IOM_annual_2017new design

IOM THE NETHERLANDS HIGHLIGHTS 2017 _ 3

MIGRATION AND
DEVELOPMENT
The Connecting Diaspora for Development (CD4D) project
matched diaspora expertise with needs in countries of origin.
IOM facilitated 79 short assignments by diaspora experts to 37
host institutions in the six target countries. IOM increased efforts
in preparing the diaspora experts for their assignments through
training on knowledge transfer, expectation management, giving
visibility to the project and starting crowdfunding initiatives.
Highlights were published on the CD4D website which went live
in March 2017. IOM is committed to continue supporting and
empowering diaspora to contribute to the reconstruction and
development of their country of origin. In this respect, IOM the
Netherlands is exploring opportunities of cooperation with other
countries and potential donors, including in the private sector,
towards a more concerted programme.
IOM THE NETHERLANDS 2017
AT A GLANCE
1,423
17%
1,2532
18%
2,267
27%
3,221
38%
transits
resettlement
voluntary return
relocation
Figure 1. The year 2017 in figures: IOM assisted
close to 8,500 migrants travelling to,
from and via the Netherlands. Many other
migrants benefited also from IOM projects
tackling topics such as migrant integration,
etc. At the end of the day, it all boils down
to making a difference in a real person’s life.
Source: IOM the Netherlands
IOM THE NETHERLANDS HIGHLIGHTS 2017 _ 5

4.635
1.403 1.363 1.189
815 984 4.052
3.187
2.202
1.733
3.811
3.517
3.024 2.919
1.552 1.767 2.583
3.473
3.064
2.905 2.931
2.489
2.247
1.532
819
384
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
OVER 25 YEARS OF IOM-ASSISTED DEPARTURES FROM
THE NETHERLANDS 1992-2017
Figure 2. The year 2017 marked a quarter of a century of voluntary
returns assisted by IOM in the Netherlands. In this period, IOM assisted
some 61,000 migrants to return voluntarily from the Netherlands to
their country of origin. This number compares to the population of
medium-size Dutch cities such as Gouda or Assen. Source: IOM the
Netherlands

For almost 40 years, IOM has been operating Assisted
Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programmes
for the benefit of many migrants around
the world. AVRR aims to improve the conditions under
which return takes place by providing an environment
where the migrants can take informed decisions,
and supporting the migrants to reintegrate
in the communities to which they return.
After a very busy 2016 with unprecedented high
numbers of voluntary return departures, the year
2017 saw much lower numbers, mainly due to policy
decisions excluding several nationalities from IOM
services. At the same time, the number of complex
cases increased, requiring extensive counselling, coordination
and tailor-made approaches. Following
the exclusions, IOM worked on making sure that, irrespective
of their nationality, vulnerable migrants
could still access the support they needed.
VOLUNTARY
RETURNS FROM
THE NETHERLANDS
IOM used the relatively calm 2017 to make
strategic investments in several key AVRR
areas: tailored counselling for return and reintegration;
stronger relations with partners;
and closer ties with countries of origin. On
the project management side, IOM worked
on project development more attuned to
the needs of migrants and the expectations
of the Dutch donors, and on the completion
of the process started in 2016 by which the
AVRR operations were fully digitalized. In the
field, the IOM counsellors focused on consolidating
relations with the local partners and
on further enhancing their counselling capacity
thanks to a personal leadership programme
and training in counselling migrants
with health concerns.
373
312
270 379
237 241
307
246
410
321
360
291
338
250
409
293
383
232
367
284
393
250
334
186
164
117
151
126
160
1181 18
153
93
125
84
123
JAN FEB MAR APR MAYJ UN JULA UG SEP OCT NOV DEC
088 calls registrations actual returns
VOLUNTARY RETURNS FROM THE NETHERLANDS 2017 CONTACT
WITH MIGRANTS, REGISTRATIONS AND ACTUAL RETURNS
Figure 3. In 2017, IOM the Netherlands was in contact with thousands
of migrants around the country. Source: IOM the Netherlands
IOM THE NETHERLANDS HIGHLIGHTS 2017 _ 7

WHO WERE THE MIGRANTS ASSISTED BY
IOM WITH THEIR DEPARTURE FROM THE
NETHERLANDS IN 2017?
Top-10 countries of origin
57%
43%
Iraq
Indonesia
Iran
China
Afghanistan
Armenia
Georgia
Mongolia
Philippines
Ukraine
Algeria
Other
Breakdown by legal status
Asylum (73%)
Non - Asylum (23%)
irregular (4%)
Figure 4. The top 10 countries of origin accounted for more than half of the IOM-assisted
returns from the Netherlands in 2017. Close to three quarters of the returns
were migrants with an asylum background. Source: IOM the Netherlands
1,114
351
67
218
457
1,075
1,314
adults (87%)
children (14%)
female (30%)
male (70%)
Adults and children 2017 Gender breakdown 2017
Figure 5. Most of the returnees assisted by IOM the Netherlands in 2017 were adult
males. Source: IOM the Netherlands

STRATEGIES
FOR EFFECTIVE
OUTREACH
Outreach is used to describe a broad range of activities, from
the dissemination of information to the actual delivery of
services. IOM’s outreach efforts focus on (i) informing the
migrants as well as the people who interact with migrants
at various levels and in different capacities, to increase their
awareness of the IOM services; and (ii) facilitating the migrants’
access to the IOM services and the direct delivery of
services to the migrants.
BEING THERE
MAKING IOM INFORMATION AND SERVICES AVAILABLE IN
A VARIETY OF LOCATIONS AND MEETING THE MIGRANTS
WHERE THEY WERE
Reaching out to migrants involves a tremendous amount of foot work at grass
root level, being there and available to respond to all requests for information
and assistance. IOM the Netherlands operates all around the country with a
team of 20 mobile counsellors. Consultations with IOM could be scheduled
in any of the 5 field offices and in over 50 other fixed locations. In addition,
IOM offers consultations upon request, in different other places where the
migrants are, whether a shelter, a hospital or in detention.
SPEAKING
THE MIGRANT’S
LANGUAGE
MAKING INFORMATION
FRIENDLY AND EASY TO
UNDERSTAND
Map 1. Where we are in the Netherlands
Source: IOM the Netherlands
n 2017, the IOM information materials
on AVRR were available
in 9 different primary languages.
IOM used interpreting services to
supplement IOM’s already considerable
language capacity including
not fewer than 19 different languages.
IOM THE NETHERLANDS HIGHLIGHTS 2017 _ 9