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About ecoi.net
By securing easy and fast access to high-quality and up-to-date country of origin information for all actors involved in asylum cases, ecoi.net contributes to a fair, effective and efficient refugee status determination procedure.
Our Mission
ecoi.net gathers, structures and processes publicly available country of origin information with a focus on the needs of asylum lawyers, refugee counsels and persons deciding on claims for asylum and other forms of international protection.
ecoi.net promotes the principle of public domain information as well as equal access to high-quality country of origin information for all persons involved in asylum cases.
ecoi.net is committed to an impartial information policy and to the objective and neutral presentation of country of origin information. While ecoi.net focuses on human rights issues of relevance for asylum procedures, it includes information regardless of its positive or negative character.
How We Work
ecoi.net covers more than 100 sources on a regular basis. ecoi.net preferably uses reliable information sources or sources with a high reputation, such as the United Nations, international non-governmental organisations, news and media services or government departments dealing with asylum and refugee issues. Wherever possible, ecoi.net will present more than one source on any given topic. ecoi.net will also include less prestigious sources if they offer an added information value.
Comprehensive country of origin information not only encompasses many dimensions of human rights but also other aspects not usually covered by human rights reports. This includes information on the living situation in a given country, presentation of ethnic groups and cultural traditions and assessments of the possible development of a security situation.
ecoi.net does not cover events in all countries of the world to the same extent, but there is a focus on countries of origin of asylum applicants in Europe.
Download the below document to find out more details on the sources covered on ecoi.net and our focus countries.
ECOI.NET Sources and Priority Countries (as of January 2008)
Our Newsletter
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter service providing regular information on the latest ecoi.net developments, important COI events and new reports published by ecoi.net partner organisations.
Our Network
ecoi.net is a network of organisations committed to its mission. Besides the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD), also Informationsverbund Asyl contributes to content management on ecoi.net. The Belgian Projects of the Operational Centre Brussels of Médecins Sans Frontières cooperate to improve access to medical COI on ecoi.net. ecoi.net is an open network striving to include new partners committed and willing to contribute to its mission. ecoi.net is supported by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE).