Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

Ethiopia + 8 more

Regional Migration Response Center's (MRCs) Network in the Horn of Africa: Fact Sheet - Annual Overview 2017

Attachments

Migration Response Centers (MRCs) are service orientated facilities responding to the needs of migrants on the move. Working collaboratively, MRCs bring together key partners to facilitate the identification of migrants in vulnerable situations, and to ensure that they receive appropriate immediate and longer-term support. MRCs fill critical gaps in providing direct assistance, including food and shelter, to migrants along key migration routes, such as in transit countries and at border points. In addition to direct assistance and service referrals, MRCs provide a “one-stop shop” for the provision of information, and serve as a tool through which migration data is collected1. The features of a MRC will vary in each location depending on needs; however, all MRCs seek to formalize cooperation between IOM, government agencies, civil society organizations, and UN agencies assisting with migrants in vulnerable situations.

Migration Response Centers

IOM established a regional network of five Migration Response Centers (MRCs) in strategic locations in the Horn of Africa including in Hargeisa and Bosasso in 2009, Djibouti in 2011, and in Semera and Metema in 2014.

These centers were designed to provide direct assistance to migrants in vulnerable situations and to support the strengthening of governments’ capacity to respond to mixed migration challenges.