borici Temporary Reception Centre in City of Bihac for families and vulnerable migrants re-opened in December 2018 following complete renovation.

    Blažuj Temporary Reception Centre in Sarajevo Canton, started providing provisional accommodation solutions during the winter in 2019, and will continue to scale up its capacity and to improve living conditions as reconstruction works to fully operationalize the site are still ongoing.

     

  • Jedni na druge moramo računati

     

    Da nas vrlo često vijesti čije izvore ne provjeravamo znaju odvesti u krivi smjer i stvoriti negativnu percepciju i strah od nečega, složili su se mladi koji su u sklopu jedne radionice imali zadatak na internetu pronaći jednu lažnu i jednu istinitu vijest, te je na kreativan način predstaviti jedni drugima. Ono što će mladi pamtiti s ovih susreta su svakako vježbe u kojima su opisivali sebe u ogledalu, predstavljanje ostvarenih inicijativa u svojim zajednicama, ali i kreiranje zajedničkih inicijativa koje su dan kasnije jedni drugima i prezentirali.

     

  • IOM, UNHCR Announce Temporary Suspension of Resettlement Travel for Refugees

     

     

  • Volonteri na ulicama

     

    Veseli i nasmijani volonteri, njih 50 spremno je odgovaralo i na pitanja oduševljenih građana, nastavnika, vršnjaka koji su nudili i novac za što uspješniju realizaciju akcije. Važnost i značaj prepoznala je i škola koja je mladima osigurala i dodatni alat kako bi što bolje i kvalitetnije realizirali volontersku akciju.

     

  • Saopštenje za medije - Edukacija za profesionalce- Prvi kontakt i senzibiliziran pristup usmjeren na žrtve seksualnog zlostavljanja i silovanja u ratu

     

    Samo neke od izjava učesnika tokom obuka: „Dosta sam naučila i jako sam zadovoljna“, „Što više ovakvih treninga“, „Nastaviti provoditi nove edukacije i razmjenjivanje iskustava u radu sa žrtvama nasilja“, „Izuzetno sam zadovoljna predavačem i programom rada“, „Veoma poučno“. „Naučila sam gdje se mogu javiti osobe koje žele ostvariti pravo sticanja statusa. Trening mi je bio od velike koristi „

     

More news

Latest Vacancy

Title Duty Station Closing Date
BHRI163 – Reconstruction of roof at Banja Luka Youth Center - REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) AND GENERAL INSTRUCTION TO CONTRACTORS (GIC) 2020-04-16

IOM Sarajevo launches report funded by the IOM Development Fund

Today in Sarajevo, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched the report, ‘Mapping Major Migration Flows Over the Territory of Western Balkan Countries, 2009-2013'. This report was produced by IOM with the aim of supporting Western Balkan governments in formulating adequate policies to enhance the management of increasing mixed migration flows from, through and to the Western Balkans region. The report presents findings based on a mapping of the main regular and irregular migration flows through the territory of the Western Balkans in the period 2009-2013. The report presents migration to and from WB countries for the purposes of work, education and family reunification; irregular entry and stay of extra regional migrants; international protection; return of Western Balkan citizens under Readmission Agreements; and trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants in the region.

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IOM Director General’s Message on International Women's Day 2015

By William Lacy Swing

More women are on the move than ever before. They represent approximately half of the world’s one billion migrants and are approximately half of the estimated 51 million displaced persons.

On this year’s International Women’s Day, IOM calls on the international community to ensure the empowerment of migrant and displaced women through the full realization of their human rights.

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Japan Backs Reconstruction, Disaster Preparedness Projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Following catastrophic floods in May 2014, the Government of Japan yesterday (23/2) committed 6.2 million Bosnian Marks (USD 700,000) for two one-year projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). IOM will implement the BM 1.2 million Repair and Reconstruction of Centres for Disabled Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina project, which will repair and reconstruct five centres for children with disabilities, which were seriously damaged in the May 2014 floods.

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IOM study “Labour Mobility as a Factor of Development in South-Eastern Europe”

This country reports are part of the broader IOM study “Labour Mobility as a Factor of Development in South-Eastern Europe” conducted within a project funded by the IOM Development Fund and implemented by IOM in partnership with the governments in the region in 2014. The research team produced seven separate reports for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, UNSC resolution 1244-administered Kosovo, Serbia and one regional overview. The seven reports looked at the policies and regulative mechanisms which govern labour mobility, in terms of their approaches in facilitating movements of specific categories of migrant workers, consistency with evolving regional objectives and compliance with the EU acquis and standards.

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#MigrationMeans

Within the project ‘’Scaling up Universal Access for Most at Risk Populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina –mobile populations’’ (HIV/AIDS Round 9), supported through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP BiH), funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), IOM Sarajevo hold two trainings from 16.09.- 19.09.2014, on HIV/AIDS and Mobility for municipal level health care professionals who provide healthcare services to – among others - migrants and mobile populations.

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