IOM KOSOVO Ongoing Projects

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.

Kosovo Humanitarian Returns Programme - Transport and Direct Assistance Components

Assisting in the organised repatriation of Kosovar returnees including local transportation of beneficiaries from the airport, or other arrival points, to their place of origin with particular attention to vulnerable cases. Directly assisting Kosovar returnees through reinstallation and reintegration support, either as a one-time cash payment or through a process of needs assessment in the areas of housing and basic survival with subsequent financial assistance.

The project is funded by multiple donors

Employment Assistance Services (EAS) for Kosovar returnees from Switzerland, including ethnic minorities and their receiving communities

Promoting sustainable voluntary return and reintegration of Kosovars, including ethnic minorities, returning from Switzerland through measures to improve economic prospects for both the returnees and members of the receiving communities, thereby enhancing the capacity of return communities to continue to attract, absorb and retain returning migrants and other displaced people and to prevent further out-migration.

The project is funded by Switzerland

Assisted Voluntary Returns for Vulnerable Cases to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and to Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo and the Return Information Fund Component (RIF)

Facilitating the voluntary return of vulnerable persons originating from BiH, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo currently residing under the Swiss asylum regime in Switzerland.

Contributing to the sustainable return and reintegration of the vulnerable persons on a case-by-case basis including the provision of financial and employment assistance, social care, housing, medical support, return transportation, grants disbursement, secondary transportation, advices on the projects, and possibilities of training.

Answering information requests through the Return Information Fund (RIF) component of the Programme by providing IOM Bern with updated, accurate, reliable, objective and non-sensitive returns-related information supporting the returnees with the planning of their voluntary return and their sustainable reintegration in the country of origin.

The project is funded by FOM (Federal Office for Migration) Switzerland

Fostering the sustainable return and reintegration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities to Kline/Klina municipality

The main aim of the of the Fostering the Sustainable Return and Reintegration of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities to Kline/Klina municipality (RRRAE) project is to assist 27 ethnic Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian ethnic minorities (RAE) Internally Displaced families in their return and socio-economic reintegration to their former Klinë/Klina municipality and contribute to sustainability of their return through inter-ethnic reconciliation activities and measures to balance assistance among ethnic communities. The project also seeks to build inter-ethnic dialogue among the RAE communities and the majority community and thus contribute to creation of conditions conducive to ethnic minority returns This project  intend to augment “pull-factors” that provide incentives to ethnic minority residents and recent returnees to remain in Kosovo by small-scale income generating activities and by rehabilitating community infrastructure. By involving all above mentioned factors the project also pla to generate intensified involvement of municipal authorities in the return and reintegration process of RAE communities during and beyond the RRRAE project’s implementation.

                                 The project is funded by the European Agency for Reconstruction

Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP)

Facilitating sustainable returns of Kosovars residing in the UK to the country of origin by providing the following reintegration options: i) vocational training courses, ii) establishment of small businesses, iii) education support, iv) school fees for children, v) training/education support, vi) employment opportunities through referrals and/or on-the-job training.

The project is funded by the United Kingdom

Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals Programme (TRQN)

This programme aims at creating possibilities for qualified Kosovars residing in the Netherlands to contribute to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Kosovo by temporary return in Kosovo. The purpose is the transfer of knowledge in areas where expertise is lacking locally.

                                                                        The project is funded by the Netherlands

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Technical Cooperation on 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.

IOM Trust Fund Project

Engaging Kosovo Protection Corps members in civic and humanitarian work projects (i.e. constructing water supply networks, repairing roads, reconstructing bridges, etc.) to assist in rebuilding the infrastructure and communities of Kosovo targeting ethnically mixed and minority communities in identified return areas, thereby promoting the acceptance by the majority community of the minorities’ return and reintegration process.

