02 July 2013 – A new voluntary assisted return and reintegration (AVRR) programme for stranded migrants initiated by Greece and implemented by IOM with funding from the European Union and the Greek government was launched in Athens on 1st July 2013. The new programme will help some 7,000 undocumented migrants to voluntarily return to their countries of origin from Greece, and reintegration assistance will be provided for 500 of these. It follows a similar programme launched in 2012 which ended in June 2013 and helped over 8,000 migrants return home.