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LITHUANIA
Programme Services
Pre-departure assistance: information dissemination and counselling in cooperation with relevant
government authorities, Reception Centres and other agencies.
Transport assistance: transport, documents and travel formalities; reintegration allowance of
US$ 50 per adult and US$ 25-50 per children under 18 years of age, an additional US$ 20, if
required, for onward transportation; escorting, where necessary, especially to support returns
of vulnerable migrants.
Additionally, several capacity-building measures (training, workshops) are implemented to complement
the SMIBAL project.
2.3 STATISTICS ON VOLUNTARY RETURN
From October 1998 until the end of 2002, 455 persons were provided return assistance under the
IOM-run programme. Migrants were returned mainly to Russia (98), Bangladesh (68), Pakistan
(62), Viet Nam (39), India (36), Ukraine (28) and Azerbaijan (24).
2.4 BEST PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED
Why Programmes Have or Have not Worked
Although AVR is considered to be a more humane method of return, the Lithuanian government
has been unable to contribute financial assistance for the implementation of the programme.
Hence the AVR programme was unable to operate in 2003. The Lithuanian government intends
to support future AVR programmes by co-finding the programme and cover 25 per cent of operating
costs.
Cost Effectiveness Analysis
In general, assisted voluntary return is considered to be cheaper than deportations, however, it is
not really practical to make comparisons on the cost effectiveness of assisted voluntary returns
to forced returns because deportations from Lithuania are mainly carried out to neighbouring
countries, i.e. just to the border, which makes it cheaper than covering the cost of transportation
to, say, Pakistan and other associated costs of the AVR programmes such as medical escorts and
repatriation assistance.