In 2016, the EU and IOM launched the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, with an overall objective “To contribute to facilitating orderly, safe, regular and rights-based migration through the facilitation of dignified voluntary return and the implementation of development-focused and sustainable re-integration policies and processes”. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative in the Horn of Africa (JI-HOA) commenced in March 2017 with a focus on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. 

The JI-HoA includes various pillars, including Assisted Voluntary Return of migrants, and an integrated approach to reintegration that supports both returnees and their communities. The integrated approach targets three societal levels: individual, community, and structural/system level initiatives. Additionally, the project approaches reintegration from three horizontal dimensions: economic, social, and psychosocial dimensions. 

The IOM built this evaluation of the JI-HoA on a mixed-methods data collection approach involving desk research, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and a final debriefing workshop. Analysis then scored the initiatives' performance along the criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. These findings form the basis for conclusions and recommendations for future programming.