The project is funded by Netherlands

The Support for the Stabilization of Communities in Kosovo (SSC) programme

 

Fund for Agro-Processing and Industrial Revitalization (FAIR) 

The “Fund for Agro-Processing and Industrial Revitalization (FAIR)" aims to foster economic development in the northern part of Kosovo, specifically in the Municipalities of Mitrovicë/a, Zvecan,Leposavic/q, Zubin Potok and Vushtrri/Vucitrn.

FAIR offers financial and technical support to promising entrepreneurs through the provision of grants ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 EURO following a competitive application process. Local businesses, as well as joint ventures with foreign companies, are eligible to apply for a FAIR grant that can be used in the establishment or expansion of an enterprise in the manufacturing, agro-processing and service sectors. Grant recipients are offered  various types of technical assistance throughout the duration of the project to foster their success.  Applicants undergo a rigorous evaluation process, whereby they are assessed against such criteria as their business’ relevance for economic development in Kosovo, its financial sustainability, profitability, and growth potential, as well as its utilization of local resources. Grant recipients are required to contribute at least 25% of the total investment sought through FAIR.

Through FAIR, EAR/IOM aims to foster the growth of competitive business environment and promote greater adherence to European standards for financial accountability and environmental protection. In addition, by allowing joint ventures, FAIR seeks to attract foreign investment in Kosovo. Strong emphasis is placed on the grant recipients’ compliance with applicable regulations involved in establishing or expanding enterprises, including subsequent tax payments due, among others.

For more information on this EAR/IOM Programme please visit:www.fairkosovo.org

 The project is funded by the European Union (EU) through the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) and co-funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Poverty Alleviation in Marginalized Municipalities(PAMM)

The Poverty Alleviation in Marginalized Municipalities( PAMM) project is fundED from European Union (EU), managed by the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is implementing the €3.1 million project that aims to help reduce poverty and stimulate durable economic development, thereby stabilizing the socio-economic conditions of the targeted areas in the longer-term.

PAMM is implemented primarily in the following ten municipalities of Kosovo: Dragash/Dragaš, Gllogoc/Glogovac, Malishevë/Mališevo, Mamushë/Mamuša, Novobërdë/Novo Brdo, Podujevë/Podujevo, Rahovec/Orahovac, Shtime/Štimlje, Skenderaj/Srbica, and Vushtrri/Vucitrn.  

The PAMM project provides technical assistance and financial support - through grants ranging from 5,000 € to 8,000 € - for the start-up of new or the expansion of existing small-scale income generation projects and micro-enterprises. Larger-scale community-level development initiatives, with sound economic potential, will be eligible for PAMM grants between 10,000 € and 40,000 €.  Through the RBCs, training and marketing services will be available to support local existing and aspiring businesspeople in developing jobs and creating revenue.

For more information on this EAR/IOM Programme please visit:www.pammkosovo.org

The project is funded by the European Union (EU) through the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) 

 

 “Reintegration Assistance for Separated Kosovo Protection Corps Members”

(RASKPC) Project 

The “Reintegration Assistance for Separated Kosovo Protection Corps Members” (RASKPC) project, initiated in January 2007, seeks to promote and assist in the sustainable reintegration of individuals who are separating from the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) by providing them with a dignified exit process from the Corps.  The nine-month pilot phase of the project concentrates on an initial group of 80 KPC members, who already have been identified by the Office of the KPC Coordinator (OKPCC) of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).  This project aims to foster beneficiaries’ opportunities for employment and self-employment by improving their income-generating prospects through a variety of measures including: basic business skills training; referral to further training options; on-the-job training schemes through the provision of salary subsidies; and financial assistance for business development.  By using an individually tailored approach, the RASKPC project aims to maximize each beneficiary’s skills, interests, and educational and/or professional background with an assistance package that corresponds to his/her needs and increases the likelihood of his/her sustainable re-entry into Kosovo’s labour force.The RASKPC project’s reintegration scheme consist of three main assistance components:training for Employment or Self-Employment which includes trainings provided directly by IOM and referrals to trainings conducted by Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) and other professional instructors/agencies; employment Referrals to existing job opportunities in the private and public sectors, which can include the provision of salary subsidies for on-the-job training (OJT); and technical and Financial Assistance (micro-grants) for Small Business Development.

