In the framework of the project “Addressing COVID-19 Challenges within the Migrant and Refugee Response in the Western Balkans”, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the following interventions were realized and equipment donated to the Albanian State Police / Regional Directorates of Korça and Gjirokastra Border and Migration Police. These interventions contribute to align the facilities with COVID-19 protocols in place in Albania:

1. Three fully equipped medical ambulatories and isolation wards were installed at Points of Entry and Migrant Registration and Temporary Accommodation Centres in Kapshtica, Gerhot and Kakavija.
2. Three accommodation containers and sanitary facilities for 18 people were installed at the Border Crossing Point Kakavija.
3. Hand-washing stations were established in Gerhot and Kakavija.
4. Digital info boards – TVs were installed in Kapshtica, Gerhot and Kakavija and information on COVID-19 measures made available through those for migrants while in the Centers facilities.

This EU-funded regional project is running from April 2020 until July 2021 with an overall envelope of 8 million Euro, and it is implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo*[i]. The project aims to support the main migration and asylum management actors in the region to address the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain services operational.  

For further information on the project, please contact IOM Albania National Focal Point: Alketa Gaxha agaxha@iom.int