The IOM office in Sarajevo has launched an information campaign to
notify military and civilian personnel from the Ministry of Defence
made redundant over the past three years that they can benefit from
a reintegration programme under the NATO/Partnership for Peace
Trust Fund, which is run by IOM in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

The programme, which is funded by NATO Member States and led by
the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Croatia aims to assist
6,000 ex-soldiers and ex-employees from the Ministry of Defence
integrate into the civilian workforce by providing business
counselling and training, job placement, agricultural tools and
other trade-related equipment, or help them start small
income-generating businesses.

In order to benefit from this programme, demobilized soldiers
must register with IOM by mail before 31 May. Information on
registration procedures are being disseminated throughout the media
and registration forms will also be available as of 16 April on
IOM’s website "http://www.iom.ba" target="_blank" title="">www.iom.ba.

Once the identification and registration of former military
personnel is completed, IOM will deploy staff in three field
offices to carry one-on-one interviews with beneficiaries to assess
their individual needs and to identify the best options for their
sustainable reintegration into civilian life and the workforce.

The programme, which is scheduled to run for the next three
years, builds upon a similar programme that has provided successful
reintegration assistance to some 4,000 former soldiers who had been
discharged from the armed forces in 2002.

Since the past five years, BiH has been carrying out a defence
reform process to access the NATO Partnership for Peace and,
ultimately, become a member of NATO. Part of the defence reform
process includes the downsizing of the armed forces from 33,000 in
2001 to some 10,000 in 2007.

For more information contact:

Regina Boucault

IOM Sarajevo

Tel: + 387 33 611 738

E-mail: "mailto:rboucault@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">rboucault@iom.int

Amr Taha

IOM Sarajevo

Tel: 387 61 215 839

E-mail: "mailto:ataha@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">ataha@iom.int