fbpx

Between January and April 2016 the International Organization for Migration transferred another 110 refugees of mostly Somali and Sudanese nationality to Slovakia. The transferred refugees are vulnerable families with children and individuals from refugee camps in Eritrea and Lebanon who had to flee their home countries due to ongoing conflicts and their return home is not possible. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees included the refugees in its programme of humanitarian transfer and within its framework the refugees will be resettled through the territory of Slovakia to a third country which will give them a new home.

Between January and April 2016, IOM transferred another 110 refugees to Slovakia which provided them with temporary shelter

The photo is for illustrative purposes only, IOM Slovakia

The Slovak Republic provided the refugees with a temporary shelter based on the trilateral agreement between the Government of Slovakia, UNHCR and IOM. During their temporary stay in Slovakia the refugees are accommodated in the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) in Humenne. They remain here for maximum 6 months and during this time IOM helps them with their preparations for a life in the new country: they undergo security interviews; have medical examinations and series of vaccinations; and take part in courses of cultural orientation. After the successful completion of these steps, IOM will transfer them from Slovakia to the country of final resettlement.

ETC in Humenne was opened in 2009 and until the end of April 2016 it has served as a temporary shelter to 980 refugees of 10 different nationalities.

IOM, in cooperation with its partners, transferred from Slovakia to final resettlement countries already 851 refugees, the rest of them are currently preparing for their resettlement. Majority of the resettled found a new home in the USA, the rest in Canada and Norway.

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 programmes of other resettlement countries. IOM vaccination activities are financed by the US Department of State and Department of Health and Human Services.