The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been operationally present in Albania since 1992, while Albania became an IOM member state in 1993. Since then, IOM has become one of the main international partners of the Government of Albania (GoA), supporting its continuous progress and efforts in migration governance in line with Albania’s priorities of European Union integration. 

IOM has been a member of Albania's UN Country Team (UNCT) since 2007. It actively contributes to the implementation of the GoA-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026, which guides the work of the GoA and the UNCT and their partnerships and aligns the support, funds, and programmes of 19 UN agencies to Albania's development priorities.

IOM aims to support the Government of Albania in ensuring well-governed migration by advancing the implementation of migration policies aligned to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) and boosting migration's development impact. In order to ensure well-governed migration, promote regular migration, increase the sustainability of returnees, and guarantee the protection of migrants' rights, with a particular focus on those exposed to vulnerabilities, IOM Mission in Albania has developed the Country Strategy for the year 2022-2025. The Strategy is a key tool that articulates trends and challenges and how IOM will work with the stakeholders and partners to achieve the strategic objectives around three pillars:

  • RESILIENCE, through supporting individuals, local communities, and Diaspora to be empowered and to engage in the country’s development.
  • MOBILITY, through providing efforts to strive towards fostering safe, orderly, and regular migration.
  • And GOVERNANCE, in order to ensure migration benefits from a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. 

Resources and Tools

IOM Albania Info Sheet
IOM Albania Strategy 2022-2025
Migration and Albania