From 24 to 30 January 2021, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, will be conducting a mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is planning to visit the Temporary Reception Centres of Miral, Sedra, Borici and the Emergency Tent Camp Lipa in Una-Sana Canton, as well as Ušivak Temporary Reception Centre in the canton of Sarajevo. The Special Representative also intends to have meetings with representatives of local, cantonal and national authorities and representatives from relevant international organisations and NGOs in both Bihać and Sarajevo. The objective of the mission is to assess the current situation of migrants and refugees in particular in the Bihac area, with the focus on vulnerable groups.

On 22 January 2021, the Special Representative is addressing the 111th Meeting of the European Migration Network (EMN) National Contact Points. He is promoting avenues of possible co-operation between the EMN and the Council of Europe in the areas of asylum and migration. The aim is to enhance the framework of the already existing good co-operation in order to pool resources, develop synergies between both institutions and avoid duplications. Areas of focus are identified for 2021, such as children in migration, alternatives to immigration detention, conditions of detention and return.