Return - IOM Publications - International Organization for Migration

Return Migration: Policies and Practices
a new business. 3 The allowance is awarded on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, financial
assistance may be granted to cover the costs of medicines and treatment in the country of return
for a period of up to six months.
Country-Specific Return Programmes
As mentioned already, country-specific return programmes are set up to respond to specific
situations and are consequently subject to time limitations. Country-specific return programmes
have been implemented to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, FYR of
Macedonia, the northern part of Iraq, Sri Lanka, Chile, Somalia and Ethiopia. Currently ongoing
are programmes to Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Angola and an AVR programme for vulnerable
cases to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro including Kosovo.
Within the country-specific return programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina, by the end of 1998,
approximately 10,000 individuals had been assisted to return from Switzerland. Under the Kosovo
programme, more than 32,000 returnees were assisted by the end of 2000.
The country-specific return programmes typically provide financial assistance, reception and a
wider range of other services for the returnees such as domestic transport, temporary accommodation,
counselling and advice. Furthermore, country-specific return programmes may include
structural aid for the receiving communities. That is, country-specific return programmes, especially
larger ones, can provide assistance, both to the returnees and to the resident community.
Structural aid projects are financed by the FOR and mostly carried out by the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation (SDC) in cooperation with various implementing partners (IOs,
NGOs, local or national implementing partners). This was the case, for example, in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, where assistance was provided for rebuilding schools and hospitals, the acquisition
of new skills, etc.
Return-oriented Projects in Switzerland
Return-oriented training programmes in Switzerland aim to contribute to the asylum seeker’s
reintegration in the country of origin. Through examining the problems involved with return, the
returnees are helped to develop perspectives for life in their countries of origin and to acquire or
extend the know-how required to realize their plans. Furthermore, the programmes carried out
in Switzerland include measures aimed at preserving the returnees’ ability to re-migrate to their
country of origin.
The FOR has financed such return-oriented programmes since 1995. They are organized and
carried out by the cantonal authorities or by specialized organizations or NGOs. They take the
form of a vocational course, which lasts usually four to six months. The courses offered range
from wood and metal processing, to construction, tailoring, shoe making, hairdressing, basic
nursing care, business management and short-term catering apprenticeships.
Framework Agreements with Countries of Origin or Transit
(See above section on Involuntary Returns.)
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