International Organization For Migration KOSOVO

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading international organisation working with migrants and governments to provide a humane response to migration challenges. Established in 1951 as an intergovernmental organisation to resettle European displaced persons, refugees and migrants, IOM has grown to encompass a variety of migration management activities throughout the world. While not part of the United Nations (UN) system, IOM maintains close working relations with UN bodies and operational agencies. IOM has partnership with a wide range of international and non-governmental organisations.

IOM Kosovo has been among the three largest Missions worldwide since its inception in June 1999. IOM Kosovo joined the efforts of the international community to invest in a durable peace process and assist the population in rebuilding their lives and working for the future. IOM’s strategy, consistent with that of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), had to go beyond short-term reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, which were an indispensable part of the initial response to the crisis. This required a broader and far-reaching vision and implied a responsibility to support longer-term development programmes as the return and reintegration process cannot be separated from decisive socio-economic factors such as social services, employment opportunities, civil society development and the rule of law.

IOM Kosovo, through Assisted Voluntary Returns (AVR), is dedicated to creating an environment conducive to successful and sustainable returns, implementing complementary reintegration support measures and a range of capacity building activities that have already benefited, directly and indirectly, more than a million people.

In its Technical Cooperation in Migration (TCM) component, the Mission closely cooperates with donor countries, local authorities, and international organizations to improve the conditions for the return and retention of ethnic minorities through targeted interventions in the field of transport, direct assistance, specific reintegration measures and income generation support as measures for community stabilisation.

In the field of Counter-Trafficking (CT), IOM maintains its support for the return and reintegration of victims of trafficking, while simultaneously forging and enhancing ties with relevant local governmental and non-governmental agencies and regional assistance networks through capacity building measures.  Awareness raising, as part of IOM’s longer-term prevention based work, remains a top priority and is being enhanced by several of the Mission’s current programmes that include information campaigns -- one of which is the largest CT campaign ever conducted by IOM Kosovo.

Concerning the necessary improvements to public health, IOM Kosovo -- through its Migration Health (MH) component -- continues to pursue several activities augmenting local technical capacity, as well as providing assessments of public health concerns and offering responses that contribute to the stabilisation of the population’s needs.

From the emergency of 1999 to date, IOM has not only followed the events on the ground, but also has proactively worked with donor governments and other partners to ensure that the needs of the people of Kosovo have been met and will continue to be. This is possible thanks to the donor community, the UNMIK administration, the UN agencies, the European Union and its Agency as well as the NGO community, but particularly to the people of Kosovo and its institutions’ trust in IOM.