EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

The responsibilities for creating conditions to facilitate reintegration of returning migrants extend far beyond the EU-IOM Joint Initiative and require strong leadership from national authorities in countries of origin as well as active contributions at all levels of society. This starts with migrants and their families, but also includes the private sector, civil society, and local and international partners.  

The actions give priority to sustainability of reintegration through promoting local ownership, partnership and alignment to development planning. An effective and comprehensive referral and partnership system, which is based on mapping of local and national partners, is one of the key components of reintegration assistance under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative. Whenever possible, referral to local partners and services constitutes the first option for all migrants, whether or not in vulnerable situations.

Framework standard operating procedures (SOPs) for assisted voluntary return and reintegration have been developed under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative based on IOM’s Integrated Approach to Reintegration in the context of return. These are being adapted to the specific local context in each target country through a consultative process. This process is accompanied by the establishment of Technical Working Groups (TWGs) on reintegration, which involve different local stakeholders and serve as coordination on the implementation and programming of reintegration assistance.

Upon arrival and in close cooperation with national authorities, reception and post-arrival assistance, including a limited cash instalment is provided to all migrants to cover their immediate needs. All migrants receive counselling support and information. Wherever possible, migrants are referred to existing services and projects that are relevant for their reintegration.

All returnees can participate in general reintegration activities such as orientation and training, job fairs, focus groups or counselling sessions. The support has a social and psychosocial dimension as it engages migrants in group activities. For some returning migrants who have had traumatic or difficult migration experiences counselling, focus group discussions or collective psychosocial activities can be an important first step towards reconnecting with others in their country of origin.

Migrants may also present reintegration plans that will ultimately be assessed through locally designed and implemented procedures. Wherever possible and relevant, collective and community based initiatives will be encouraged through this process to increase the impact of the projects.

In addition, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative foresees to establish community-based reintegration projects targeting the main communities of return. These are developed in close cooperation with local and national stakeholders and are open to the participation of the local population. This is emphasised by the need of considering reintegration as a two-way process between the returnee and the community and country of origin.

Overall, the projects thereby aim to respond to priorities identified by local authorities, migrants and their communities. The objective is to ensure that the contributions of migrants and the skills that they may have acquired through the migration experience can be fostered for local development. 

Based on standardised indicators and a scoring system, the EU-IOM Joint Initiative will monitor the sustainability of reintegration across social, psychosocial, and economic dimensions. This will not only serve to guide the provision of reintegration assistance to individual returnees, but also inform future policies and programmes.