The Diplomat
Last December 16, the agreement between the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the implementation of projects in the thematic areas of resettlement, voluntary return and inclusion came into force.
According to the agreement, published last January 1 by the Official State Gazette, the Government commits to provide four million euros as financial support to the IOM for the realization of projects that fall within the aforementioned thematic areas, such as support for the resettlement program in Spain for the year 2022, the assisted voluntary return and reintegration project and several inclusion projects (housing for migrant workers, support for migrant associations in Spain and ethical communication on migration in the media).
IOM will use this contribution to finance the costs of these projects. Specifically, the agreement foresees an amount of 1.7 million euros for the thematic area of resettlement, 1.8 million for assisted voluntary return and reintegration and 500,000.00 euros for inclusion (200,000 for housing, 200,000 for support to migrant associations and 100,000 for ethical communication).
The Government has committed to pay the contribution through a single disbursement, within fifteen days from the date of signature. The agreement came directly into force with the signing by both parties (which took place last December 16 in Madrid by the Minister, José Luis Escrivá, and the IOM head of mission in Spain, María Jesús Herrera) and will run until December 31, 2022. In any case, it will remain in force until the completion of all projects and activities and the IOM may extend the duration of one or more of the projects as long as this does not involve expenses exceeding the amount of the contribution.
Agreement between Interior and IOM
On the other hand, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and María Jesús Herrera signed an agreement last December 23 to finance in 2022 several initiatives linked to voluntary return and reintegration from Morocco and border management. The agreement is part of the framework agreement signed between Spain and the IOM in December 2009 with the aim of promoting programs, projects and activities to strengthen collaboration in the orderly and humane management of migration.
The voluntary return project will promote protection and assistance to vulnerable immigrants in Morocco. In addition, in the border area, IOM will support the State Security Forces and Corps in the management of irregular migratory flows at the main arrival points in Spain, as a continuation of the first phase of the pilot project developed during 2021. IOM teams will work in Gran Canaria, Almeria and Malaga.
