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 November 2019)

     

    In 2018, with the support of the European Union (DG ECHO and DG NEAR), IOM opened four fiveTemporary Reception Centres in Una Sana Canton and Hadzici Municipality with the support of the Council of Europe Development Bank.

     

  • SAOPŠTENJE ZA MEDIJE / PRESS RELEASE

     

    Evropska unija donirala pet vozila Graničnoj policiji BiH

     

    (Sarajevo, 13. decembar 2019. godine.) – U sklopu projekta Evropske unije za podršku Bosni i Hercegovini u oblasti migracija i upravljanja granicama, danas je Graničnoj policiji BiH uručeno pet novih Ford SUV vozila ukupne vrijednosti 124,000 eura.

    Ova donacija će značajno olakšati napore Granične policije BiH u svakodnevnom obavljanju posla čiji je obim povećan zbog prisustva migranata koji borave na teritoriji države.

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    EU donated five vehicles the Border Police

     

    (Sarajevo, 13th December 2019) – As part of the project of the European Union to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in the areas of ​​migration and border management, five new Ford SUVs worth 124,000 euros have today been handed over to the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    This donation will support the efforts of the BiH Border Police in their day-to-day operations due to the increased presence of migrants in the country.

     

     

  • Regional support to protection-sensitive migration management in the Western Balkan and Turkey

     

    REGIONAL SUPPORT TO PROTECTION-SENSITIVE MIGRATION MANAGEMENT IN THE WESTERN BALKAN AND TURKEY

     

  • IOM’s Migration Response (as of October 2019)

     

    IOM’s Migration Response (as of October 2019)

  • Zajednička izjava / Joint Statement

     

    UN u BiH apelira na vlasti u Unsko-sanskom kantonu da ne ograničavaju slobodu kretanja migranata, tražilaca azila i izbjeglica i od državnih vlasti da odmah odrede novu adekvatnu lokaciju za prihvat i smještaj migranata

     

    14. novembra 2019. godine

    Operativna grupa za koordiniranje aktivnosti i nadzora nad migracijskom situacijom na području Unsko-sanskog kantonaje 13. novembra 2019. godine  donijela zaključke o uvođenju blokade dva prihvatna centra: Bira u Bihaću i Miral u Velikoj Kladuši.

    Ovim mjerama, migrantima, tražiocima azila i izbjeglicama, uključujući djecu bez pratnje,zabraniti će se ulazak i izlazak iz ta dva centra, osim u slučaju pokušaja prelaska hrvatske granice.

    The United Nations in BiH urges authorities in Una Sana Canton not to restrict the freedom of movement of migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees and for State authorities to immediately identify a viable new location for migrant reception and accommodation

     

    14 November 2019

    On 13 November 2019, the Operational Group for Resolving the Migration Crisis in Una Sana Canton took the decision to introduce a lockdown of the reception centres Bira in Bihać and Miral in Velika Kladuša.

    Such measures will prohibit migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, including unaccompanied children from entering or leaving the two centres, unless doing so to attempt crossing the border into Croatia.

     

More news

Latest Vacancy

Title Duty Station Closing Date
SVN 08-01-20 Project Officer/Area Development Officer Sarajevo 2020-01-30
BHRI107 - RFQ – Maoca Zipline - Poziv za dostavljanje ponuda 2020-01-31
CVN 01-01-20 National Expert on Migration Statistics and Data Processes (1 position) 2020-01-31
CANCELLED - SVN 04-11/19 Migrant Assistant Zivinice
SVN 07-01-20 Project Advisor Banja Luka 2020-01-29

Presentation on the occasion of the NATO field exercise in the Base Operations at the University campus

Peter Van Der Auweraert, IOM Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Western Balkans, held a presentation on the occasion of the NATO field exercise in the Base Operations at the University campus yesterday in Tuzla on behalf of the UN agencies. Field NATO exercise to manage the consequences of crisis situations, simulated in Tuzla, represents a central event exercise organized jointly by the NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Ministry of Security of BiH.

English

Coordination Meeting on the Prevention and Combatting Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Coordination Meeting on the Prevention and Combatting Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held yesterday, at the UN House, and organized by the Ministry of Security of BiH, with support from the IOM Mission in Sarajevo.

With opening remarks delivered by the BiH Minister, Mr. Dragan Mektić, the meeting took place within the framework of the BiH Strategy for Preventing and Combatting Violent Extremism 2015-2020, and it was chaired by the P/CVE National Coordinator for BiH, Mr. Samir Rizvo.

English

Interview with Peter Van der Auweaert, IOM Subregional Coordinator for the Western Balkans, on the Rohingya crisis and IOM's crisis response in Bangladesh and Myanmar

 

Watch the interview with Peter Van der Auweaert, IOM Subregional Coordinator for the Western Balkans, on the Rohingya crisis and IOM's crisis response in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

 

English