The Horn of Africa region has a high volume of migration flows both into, out of, and within the region. The reasons for migration vary, but deteriorating socio-economic conditions are a significant factor. However, the journey and arrival in transit and host countries present many challenges and risks to migrants, including protection risks, human rights violations, movement restrictions, challenges in accessing essential services, and various forms of violence, exploitation, and abuse

Returning migrants often face significant challenges, including arriving back in their communities of origin in a vulnerable state and being unable to resume their normal lives prior to migration. In response, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched the Integrated Approach to Reintegration framework in 2017. 

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa, launched in December 2016 with support from the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF),  operates in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, enabling migrants who decide to return to their countries of origin to do so in a safe and dignified way and restart their lives. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative represents an important learning opportunity to inform future operationalization of the Integrated Approach to Reintegration framework, also thanks to the research and evaluation initiatives conducted under this programme. This flyer consolidates some of the key findings from these studies.