The NATO Trust
Fund for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is being set up by NATO Members
States and other donors to assist BiH with the reintegration of
personnel made redundant through the course of defence reform.
Eligibility
QUESTION: Will I be eligible for
assistance?
ANSWER:
The NATO Trust Fund for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is being set up by
NATO Members States, Partners, and other donors to assist BiH with the
reintegration into society of personnel made redundant through the
course of defence reform.
Application to
NATO Trust Fund assistance is voluntary. Under the NATO Trust Fund, the
assistance will be given in priority to those discharged in 2006/7 and
then to those that have been discharged in 2004.
Therefore, if
you are a military professional, civil servant, or civilian employee discharged in 2006/7, and if you have not retired or if your
contract with the Armed Forces has not come to an end on the day of
discharge, you are eligible for assistance under the NATO Trust Fund
Programme.
If you were discharged in 2004, and were not at the time of your
discharge entitled to retirement or at the end of your contract with the
Armed Forces, you may be eligible to the NATO Trust Fund based on an
assessment of your personal situation. You shall be informed of your
eligibility after the
Registration period is over.
QUESTION:
How will I prove eligibility?
ANSWER:
If you are discharged in 2006/7, or in 2004, the letter from the
Ministry of Defence related to your discharge or redundancy from the
military will be proof of
eligibility.
QUESTION:
Do I have to provide a statement that I was not assisted by IOM/ or
another donor if downsized in 2004?
ANSWER: The Registration Form by which you shall apply for inclusion in the NATO
Trust Fund Programme contains a declaration to certify and sign that you
have not received assistance from any organization in the past.
Registration
QUESTION: When do I register for
assistance?
ANSWER: The registration process
is from April 16 2007 to May 31 2007.
QUESTION: How will I receive
information about the registration process?
ANSWER:
You shall be
informed about the steps and procedure:
- by mail for those who shall be discharged
in 2006/7
- through a
public information campaign (TV, Radio, newspapers, magazines)
- By
consulting the Ministry of Defence website:
http://www.mod.gov.ba
- By
consulting the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
website: http://www.iom.ba
QUESTION: How do I register for
assistance?
ANSWER:
To register for assistance under the NATO Trust Fund Programme, you need
to fill in a Registration form and return it to IOM before the last
day of the registration period at midnight (the mailing date and time will be certified by
the Post Office stamp) at the address mentioned on the Registration
Form.
a) For
those to be discharged in 2006/7: The Registration form will be
attached to the letter of the Ministry of Defence related to your
discharge or redundancy which will be handed out to you at
your local Military Unit location, with an information leaflet about the
NATO Trust Fund assistance.
b) For
those discharged in 2004: Registration forms will be available
at your former local Military Unit location or one nearest to
your present place of residence. You
should bring with you the discharge letter you have received in 2004. You will
also be able to download a Registration form from the
IOM website.
QUESTION: Where do I register?
ANSWER:
Registration is ONLY by mail. All applicants are requested to mail the letter
of the Ministry of Defence related to your discharge or redundancy together with their Registration form by registered
mail. It is advisable to keep a copy of all documents you send.
For
those discharged in 2006/7: please refer to Question “How do I
register for assistance?”
For
those discharged in 2004: please refer to Question “How do I
register for assistance?”
Assistance
QUESTION: What type of assistance can
I expect if I am discharged?
ANSWER: Depending on your status as a civilian employee, civil servant, or
military professional, and time employed, you are entitled to severance
pay in accordance with the prevailing laws.
In addition,
you shall have access to the NATO Trust Fund assistance Programme on a
voluntary basis.
Assistance
under the NATO Trust Fund will be one of the following:
- Training, re-training, qualification to
gain professional and marketable skills
- Equipment for agricultural pursuits
- Employment:
º Training in job search: how to write
a CV, a motivation letter, job interview techniques
º Employment with equipment:
professional tools will be given to you if an employer is
interested in hiring you
º Direct employment through job offers
received from public and private companies depending on market
needs and skills/qualifications
- Tools or equipment for self-employment
It is
strongly advised that you keep part of your severance pay to complement
the assistance that will be provided under the NATO Trust Fund Programme
to increase your chances of successful economic opportunities.
QUESTION: How much money will I
receive?
ANSWER:
The NATO Trust Fund does not provide
cash assistance. The assistance takes the
form of paying your tuition to a training institution, or providing you
with tools, livestock etc. The level of assistance provided under the
NATO Trust Fund may not be sufficient to purchase the required tool,
equipment, livestock or other. This is why it is strongly advised
to keep part of your severance pay to be able to top up the NATO Trust
Fund assistance.
QUESTION: When will the Programme
start?
ANSWER: The Programme will officially start after the registration process is
over and all those who have applied have been identified and
registered.
On the basis
of the information provided in the registration form, you shall be
called in for a private interview with IOM staff at the field
offices closest to your area of residence. This interview will help
assess your individual situation, the best options for your economic
reinsertion and the assistance under the NATO Trust Fund Programme. Once
this is completed, and depending on the assistance that you shall
receive, the IOM staff will be in a position to evaluate when the
assistance will start:
For
example, if you would like to register for training, the
training institution will inform you of the starting date of your
specific training;
For
example, if assistance will be provided in the form of tools,
equipment or livestock, IOM shall procure these goods for you as well as
for other discharged persons who have chosen the same kind of tools,
equipment or livestock. The delivery to you will depend on how fast one
can receive it from the producer and then deliver it to you.
As you are
aware, priority will be given to those made redundant or discharged in 2006/7. The
Programme plans to assist 6,000 Redundant Personnel in total over a 3 year
period, which means approximately 2,000 per year. Depending on the
number of redundant personnel eligible to the Programme in the region
where you live, it may take several months before you are called in for
the first interview.
Discharged in 2002/2004
QUESTION: Will I be included in this
program of assistance?
ANSWER:
If you are being made reduntant or discharged in 2006/7, please refer to the
Question above regarding “Eligibility.”
If you have been
discharged in 2004, you may be eligible to the NATO Trust Fund
based on an assessment of your personal situation. You shall be informed
after the Registration period is over.
If you have
been discharged in 2002, you are not entitled to assistance under
the NATO Trust Fund Programme.
QUESTION: I have previously been
discharged, how do I register?
ANSWER:
If you were discharged in 2004, during the registration period, you should go to your former
local Military Unit – or one closest to
your present place of residence – to obtain a Registration Form.
Bring with
you the discharge letter you have received in 2004. Fill in the
Registration form before the last day of the registration period and send it together with a
copy of your discharge letter to IOM at the address indicated on the
Registration Form. Registration forms will also be posted on IOM website.
Information
QUESTION: Who do I contact for more
information?
ANSWER: You may contact the MoD hotline: 033/286-694,
from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday.
You may consult the Ministry of Defence -
MoD website: http://www.mod.gov.ba
or the International Organization for Migration - IOM website:
http://www.iom.ba
An information
campaign on TV, radio, newspapers and posters will start in Mid December
which will provide additional information.
You shall
further receive an information leaflet attached to the letter of
the Ministry of Defence related to their discharge or redundancy for those discharged in 2006/7.
QUESTION: When will more information
be available?
ANSWER: You shall receive more information through the public information
campaign.
You shall
receive further information directly with the letter of the Ministry of
Defence related to their discharge or redundancy
from the BiH Armed Forces.
Should major
changes occur in the Registration process or the NATO Trust Fund
Programme, you shall be informed through the media.
go back