On Tuesday (24/7) the first group of refugees under the Slovenian resettlement programme arrived at Jože Pučnik Airport. The group of 21 Syrian refugees arriving from Turkey included 8 adults and 13 children. The new refugee resettlement programme came into effect after the signing of a Framework Agreement between the IOM, the UN Migration Agency and the Slovenian government in April 2018.

Resettlement is a vital international protection tool and a durable solution for some of the most vulnerable people in the world who are unable to return to their country of origin for fear of continued persecution and do not have the option to stay in their country of asylum. Though resettlement is not an option for the vast majority of refugees, it gives real hope and a chance to begin life anew to many who would otherwise have neither home nor country to call their own.

The resettlement process from Turkey begins with the Directorate General of Migration Management and UNHCR which identify, assess and submit refugee files to countries for resettlement consideration.  Following the selection missions undertaken by EU Member States in Turkey, selected refugees are assisted by IOM with case processing, including assistance with obtaining visas and travel documents, pre-departure health assessments, pre-departure orientation sessions as well as movement management.

When the refugees are travel-ready, IOM facilitates their transfer from Turkey, including by providing operational and/or medical escorts to particularly vulnerable persons with special needs to resettlement states in the EU where representatives of the local IOM office meet and greet them at arrival.

IOM provided assistance with the facilitation of one selection mission undertaken by the Slovenian government in Turkey. A second group of refugees arriving under the resettlement programme is expected to arrive this fall.

Following their arrival to Slovenia, local non-governmental organizations and other service providers will provide the newly arrived refugees with integration assistance to support them with a smooth and successful start in their new home.

Founded in 1951 to assist in the resettlement of Europeans displaced in the aftermath of World War II, IOM has provided essential services in support of refugee resettlement operations for over six decades. In 2017, 93,216 refugees were resettled worldwide by IOM. Turkey was the top departure country for resettlement globally last year, with 10,162 vulnerable refugees resettled to European countries alone. In 2018, IOM Turkey has assisted the resettlement of 4,414 Syrian refugees globally, of whom 3,700 (84%) went to European countries.