IOM Appeals for Funding to Extend Response and Promote Recovery among Vulnerable Migrants in South Caucasus amid the COVID-19 Crisis
IOM Missions in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are jointly appealing for 7,7 Million USD to cover COVID-19 response and recovery needs in the South Caucasus between January and December 2021, in alignment with IOM's 2021 Global COVID-19 Strategic Response and Recovery Plan (SRRP). The plans described in the Appeal span diverse areas of work: coordination and partnerships, risk communication and community engagement, point of entry, protection, displacement tracking, as well as logistics, procurement, and supply chain management, corresponding to existing IOM capacities and expertise in the region.
In 2020, IOM rolled out major humanitarian programmes in the South Caucasus to deliver urgent direct assistance and support to the Governments in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in responding to the COVID-19 emergency. In 2021, critical needs prevail among migrants and migration-dependent populations in the region, deriving from the health risks associated with the disease as well as barriers in access to medical care and services. However, their needs are also strongly exacerbated by the consequences of preventive measures implemented by local Governments and lack of practical access to existing support measures. Additionally, populations in Armenia and Azerbaijan displaced by the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh are exposed to high levels of pandemic risk in the absence of both information and access to preventive measures, such as personal protective equipment.
IOM therefore seeks to extend its efforts to address humanitarian needs exacerbated by the pandemic’s escalation in the region and to promote recovery among vulnerable foreign migrants, populations displaced by conflict, and migration-dependent populations in the South Caucasus.
