In 2009 the Slovak Republic provided a temporary shelter on its territory to the group of 98 Palestinian refugees from refugee camp Al-Waleed in Iraq. The refugees arrived at the end of August 2009 at the Kosice airport and were acommodated in the asylum facility of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic in Humenne. In safe conditions of the facility they completed all necessary procedures and documentation facilitation so that between September 2009 and March 2010 all of them were successfully resettled to the United States of America.
The group of refugees was resettled from the refugee camp through the territory of the Slovak Republic to the third country based on the trilateral treaty between the Government of the Slovak Republic, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) from July 2009. The treaty formed a basis for future cooperation between the Government of the Slovak Republic, UNHCR and IOM in resettlement of refugees through the Slovak territory. The IOM is responsible for the transportation of the refugees to the Slovak Republic and then to the country of resettlement, as well as for medical examinations and cultural orientation and/or language classes which aim to prepare the refugees for life in their country of resettlement.
The activities of IOM in this project are financed by the US Government through its USRAP Program – United States Refugee Admissions Program or by similar programs of other resettlement countries.