COMMIT - Facilitating the integration of resettled refugees in Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Spain

“COMMIT: Facilitating the integration of resettled  refugees in Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Spain” is a European Commission (DG HOME) funded project managed by the IOM Italy, IOM Croatia, IOM Spain, IOM Portugal, and implemented in collaboration with Consorzio Communitas, Adecco Foundation for Equal Opportunities and the University for Foreigners of Siena.

The action recognizes that successful integration of resettled refugees depends on both enabling structural conditions and social dynamics. These rely on multi-level, multi-stakeholder partnerships between central and local authorities, civil society organizations, international organizations and citizens committed to facilitating the integration of resettled refugees.  

Objectives and activities

Based on these assumptions, COMMIT seeks to contribute to facilitating the sustainable integration of resettled refugees in their new communities in Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Spain, with a specific focus on the integration of vulnerable groups such as women and youth.

IOM Croatia, together with other countries, is included in the following project action’s:

• Systematizing community support, including through building the capacities of key stakeholders in receiving communities and piloting community mentorship schemes with specific attention to supporting vulnerable groups;

• Fostering transnational exchange between newer and more experienced resettlement countries to identify and disseminate lessons learnt and best practices beyond the project’s geographical scope.

The project directly benefits resettled individuals and households, particularly women and youth, as well as host communities, contributing in the medium and long-term to further evidence and tools to support future EU policy and practice in other resettlement contexts.

COMMIT is a 2 years project, whose activities started on 1st January 2019.

Project Status – covering period from Jan 2019 until Apr 2020

With the aim of making receiving communities more welcoming, the following actions were implemented by IOM Croatia:

• Sensitization and awareness-raising campaigns.
• Mentorship volunteers training.
• Wider group of Croatian actors involved in resettlement attended 4 webinars created and shared. The webinars will be focused on cross-cutting ​themes such as youth, gender, job integration and mental health.

11 sensitization sessions and trainings covering 252 participants were conducted with aim to sensitize and inform receiving communities about the resettlement process, resettled population’s challenges and needs, cultural backgrounds, health develop, and to implement and sustain their own solutions on the challenges in the integration of resettled refugees, with a greater focus on the educational system. Sensitization sessions covered 4 cities hosting resettled refugees: Karlovac, Sisak, Zagreb, Požega. The sessions were conducted for the local stakeholders, public institutions, NGO’s and service providers​, teachers, professional coworkers, parents, students and pupils​ and resettled refugees (women and children).

1st Sensitization session with students in Karlovac                                                 

2nd Sensitization session with resettled refugees in Zagreb

Three community mentors’ groups in Zagreb, Sisak, and Karlovac were trained and established. Training covered different aspects of resettlement and integration (e.g. migration, vulnerability, gender and youth aspects, inter-linguistic and intercultural communication, labor market integration, recognition of qualifications). The training enabled mentors to understand the implications of their participation in the scheme, their role and responsibilities, and provide them with tools, skills and support networks necessary to fulfill their tasks.

3rd Mentor’s Training in Sisak

Funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund of the European Union
(2014-2020)