IOM in Bosnia and Herzegovina
IOM initiated a mission in Sarajevo in 1992, during the war in the former Yugoslavia, in the basement of Koševo Hospital. In collaboration with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), IOM set up the MEDEVAC programme to evacuate war-wounded individuals who could not be treated locally. The Yugoslav conflict destroyed the country’s social and economic infrastructure and forced over half of BiH’s citizens to leave their homes. Following the end of the war, IOM expanded its activities to help the return of refugees and to assist BiH nationals resettle in third countries. Today, the return of BiH nationals and a rise in illegal migration, such as human trafficking and smuggling, the reintegration of discharge military personnel and the management of migration, make migration a major challenge for BiH’s post-conflict recovery and development.
IOM’s programmes address these new challenges and aim to prevent irregular migration, stop the trafficking of human beings, contribute to national development and help the BiH Government manage migration flows.
Service Areas
Core service areas our key areas of expertize: