The project "BRAT – Balkan Route: Accoglienza in Transito" deals with the migration process in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). BRAT is a three-year initiative financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and implemented by IPSIAcli (the main applicant) in partnership with Caritas Italiana and the Italian Red Cross and with the involvement of local partners: MFS Emmaus Association, Caritas BiH and the Red Cross Society of BiH.

BiH has been included in the migration flow along the Balkan route since 2018. At that time, the state was not able to propose effective policies on migration, nor to establish an adequate system for the hospitality of migrants. The international organization IOM, together with the institutions of BiH, both at the national and local level, has so far opened 6 Temporary Hospitality Reception Centers and 1 Emergency Tent Camp during the Covid period. Today, after several years of dealing with migration, many steps have been taken, but there are still some needs to be covered.

The BRAT project aims to influence the political, cultural and operational levels, to contribute to the facilitation of the migration process in BiH, which is better managed, safer and more responsible (Goal 10.7 of the SDGs). In BiH, it is necessary to introduce new policies, stories and structures to make the management of migration flows more sustainable, efficient and in line with international standards.

BRAT is implemented in 3 regions of the country that are most involved in the migration flow: Tuzla Canton, Sarajevo Canton and Una-Sana Canton on the border with Croatia. In these regions, the project aims to strengthen and diversify accommodation services for migrants, improve their health and psychological condition of migrants and promote better relations between migrants and local communities.

In order to achieve such a goal, there is a multi-layered and multi-sectoral strategy, which can benefit from several instruments:

• operational level: improving conditions in the Transit Camp (by strengthening psychosocial services in 4 camps) and protecting people who are forced to live outside the camps (by providing basic health services). The project will also develop new experiences in catering, especially services in the community for the most vulnerable migrants (3 safe houses and 3 day centers);

• political and educational level: BRAT aims to improve the competences of national and local actors dealing with migration issues, through public advocacy actions and educational programs (trainings and study visits);

• cultural level and public opinion: BRAT will increase the number of opportunities for local and migrant communities to get to know each other through several events; it will improve public opinion's perception of migration through a special awareness raising campaign; and, finally, it will also support local regions through public interventions aimed at building more inclusive communities;

At the end of the implementation of the BRAT project, the following results will be achieved:

R1, Increased level of assistance and services for migrants

R2, Improved health and psychological condition among migrants

R3, Improved perception of the local population towards migrants

The impact of the BRAT project will be an opportunity for BiH to achieve a more efficient migration policy, in accordance with international standards; achieve adequate competencies at the institutional and non-governmental level for sustainable migration management in the medium term; for local public opinion to be more reasonable towards hospitality; and establishing services in the community that can better respond to the needs of the migrant population, especially the most vulnerable among them.