International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been active in Slovakia since 1996. Among its main activity areas are: assisted voluntary returns, migrant integration, prevention of human trafficking and assistance to trafficked persons and coordination of the European Migration Network.
In 2015, United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals constitute a commitment to all countries, regardless of their development status, to address by 2030 the most serious current global challenges such as poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, unsustainable production and consumption, and to achieve a sustainable world with economic growth and prosperity, quality of life and environmental protection. For more information, visit sdgs.un.org.
Through its activities in the world and in Slovakia, IOM works to successfully meet several goals of the 2030 Agenda. More information can be found at www.iom.int.
IOM Slovakia Key Activities:
Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration in the country of origin
- Assistance to illegal migrants and unsuccessful asylum applicants to their country of origin including return counselling, assistance with facilitating travel documentation, travel arrangements, facilitating return, assistance at the departure from the Slovak Republic and assistance in the transit countries (since 2009)
- Reintegration assistance to returning migrants based on individual reintegration plans (since 2008)
- Capacity building and networking of experts participating in the process of voluntary return, including the promotion of cooperation among embassies of the main countries of migrants’ origin
- Information dissemination and campaigns aimed at professionals working with potential or actual returnees as well as migrants themselves who are interested in voluntary return
- Exchange of experience with other EU countries implementing assisted voluntary returns programmes
More information on: www.avr.iom.sk
This IOM Slovakia activity supports Sustainable Development Goals:
Migrant integration
- Provision of practical integration assistance to migrants including legal counselling and labour/social counselling (since 2006 through the IOM Migration Information Centre)
- Promotion of language education, retraining and professional skills of migrants enhancing their possibility to participate in the labour market
- Providing free of charge and open Slovak language coursed and Courses of socio-cultural orientation for migrants
- Promotion of the community life of foreigners in Slovakia, cooperation with representatives of individual communities of migrants and capacity building
- Raising awareness about migrants in Slovakia through organization, promotion and granting auspices for intercultural activities between communities and the majority
- Capacity building of professionals working in the field of migration/integration at the national and regional levels
- Exchange of experience and sharing of best practices among key actors and experts in Slovakia and the representatives of other EU countries; their implementation into practice in order to improve the accessibility of services to migrants and to enhance the efficiency of integration measures
- Research into various aspects of migrant integration in Slovakia
- Policy guidance – sharing of knowledge and practical experience in relation to the creation of integration policies in Slovakia (e.g. the Concept of Foreigner Integration in the Slovak Republic adopted in May 2009)
Further information on: www.mic.iom.sk
This IOM Slovakia activity supports Sustainable Development Goals:
Counter-Trafficking in Human Beings
- Prevention of human trafficking aimed at specific vulnerable groups, e.g. secondary school students, disadvantaged Roma populations, young people in foster care facilities, etc. (since 2003)
- Return and reintegration assistance to victims of trafficking (return assistance in 2006–2017, reintegration assistance in 2006–2014)
- National Counter Trafficking Hotline (in 2008–2014)
- Education and capacity building of experts in the area of prevention of human trafficking, and identification and assistance to the trafficked persons (as a partner of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic since 2008)
- Policy guidance in human trafficking, especially with the design of the national counter trafficking strategy and the National Referral Mechanism
Safe Travel – Website: www.bezpecnecestovanie.iom.sk
SAFE Travel & Work Abroad – Mobile Application: www.safe.iom.sk
This IOM Slovakia activity supports Sustainable Development Goals:
European Migration Network
- Coordinator of the National Contact Point for European Migration Network in Slovakia (since 2009)
- Implementation of the EMN National Contact Point activities in the Slovak Republic aimed at fulfilling information needs of the EU institutions and Member States organs through the provision of up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum
Further information on: www.emn.sk
This IOM Slovakia activity supports Sustainable Development Goals:
Other types of activities implemented over the last couple of years included:
- Resettlement of refugees: Provision of transportation of refugees from refugee camps to Slovakia (Emergency Transit Center in Humenne), medical services, cultural orientation, language trainings and transport of refugees from Slovakia to the country of resettlement - based on the tripartite agreement among the Government of the Slovak Republic, UN High Commissioner for Refugees and IOM about the humanitarian transfer of refugees in need of international protection (since 2009). More information.
- Research and capacity building in the field of labour migration and migration and health
- Projects aimed at stabilization of vulnerable communities in Eastern Slovakia (in cooperation with partner intergovernmental organizations)
- Humanitarian and social programmes (in cooperation with selected partner intergovernmental organizations)
In case of need, IOM is ready and able to provide services in crisis (e.g. natural disasters, conflicts) through its missions and offices in affected countries - in 2008 IOM Slovakia provided assistance to internally displaced persons in Georgia in the aftermath of the conflict with Russia.
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