Regional study visit to Temporary Reception Centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Within the framework of the project “Strengthening Migration Management, Asylum and Return Processes in the Western Balkans” a regional study visit was organized for representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro, the Directorate for the Reception of Foreigners Seeking International Protection and the Integration of Foreigners with Granted International Protection, from 26 to 30 May in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the participants had the opportunity to visit the Temporary Reception Center "Ušivak" (Sarajevo) and the Temporary Reception Center "Lipa" (Bihać).
The visit began on 27 May 2025, with the organization of a meeting between representatives of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who welcomed and hosted participants from the region, after which they were presented with the protocols and processes of registration and health screening.
Given the composition of the delegation from the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro, which included representatives of medical staff, psychologists, social workers and pedagogues, a special focus during the visit was placed on the issue of educational opportunities for registered persons in temporary centers as well as on contextual factors for stay; which included playgrounds for children and spaces for mutual interaction and socialization.
The visit also included an overview of the capacities and premises for the reception and accommodation of unaccompanied minors, as well as members of other vulnerable categories of persons on the move. In this regard, the participants had the opportunity to directly visit a separate area for mothers and younger children, which was highlighted on this occasion as being of exceptional quality with all accompanying content, with a complementary tour of the accommodation facilities intended for older unaccompanied minors.
The study visit continued in Bihać, on 29 May 2025, with joint visit to the Temporary Reception Centre "Lipa" in Bihać.
This visit enabled direct communication between relevant regional actors on the opportunities, work and challenges faced by the services in the aforementioned centers, which will result in concrete measures for more efficient management of migration flows in the Western Balkans, all with the aim of protecting human rights and respecting the prescribed international standards relating to the protection of unaccompanied children (minors), victims of human trafficking and members of other vulnerable categories of persons on the move.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as representatives of the above-mentioned organizations, demonstrated the importance of openness and commitment to the principles of strengthening regional cooperation with the aim of adequately providing support for the harmonization of policies and standards in the field of reception, asylum and human rights protection with EU standards.
The study visit was carried out as part of the project Strengthening Migration Management, Asylum and Return Processes in the Western Balkans”, which Hilfswerk International is implementing together with the Joint Coordination Platform (JCP). The project is funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Austria.
More about the project: https://hwi.ba/en/projects/refugees-migrants-displaced-persons/strengthening-migration-management-asylum-and-return-processes-in-the-western-balkans/22