                                                                       The project is funded by United Kingdom

The Community Enhancement and Development Program (CEDP)

The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Mission in Kosovo and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) strengthened their cooperation by launching a new, one million US dollar initiative in early September 2006. The Community Enhancement and Development Program (CEDP) concentrates on improving the living conditions of the targeted residents of the northern part of Kosovo through the implementation of projects that are designed to respond rapidly, visibly and at the community level to critical public needs.  CEDP projects, which are designed to be rapidly executable and make a high impact, will focus on enhancing the existing infrastructure, providing necessary materials and equipment to various public institutions and addressing the requirements of the targeted communities in the northern part of Mitrovicë/a town and Zubin Potok Municipality.

The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

 

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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.

Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans through Educational Activities and Capacity Building of Schools.

Increasing the overall involvement of each participating country/region’s Ministry of Education in the mechanisms and strategies of their respective National Counter-Trafficking Plan of Action; 

Establishing an information sharing mechanism between education officials of the participating countries through trans-national workshops; 

Building the trafficking prevention capacity within educational systems through teacher training including the development of educational materials/tools; 

Strengthening the counter-trafficking capacity of NGOs directly assisting school dropouts and other potential high-risk groups.

The project is funded by Netherlands

Programme of Assistance for the Protection, Return and Reintegration of Trafficked Women and Children in the Western Balkans and Main Countries of Origin.

Contributing to the regional counter-trafficking efforts in the Balkans by providing immediate assistance and protection to victims of trafficking (VoT) including: safe shelter, medical care, social assistance, psychological counselling, assistance to return to their home countries, including vocational, educational and employment assistance.  

Building the institutional capacity of targeted countries to combat trafficking, through the strengthening of government and other relevant authorities’ ability to implement appropriate counter-trafficking measures at the policy and operational levels. 

Contributing to the development of an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the trafficking phenomenon through collecting and analyzing data on the global phenomenon, as well as on the experience suffered by the individual victims entrapped in trafficking.

The project is funded by Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)

Counter- Trafficking Prevention and Capacity Building Programme in Kosovo and FY Republic of Macedonia.

Establishing a functional government and NGO infrastructure capable of raising awareness on the issue of trafficking at regional and local level.  

Creating a well co-ordinated, efficient and functional referral network at governmental and non-governmental level building upon existing referral structures, both at a country/province levels as well as regionally.

Facilitating and building a regional NGO network and to strengthen the linkage between NGOs and other relevant national and regional institutions;  

Effectively training the law enforcement personnel from all participating countries in knowledge, measures and procedures of effective preventive border management, including the prevention of document fraud, use of border management equipment and language training, based on the national governments’ strategies and international/EU standards.

The project is funded by Finland

 

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Migration Health

Swedish Medical Team (SMT)

Assisting patients from Kosovo, who cannot be treated locally, with specialised medical treatment abroad. 

Initiating cooperation between teams of Swedish experts and Kosovar health care professionals in order to provide immediate medical assistance for those who can be treated locally. 

Diminishing the longer-term need for outside referrals of patients by building local capacity and regional cooperation.

The project is funded by Sweden

Medical Assistance for Complex Medical Cases.

IOM is acting as intermediating agency in securing access for treatment abroad for complex medical and surgical cases, for which treatment is not available in Kosovo. Various NGOs are covering the related costs. IOM assists them with patient selection and/or movement support.

The project is funded by IOM

Health Assessment of Migrants

Since 2000, IOM Kosovo, at the request of the Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and US Embassies has been conducting a health assessment for Kosovar applicants for immigration visas.

The project is funded by USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia

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