Mali

IOM in Mali has significantly increased its operations in response to the crisis in 2012.  The activities are implemented countrywide.

The IOM mission in Mali was established in 1998. Since then, IOM has worked hand in hand with the Government of Mali to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and help tackle the migration challenges such as forced migration, irregular migration, trafficking in persons, and smuggling of migrants, among others.

Currently the mission has some 100 staff, a main office in Bamako and three sub-offices in Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao

Through the implementation of different projects in the country, IOM provides humanitarian assistance to both international migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Key actions in Mali

Humanitarian Response

Since the beginning of the crisis in northern Mali, nearly half a million people have been displaced within the country and to neighboring countries. IOM provides support to the Government of Mali in order to respond to this humanitarian and migratory crisis through the tracking and monitoring of those displaced, protection assistance and provision of emergency assistance in shelter, Non Food Items (NFI), potable water, health, hygiene and sanitation.

Tracking and Monitoring of IDPs: IOM in coordination with the Ministry of Labour, Social and Humanitarian Affairs and the Ministry of Security has put in place the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) in order to collect information regarding the displaced population in Mali.

The activities implemented through this program include:  the registration of the displaced households in the southern regions, the data collection regarding the displaced population and returnees in the northern regions, needs assessments in the northern villages as well as the monitoring of population movements at entry and transit points of the main cities of Bamako, Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao.

Protection Assistance: IOM in coordination with the Government of Mali, particularly the Ministry of Promotion of Women, Family and Child contributes to protect the population affected by the crisis, especially women and children, through the provision of psychosocial support and referral to the specialized agencies.

With the support of humanitarian organizations, IOM has set up a national operational system of protection in order to identify, assist and refer the most vulnerable.

Emergency Assistance: IOM in close coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and Hygiene as well as the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources provides emergency assistance to the displaced population and host communities. As co-lead of the Shelter and NFI cluster, IOM provides the most vulnerable population with proper shelter solutions and non-food assistance.

IOM also provides access to basic health services as well as access to potable water and hygiene and sanitation facilities.

Early recovery and community stabilization

IOM closely with the Government of Mali implements a program of early recovery and community stabilization in the regions with the highest number of displaced persons and returnees. This program aims to mitigate the impact of the conflict through a holistic approach: establishment of peace committees in targeted communities, land dispute resolutions, implementation of activities of social cohesion, participatory identification of community priorities and delivery of peace dividends through rehabilitation of basic social services.

Migration Management

IOM in cooperation with the Ministry of Malians Abroad and the Ministry of Labour, Social and Humanitarian Affairs, assists the voluntary return of migrants in situations of distress in host and transit countries. This support includes facilitating departure formalities, transportation, health care and socio-economic reintegration.

In this regard, IOM has facilitated the voluntary return of Malian migrants stranded in Libya as a result of the crisis in 2011 and more recently the return of Malians affected by the crisis in the Central African Republic.

IOM also facilitates family reunification of refugees who will join their families in a third country and supports migrants through family tracing, allowing them to benefit from the right to reunification.

In addition, IOM provides assistance to victims of trafficking and migrants in distress identified in Mali.

Border Management

IOM hand in hand with the Government of Mali, particularly the Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Defense and Veteran Combatants, works for an effective management of cross-border flows by strengthening the institutional capacity through the rehabilitation and construction of border posts, training of immigration officers and provision of border control equipment.

Migration and climate change

IOM Mali applies its comprehensive migration management approach to the complex linkages between climate change, the environment and migration. In coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, IOM helps to reduce the vulnerability of populations exposed to environmental risks factors and builds the capacity of the Malian Government and other stakeholders to face the challenge of environmental migration.

Contact Us

Faso Kanu – Badala Est près de
l’Hôtel COLIBRI
Bamako
Mali

Telephone: +223 20 29 76 97 / +223 229 76 97

Fax: +223 229 76 98

iombamako@iom.int 

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