Malta - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Malta, in cooperation with the Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security (MHAS), successfully completed the fourth phase of the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) project - RESTART IV.

Under RESTART IV, since July 2013, a total of 72 migrants have been assisted to voluntarily return from Malta to their countries of origin and to restart their lives there. The majority are nationals of sub-Saharan African countries, primarily Nigeria (20), Ghana (17), and Mali (7). However, nationals of countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Panama, among others, have also been provided with voluntary return and reintegration assistance.

 “AVRR is a core activity of IOM, offering an option of safe and dignified return to the country of origin for unsuccessful asylum seekers and other migrants who seek, or need, to return home but lack the means to do so. Since 1979, more than 1.2 million persons worldwide have been assisted under IOM’s AVRR programmes,” said Jose Angel Oropeza, Director of IOM’s Coordinating Office for the Mediterranean and Chief of Mission for Italy and Malta.

“Throughout the years, AVRR projects implemented by IOM have been of considerable support to the Government of Malta as a host country, as well as for migrants unable and/or unwilling to stay in Malta. These migrants have benefited from the assistance to voluntarily return and to re-establish themselves at home with the help of reintegration assistance. Reintegration assistance is key:  not only has it a positive impact on individual returnees but it also contributes to the socio-economic development of the receiving communities in countries of origin, thus addressing the main causes of irregular migration,” added Oropeza.

The next phase of IOM Malta’s AVRR project – RESTART V – is set to start in July 2014.

For more information, please contact

Laura Maciulskaite
IOM Malta
Tel: +356 2123 1011
E-mail: lmaciulskaite@iom.int