Sarajevo, 30 October 2018

The European Union has allocated more than 7.2 million euros in grants to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in the area of migration and border management, in the context of the increased number of refugees and migrants entering the country since the end of 2017.

The project aims at further strengthening the country’s migration management, asylum, border control and surveillance capacities. It will also build on the existing support in the distribution of food and provision of emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene services, protection, as well as other basic necessities to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The access to asylum, protection and social security systems, including healthcare and education for school-aged children, will be improved through support to the Border Police, Service for Foreigners’ Affairs, the Sector for Asylum, Centres for Social Welfare and relevant Cantonal and municipal authorities.

Shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure will be put in place or expanded in order to provide winterized, secure and dignified accommodation, protecting families with children and other vulnerable individuals from the cold weather.

This project will complement other initiatives, including those supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe Development Bank, USAID, and other organizations. The project further builds on EU’s longer-term support to BiH to enhance capacities for protection-sensitive migration management in line with EU standards.

The funds were provided through an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) special measure and will be implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with UNHCR and UNICEF.