In specific circumstances, MRRMs may be embedded in government-run facilities providing assistance and services to migrants and other persons of concern in line with the IOM mandate. This type of arrangement requires excellent collaboration with national and local authorities, who are fully responsible of the overall management of the premises, while IOM only provides complementary services.
| Best practices from the field |
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In Bulgaria, the Government requested IOM support to establish Safety Zones for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the State Agency for Refugees’ (SAR) Registration and Reception Center (RRC) Sofia - Voenna Rampa. IOM Bulgaria renovated three floors, including rooms, corridors, and common toilets and showers and IOM personnel support state social workers in the provision of protection and assistance. |
The division of roles and responsibilities between state authorities and IOM as well as the functioning of the premises shall be clearly defined prior to the establishment of the cooperation and spelled out in a document presenting the standards operating procedures on the conditions and organization of the support. For example, basic services such as accommodation, food, NFIs, and basic medical care may be taken care of by national authorities, while IOM may provide complementary yet important services such as counseling, psychosocial support, recreational activities, legal aid, and support to specialized medical services. State caseworkers may be backed up by IOM specialized staff such as interpreters, cultural mediators, social and psychologists, and/or IOM personnel may replace state caseworkers for the evening/night shift in order to ensure 24-hour 7-days per week care to beneficiaries.