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In the following lines you can find a  summary of the key activities and achievements of IOM Bratislava, which we were able to carry out in the past year in the field of integration of migrants, assisted voluntary returns and reintegration, counter trafficking, coordination of activities of the European Migration Network and humanitarian transfers of refugees.

In January 2013 IOM International Organization for Migration in Bratislava will organize two trainings for employees of alien police, labor offices, district offices, legal advice centers and city councils. Trainings aim at building technical capacities of employees of these institutions in the area of work with migrants. Through capacity building, IOM seeks to support the integration of migrants in Slovakia.

What do migrants need to know, so that they can start living in a new country and to successfully integrate to society? Experts from Czech Republic, Austria, Sweden as well as from IOM offices in Geneva, Prague and Bratislava presented their experience and recommendations from practice of providing social and cultural orientation at the international conference Social and cultural orientation for migrants from third countries on 19 September 2012 in Bratislava.

32 Slovak and migrant families shared their Sunday lunches on November 18, 2012. The meetings were organized by IOM International Organization for Migration within the project Next Door Family – Inclusive Neighbourhoods. The project aims at uniting Slovak and migrant families, majority and minority population living in Slovakia.

IOM Bratislava organized from July to October 2012 various activities and events in the field of foreigner integration, education and awareness-raising of the issues of migration, counter trafficking, research on violence against foreigners in the Slovak Republic and other areas about which you can read more in this newsletter. This issue brings a new section IOM Client Stories including a story about voluntary return assistance to Vietnam and reintegration in a home country and a life story of a refugee woman resettled from a refugee camp in Yemen, whom Slovakia has provided temporary shelter.

Newsletter of the IOM Office in the Slovak Republic, 04/2012

Diversity Festival took place from 7th to 14th October 2012 and was one of the events of Košice -  European City of Culture 2013. Multifold minorities living in Kosice were attractively presented during the attendant events. IOM International Organization for Migration was an active partner of the Festival and together with the cultural mediators participated in organization and program of the Diversity Festival. Festival ended with the Soup Festival on 13th October, what allowed the visitors to taste diversity of minorities’ cuisine and culture.

On 21 August 2012, the National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) in the Slovak Republic arranged an evening discussion called Are we also at home here? Discussion was opened for public and was part of the EMN educational seminar entitled Migration Globally and Locally.

Fifteen Slovak and foreign experts together with 37 employees of the state and public administration, non-governmental organizations and academic employees from Slovakia participated in the summer educational seminar entitled Migration globally and locally, which was organized from 20 to 23 August 2012 in Bratislava by the National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) in the Slovak Republic.

On August 2, 2012 fifteen clients coming from Columbia, Nicaragua, Syria Egypt, United States and other countries used the opportunity to obtain complex counselling from representatives of several institutions. Pilot day of specialized counselling called ´One Stop Shop´ organized by the IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) in Bratislava met with a positive response.

The third issue of the newsletter contains a brief overview of selected activities and events of IOM Bratislava in the field of migrant integration, counter trafficking, humanitarian transfers of refugees, and other main operations conducted from April to June 2012. At the same time, the newsletter brings a summary of achievements in 2011 in the field of assisted voluntary returns and preventing human trafficking and help to human trafficking victims.

Newsletter of the IOM Office in the Slovak Republic, 03/2012