IOM Rome, in collaboration with the Maltese government, is launching a seven-month pilot project in Malta to help failed asylum seekers or other migrants who are not eligible for residence to voluntarily return home.

The project, which will run until December 2006, is co-funded by the European Refugee Fund (ERF), the Maltese Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs and IOM.

The initiative will include four training-information sessions for Maltese government officials, police officers and social workers. The first of these took place this week.

The project will also fund the counselling, return and reintegration of irregular migrants currently in Malta who choose to voluntarily return home.

Over the coming weeks, IOM and Maltese social workers will work with migrant reception centre managers in Malta to identify potential beneficiaries from the project.

For more information, please contact:

Giulia Falzoi
IOM Rome
Tel.: +39.0644186226
E-mail: gfalzoi@iom.int