Somalia - IOM has signed an Agreement with the European Union (EU) to support the implementation of the project: Facilitating Sustainable Return through Laying Foundations for Somalia in the Horn of Africa. 

This EUR 5 million project is part of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa’s REINTEG programme, which aims to contribute to sustainable and durable solutions of the returnees and vulnerable population in need by increasing the capacity of the government to provide immediate assistance and deliver reinsertion support, improving data collection, monitoring of, and planning for population movements. The project will also provide support to the inter-ministerial working group on migration towards developing a Migration Governance Framework.

The 24-month project will see more than 22,000 returning Somalis and 1,200 vulnerable host community members  receive direct assistance. This support comes against the backdrop of ongoing voluntary refugee returns from Kenya, conflict-induced returns from Yemen and additional returns from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

IOM will work closely with UNHCR to support the reintegration and provide durable solutions to the refugee returnees under the REINTEG programme, in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, regional and local authorities.

“Supporting the Government of Somalia to provide immediate assistance to returnees is a priority for the EU. We are also committed to contribute building the capacity of the government in managing migration flows. This intervention is part of a broader engagement through the REINTEG programme (EUR 50 million) to support a sustainable and durable reintegration of refugees and returnees and address the root causes of irregular migration and displacement," said EU Head of Delegation to Somalia Michele Cervone d'Urso.

“This programme marks an important development of EU and IOM’s collaborative support to the Government of Somalia in terms of migration. It moves away from ad-hoc responses to crisis, to creating the long term structures and processes for managing migration, and for developing durable policies for dealing with migration that are data driven and consistent across the whole of government.

These structures and processes will lead to the ability for Somalia to capitalize on the stimulating, positive aspects of migration, and minimize the negative impact of migration-related emergencies,” added Gerald Waite, IOM Somalia Chief of Mission.   

For further information, please contact Julia Hartlieb at IOM Somalia, Tel: + 254202926121, Email:  jhartlieb@iom.int.