Based on a trilateral agreement between the Government of the Slovak Republic, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Slovak Republic provided a temporary shelter to 138 refugees in 2013 and to 270 refugees in 2014. IOM transferred the refugees to Slovakia where they were accommodated in the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in Humenne. They stayed there for a maximum period of 6 months and used this time to complete the needed preparation for life in some of the receiving countries.

The refugees admitted in 2013 were of Afghan and Somali nationality and they were transferred from Iran and Eritrea. In 2014, more than two thirds of the admitted refugees were Somalis, followed by Afghans and Ethiopians. They were transferred to Slovakia from refugee camps in Eritrea, Iran and Yemen.

In 2013, 185 refugees were resettled from Slovakia after they had successfully finalized the necessary preparations. Most of them found a new home in the United States of America, some of them in Norway. In 2014, 162 refugees were resettled from ETC to the United States of America.

In the programme of humanitarian transfer of refugees, IOM is responsible for international transport of refugees to the Slovak Republic and then to the final country of resettlement. IOM further provides services related to security interviews, medical examinations and cultural orientation courses.

You can find more information on the programme here.

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.