The International Organization for Migration in Montenegro (IOM Montenegro), within the framework of the project “Western Balkans Integrated Border Management Capacity Building Facility (WBIBM)”, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark, organized from 4-6th of December 2023 in Kolašin a training on 'Humanitarian Border Management'.

The implementation of the training, based on the Training Curriculum developed by IOM in 2022 within the above-mentioned project, was also financially supported by Government of Romania through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ROAID.

In the introductory address, the Ambassador of Romania to Montenegro, H.E. Matei-Viorel Ardeleanu emphasized that programs of this type, capacity building, exchange of experiences, and sharing best practices with EU member states on various aspects of migration policy, border management, and other relevant topics are of great importance. This would facilitate the further work of the Border Police and enable the achievement of good results in border protection. Romania actively contributes to the work of FRONTEX in the border areas of Western Balkan countries.

The Chief of the IOM Mission in Montenegro, Mr. Vladimir Gjorgjiev, highlighted that the contribution of the Romanian Government and other EU member states is an important factor that improves capacity building and knowledge in border management. It also aligns the work of the Border Police and services with EU standards, bringing Montenegro closer on its path to the European Union.

The goal of the training, through the WBIBM project, is to support relevant institutions in strengthening the capacities of personnel in the field of humanitarian border management (HBM). This ensures their adequate response to cross-border migrations and the protection of the human rights of migrants and refugees, especially vulnerable groups.

Fifteen officials from the Border Police of Montenegro participated in the training, the first of two planned trainings within the WBIBM project.

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For more information, please contact Edina Osmanović, tel: +382 68 865 005, email: eosmanovic@iom.int